+o0zarkawater Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 New to the forums and would appreciate a little help. I have these little guys all over the tank glass. My first thought is some sort of larvae? The tank is a 55gal that I took over for a friend of the family who was no longer able to keep it. He intended to sell everything off, but was not able to get rid of everything, but needed it out of my parents house ASAP. So I took it over, I currently have a 10gal that I have had for over 2 years with no problems. So I was looking forward to this larger tank. The current inhabitants are: 2 Maroon Clown Fish 1 Rose Bubble Tip Anenome 1 Spotted Hawkfish Some assorted soft corals 15 or so Hermits 3 Large Snails I am working on building the tank back up since he sold off most all of his livestock and almost all of the live rock. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 The look like a flatworm to me. And it is a bad infestation if that is what they are. If you conclude that they are flat worms some treat with a dog medication (can't think of what it was but Hobogato in San Antonio treated for them using it.) or Salifert Flatworm exit. If there were less of them a predator such as a sixline wrasse might clean them up. See what others say as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doktorstick Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 The dog medicine requires a vet prescription. It's called Interceptor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Well that certainly was not the reply I was looking for, I was hoping they were larvae to something good! But from reading a little bit about flatworms, im pretty positive thats what they are. My picture is a macro shot, so I think although there are a lot of them, I dont see any that are very old. The largest one in that picture is smaller than a BB. The rest are about pinhead sized. Some sites say they are not really a problem, but others seem to insist on getting them out. I just made a removal tool with a razor blade attached to a siphon wand, so I will scrape/suck out as many as I can weekly before I resort to using the medications. Some peoples tanks reactions to the medicines don't seem too good. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing any other input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 just my opinion but i dont think they are flatworms. More like maybe and ISOPOD of some sort. Try searching a sight XTALREEF.COM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I have heard of these methods of success: -mandarin goby...I personally had one. It ate the flatworms, but was also eating frozen brine shrimp as a back up when the flatworms were gone. I still have it and it is almost 18 months old. -a velvet nudibranch...they work very well.....here are the stats on these guys via liveaquaria....I can order them, but they need to be picked up same day because I have no flatworms for them to eat!! The Blue Velvet Nudibranch, also known as the Head Shield Sea Slug, is black in color with blue lines around the outside of its body and down the middle of its head. It has a hammer shaped head and two appendages at the rear, mimicking a flatworm. This specialized eater will consume flatworms in the aquarium. It sucks up the flatworms using a tube-like proboscis and makes a great natural alternative for flatworm control. However, it must be provided with a steady diet of flatworms in order to thrive. In addition, it is sensitive to rapid changes in water conditions and does not have a long life expectancy. Because of this, only expert aquarists should attempt to maintain this species. Spawning occurs regularly when more than one of this species is maintained together. Unfortunately, there has not been a good success rate reported in raising the larvae. The Blue Velvet Nudibranch should be acclimated using the Drip Method. It can be harmed by pump intakes and drains, so care should be taken to screen these off. It is sensitive to high levels of nitrate and will not tolerate copper-based medications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 From Mama's post, I'd guess the Blue Velvet is out for me. I have some flatworms and my 6-line wrasse is co-existing with them peacefully. I don't seem to have a lot of them but they do seem to be multiplying a bit. Do these things cause problems? If so, what kind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 I have heard of these methods of success: -mandarin goby...I personally had one. It ate the flatworms, but was also eating frozen brine shrimp as a back up when the flatworms were gone. I still have it and it is almost 18 months old. -a velvet nudibranch...they work very well.....here are the stats on these guys via liveaquaria....I can order them, but they need to be picked up same day because I have no flatworms for them to eat!! I appreciate the information. I do love the look of that nudi, but I dont think that he would have enough to eat for very long. Like I said, they are all very very tiny and just look like specks on the glass. Oddly enough they are only on the front and sides, I can't make them out on the back. Since I don't currently have much in the way of LR in the tank right now, would the nudi even be able to get them off of the glass only? I think for now I am going to just scrape/suck them out with the tool I made and see how that works for a while. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 The dog medicine requires a vet prescription. It's called Interceptor. This is what you use for red bug. Be careful. This medication will kill all of your snails, starfish, and cucumbers. Your crabs may or may not survive based on dosage size. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Correct me if im wrong but dont flatworms eat Acropora? i know when they attack acro people use Coral RX but i dont know if you can treat a hole tank with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prof Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Not all flatworms are the infamous "acro eating red bugs". Many are just harmless planaria and are favorite foods of many wrasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Not all flatworms are the infamous "acro eating red bugs". Many are just harmless planaria and are favorite foods of many wrasses. So from the looks of these guys that are on my glass, would you say they are the harmless kind? I'm still scraping/siphoning out as many as I can, since it is a small infestation. But I don't want to resort to using Flatworm Exit if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 It is so hard to tell from just the pictures. Could you tell us more information IE; do they move at all, are they soft or hard, do they have any color? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted December 2, 2009 Author Share Posted December 2, 2009 They do move very slowly. From what I can tell they don't have much color, off white/tan. I can't really say if they are hard or soft, because they are still so tiny, they kinda just smash if I touch them. I'll try to get better pictures of them, but really the only way I can see them is from the outside of the glass, so I only see their undersides like the pictures show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 i have a few in my tank, nothing to be worried about IMO. my 6line wrausse keeps them in check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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