Brown spots on hammer coral???

Williamthegr88 · Jan 13, 2017

Need to know what these brown spots are on my torch

GHsaltie · Jan 13, 2017

When did you first notice these? Do they appear to be moving? I'm not the greatest with ID but that kind of looks like flatworms to me. Might want to check the other heads and any corals near it.
Also looks like you have a hammer or frogspawn to me

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#reefsquad

Lionfish Lair · Jan 13, 2017

Those are flatworms.

Williamthegr88 · Jan 13, 2017

Sorry meant hammer and that sucks never had flatworms are they going to harm coral and if so how do I rid myself of these things?

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 13, 2017

Williamthegr88 said:
Sorry meant hammer and that sucks never had flatworms are they going to harm coral and if so how do I rid myself of these things?

Dip it.

Williamthegr88 · Jan 13, 2017

Ok I just noticed then today that sucks last time I moved that coral it broke so hopefully it goes smoother thanks for the info

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 13, 2017

Williamthegr88 said:
Ok I just noticed then today that sucks last time I moved that coral it broke so hopefully it goes smoother thanks for the info

Dang. That does mean they are in the system, as its not a new addition.

Lionfish Lair · Jan 13, 2017

I believe it's a waminoa species due the the part I can see.

Williamthegr88 · Jan 13, 2017

I looked up pics of waminoa flat worms and yes that's def what it looks like. And yes that coral has been in my tank for awhile is there anyway to treat whole tank to get rid of them?

nickman · Jan 14, 2017

Williamthegr88 said:
I looked up pics of waminoa flat worms and yes that's def what it looks like. And yes that coral has been in my tank for awhile is there anyway to treat whole tank to get rid of them?

nickman · Jan 14, 2017

Sorry about that, computer is acting weird...

I would try Salifert Flatworm exit in a separate treatment container as a trial. If the flatworms quickly drop off the hammer it may be worth doing a full tank treatment. As long as you don't have tons of them in the tank you shouldn't need to worry about significant amounts of toxins being released but still be sure to follow the instructions closely.

Williamthegr88 · Jan 14, 2017

nickman said:
Sorry about that, computer is acting weird...
I don't think I have tons but it's hard to tell I just see them on the hammer I was looking in to that stuff I think I'll give it a shot
I would try Salifert Flatworm exit in a separate treatment container as a trial. If the flatworms quickly drop off the hammer it may be worth doing a full tank treatment. As long as you don't have tons of them in the tank you shouldn't need to worry about significant amounts of toxins being released but still be sure to follow the instructions closely.

Williamthegr88 · Jan 14, 2017

Weird my phone just did same thing I was trying to say I was looking in to that stuff I don't think I have tons of them I just see them on hammer but they might be hidden I think I'll give it a shot and I'll have a bunch of salt water on hand for water change my hammer def does not like them

John S. · Jan 15, 2017

nickman said:
Sorry about that, computer is acting weird...

I would try Salifert Flatworm exit in a separate treatment container as a trial. If the flatworms quickly drop off the hammer it may be worth doing a full tank treatment. As long as you don't have tons of them in the tank you shouldn't need to worry about significant amounts of toxins being released but still be sure to follow the instructions closely.

I tried flat worm exit before. Had a horrible experience with it. I would be very careful to control the population first before I attempted to use chemicals to kill em. Six line wrasses and arrow crabs will definitely help put a dent I. The population. Best not to kill a bunch at once in the system cause the toxins they release will nuke your system.

Williamthegr88 · Jan 15, 2017

John S. said:
I tried flat worm exit before. Had a horrible experience with it. I would be very careful to control the population first before I attempted to use chemicals to kill em. Six line wrasses and arrow crabs will definitely help put a dent I. The population. Best not to kill a bunch at once in the system cause the toxins they release will nuke your system.

I treated my tank today went smooth think I had very few flat worms don't see any more on my hammer coral so hopefully there all gone thanks for all the info

nickman · Jan 20, 2017

Glad to hear it.
I am not entirely sure what the life cycle of this particular flatworms is but you may want to treat the system again soon. You will want to kill the next generation as they hatch from any eggs that may have been laid before you wiped out the adults. The idea is to kill them before they reach maturity and lay more eggs.

Lninwa · Jan 20, 2017

John S. said:
I tried flat worm exit before. Had a horrible experience with it. I would be very careful to control the population first before I attempted to use chemicals to kill em. Six line wrasses and arrow crabs will definitely help put a dent I. The population. Best not to kill a bunch at once in the system cause the toxins they release will nuke your system.

I killed my last tank when I failed to do a 25% wc because I didn't read the directions

Williamthegr88 · Jan 20, 2017

Wow that sucks sorry to hear that I watched you tube videos on it so I had my water all ready and yes it's not a bad idea I think I'll treat again I don't want any problems in the future thanks for the info

Lionfish Lair · Jan 20, 2017

Flatworms don't reproduce by eggs like that.

nickman · Jan 21, 2017

Thanks, I had only seen little blurbs while searching that lead me to believe they did. I dug a little deeper and learned they produce gametes, not eggs.
Being hermaphroditic only one needs to survive to repopulate the tank so a second treatment is still a good idea.