Found a flatworm

cntryboi407 · Dec 7, 2009

So I was sitting here tonight and my actinics were on just so I could observe my corals at night to look for interesting stuff. Well I found something:
A flatworm! :sure:
So never had them before and was wondering what to do to take care of them? If there's one, are there more? Are there any supps that will clear them out? I pulled the one I found out and cant seem to see anymore. Any info on eradicating will help. Thanks

nayrgaijin · Dec 7, 2009

I bet you have more..... They reproduce fast ! Was it the brown kind that looks like a little rectangle ?
Best way to take care of them is to siphon them out using an air hose then replenish the water like a water change. There's also the Yellow Coris wrasse which eats them. Also Flatworm exit which I have used ALOT at 2 fishstores I've worked at and that stuff worked great !
Good luck man !

CookieJar · Dec 7, 2009

Welcome to the club. There's a lot of info about flatworms and treatment. I'm sure you can find numerous threads about it.
Most people use multiple doses of flatworm exit, it usually works but they still can come back- people get mixed results. It's important to *do research* before treating. The flatworm dieoff can cause serious problems.
As far as wrasses, I've tried 2, 6-line & melanarus. Neither made a dent, maybe because I didn't starve them but that's cruel anyway. The only way to eradicate is flatworm exit, but don't panic, flatworms are more of an eyesore than anything else.

gflat65 · Dec 7, 2009

If it's 'planaria' flatworms, there is generally no cause for alarm until they start looking like coralline algae moving on your rocks, sand, and glass. If you had to search to find one, there are more, but most likely not to plague proportions. I keep them in some of my tanks to provide a side meal for wrasses and mandarins (not a good primary source of nutrition, though). On a small scale, Flatworm Xit will take care of them with no ill effects. When they hit plague propotions, the toxins released when they die can cause problems. It is generally recommended to siphon out as many as possible before treating to reduce the toxin load in the tank following the treatment. Flatworm Xit will most likely not get them all (many report treating numerous times in succession to get rid of them all). With so many really bad things to worry about (AEFW's and Monti nudis being some of the worst I've come across), 'planaria' are low on the list for me

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benny z · Dec 7, 2009

red or gray?

cntryboi407 · Dec 7, 2009

benny z said:
red or gray?

It's the gray one I believe. I've had the red round ones before about a year ago but managed to get those all out. The one I have is sort of grayish/white body with little blacks specs in him.

Thanks for the quick responses all.

gflat65 · Dec 7, 2009

Can you get a picture? Does it stay on the glass, or hang out on any corals?

Ike · Dec 8, 2009

cntryboi407 said:
It's the gray one I believe. I've had the red round ones before about a year ago but managed to get those all out. The one I have is sort of grayish/white body with little blacks specs in him.

Thanks for the quick responses all.

It's most likely a harmless acoel, perhaps Amphiscolops sp., they will typically not reproduce rapidly or become a pest. A picture would help confirm this, or just a better desciption of where you found it and what it was doing at the time...

benny z · Dec 8, 2009

i've had these gray ones in a few systems. they get past coral rx dip and flatworm exit at triple dose doesn't phase them. i never found them to be a problem, though.

Ike · Dec 8, 2009

Benny, what you have most likely eats tiny copepods, and is also harmless as you've discovered.

macawmagic · Dec 9, 2009

I'd vote on trying to treat the tank to kill them. If that doesn't work. Get some wrasses such as 6-line, yellow corris, radiant. They'll hopefully eat them. There are also a couple types of nudi's that will eat flatworms.

I have successfully killed flatworms before. Lesson learned the hard way, and now I dip EVERYTHING!

cntryboi407 · Dec 9, 2009

sorry guys but no picture. an update though, I found another last night but lost it as I scraped it off the glass and missed with my turkey baster before it hit the sand.

benny, it is not those.

The ones I found look exactly like the picture "rng pw" posted in his thread "is this bad?????." The only difference is mine was a little whiter with more black spots

Ike · Dec 9, 2009

cntryboi407 said:
The ones I found look exactly like the picture "rng pw" posted in his thread "is this bad?????." The only difference is mine was a little whiter with more black spots

Link?