Found some flatworms on new hammer

KonradTO

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Hi all,
Today I picked from LFS a new hammer. During the dip with Revive (10 minutes) few of these fell off (did not die). Never seen them before. Are known parasitic or random flatworms?
20220930_182056.jpg
 
Damm! Worst case ever. You never get to relax with reefing don't you.
I will try to bring it back to lfs, hopefully they did not survive the dip and did not spread anywhere.
 
Are you sure this is polyclad flatworms?
They look like the posted picture but everything I could find online similar was waminoa flatworms.
 
I took out the hammer and I cannot see any trace of eggs or other flatworms. I brushed it with a teethbrush and washed again. I think I will risk it and see how it goes, if there were stray individuals I already got them anyway. And in my system there are loads of photosynthetic small flatworms (those with Y-shaped tail, few mm long, pods predators). So far I have not observed them feeding or hosting corals, but if they get too bad I will try lanthamum chloride treatment with loads of carbon.
 
Are you sure this is polyclad flatworms?
They look like the posted picture but everything I could find online similar was waminoa flatworms.
You may be right though the waminoa look more circular in some pictures. Nonetheless, they grow to plague numbers and were all over my LPS and ricordia.
 
Do wrasses usually hunt these guys? I see them in my sump but in my DT they only seem to pop out at night.
 
Do wrasses usually hunt these guys? I see them in my sump but in my DT they only seem to pop out at night.
Halichoeres happily hunt them. I had a Euphyllia Eating Flatworm issue unfortunately (Resulted in my 20+ head Hammer becoming a one head hammer). I added a couple Halichoeres species and they take them out quite happily.

Some Macropharyngodon species are known for having a taste for certain pests. One of those species is the Macropharyngodon negrosensis.
 
Halichoeres happily hunt them. I had a Euphyllia Eating Flatworm issue unfortunately (Resulted in my 20+ head Hammer becoming a one head hammer). I added a couple Halichoeres species and they take them out quite happily.

Some Macropharyngodon species are known for having a taste for certain pests. One of those species is the Macropharyngodon negrosensis.
So I'm guessing that is why they only show themselves at night while the fish are sleeping.

Are there any nocturnal predators for them such as a type of crab?
 

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