Good or bad flatworm?

[154162]

From what i understand there are good and bad flatworms, the white ones will eat algae whereas the red one are the bad ones?
What do you think about these 2?

I spotted a maybe 2-3 recently. If it’s bad how would I go removing? Catching them or how does flatworm exit work in Reef tank and not a dip?

 

[Anthrax15]

Look similar to Red Planaria Flatworms. Flatworm Exit will take em out but be very cautious using that. You can get a Melenarus Wrasse or Sixline Wrasse which eat them.

 

[anon9896]

Yeah and dont wait too long to try and get rid of them as when they massively die they release a toxin wich can harm other inhabitants. I have the melenarus wrass, does the job perfectly.

 

[154162]

Thanks for the replies... ugh I was hoping these were the good ones
Ok, i only have a 12 gallon tank so a wrasse is out of the question, I guess syphon our what I can and then use flatworm exit, which I hear will cause them to die, and cause a spike, so do a massive water change after that, would probably be the best way to go ?

 

[154162]

Don’t red planarian have 3 tails??

 

[Sdot]

Don’t red planarian have 3 tails??

You are correct... these appear to common flats worms and are not anything to worry about imo

These are the ones you need to avoid:

 

[TommyK]

Hi. Just noticed similar looking fellas in my tank this morning. Are these the same kind?

 

[KJ]

Hi. Just noticed similar looking fellas in my tank this morning. Are these the same kind?

Acoel
Brown Flatworms

Suitability: Watch Them!

Diet: Detritus, algae and copepods.

 

[uhgster1]

One or two won’t hurt anything. The problem is they have a nasty habit of multiplying very fast and very subtly. By the time you notice that they’re annoying your coral you have hundreds. That’s when the issues of toxins becomes a problem. When you do a mass extermination (flatworm exit or similar), the dead mass releases enough toxins to kill your fish. Siphon them out as you see them daily. It’s not an emergency yet and you have time. I’ve seen damsels eat them if you don’t want to get a six line wrasse.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Acoel although not deemed deadly can be harmful in numbers. For one to say a couple wont be an issue. . . we dont see wholesalers or stores selling them for a reason. They are simply not an advantage in the reef tank.
IF there are presence of eggs which are vert tiny, soon there will be a colony of them and when in numbers can block the light that allows coral to form their food source zooxanthellae.
If there are a couple, simply siphon them up and watch over the next two weeks daily for eggs which are at base or under corals.
A 6 lined , lunare, yellow coris or melanurus wrasse will eat these.

 

[syrinx]

There is no flatworm that is beneficial enough to waste time on identification. Remove them with a airline tube siphon whenever you get opportunity.

 

[nano reef]

From what i read seems only the aefw are white. I spotted a white one the other day and killed it immediately.

I had recently had frags come it and was to worried to dip! They came in unexpectedly and had been sitting there for hours and hours.

Do I need to worry that there's more if I dont have acros?

Are only the AFEW white. From what I read seems like they are.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

From what i read seems only the aefw are white. I spotted a white one the other day and killed it immediately.

I had recently had frags come it and was to worried to dip! They came in unexpectedly and had been sitting there for hours and hours.

Do I need to worry that there's more if I dont have acros?

Are only the AFEW white. From what I read seems like they are.

As mentioned on the other thread just now:

Lots of different flatworms are white. Ghost Flatworms (Amphiscolops sp.), sometimes called Acoel Flatworms (though that term applies much more broadly) are common ones that are relatively harmless.

Most Acoel flatworms are neutral to only moderately harmful (they're basically only bad in huge numbers); most other flatworms are moderately to extremely harmful (generally ranging from snail-eaters to coral-eaters).

 

[nano reef]

Now I feel bad I killed it! lol

 

[nano reef]

As mentioned on the other thread just now:

What other thread are you speaking of? Actually I just read that they can multiply fast and block light ect. So I did the right thing by killing it! I wasn't going to wait around and go research and let it get away. What should I do now? I dont want to upset these high end zoas by taking them all out and inspecting them all with a magnifying glass. THis just happened the other day. I dont see how I could have missed this large worm though so much have been up under maybe this wild scoly I got a few months ago It has hairs growing around it so can pretty much tell its wild. I saw some bristle worms crawling out of a pocket thats under it.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

What other thread are you speaking of? Actually I just read that they can multiply fast and block light ect. So I did the right thing by killing it! I wasn't going to wait around and go research and let it get away. What should I do now? I dont want to upset these high end zoas by taking them all out and inspecting them all with a magnifying glass. THis just happened the other day. I dont see how I could have missed this large worm though so much have been up under maybe this wild scoly I got a few months ago It has hairs growing around it so can pretty much tell its wild. I saw some bristle worms crawling out of a pocket thats under it.

This thread:

Are all flatworms bad?

So I know there are the AEFW that are obviously really really bad, but I've found a flatworm, that had the same body as the AEFW, but was stark white...no color to it at all. Long story short, are they still bad? I have not seen any in the tank before, and all my corals (currently no SPS)...

www.reef2reef.com

Yeah, if their population is left unchecked and they grow to huge numbers, they can block the light (or if large enough groups of them die at once, it can also cause issues) - in small numbers they're not an issue though.

When people really want to get rid of them, they typically get a wrasse or mandarin to eat it (wrasses are generally recommended), or they use a product to kill flatworms (like Flatworm Exit).

Again, though, in small numbers, ghost flatworms are harmless.