Need advice RE: a sad surprise

[Lyss]

This morning as I was doing my normal morning reef chores I noticed my Duncan was very closed up — much more than usual. Looked closer and saw a fat brown flatworm crawling on its base. It wasn’t a very thin flatworm — looked more like your typical FW planarian but brown.

I sucked the worm off the coral but right in the area where it was found the coral flesh is gone. Everywhere else is fine except for that spot where the worm was. It reminds me of that scene in tommy boy where he gets hit w/the 2x4 and asks if there’s a mark b/c it hurts “not so much here, or here, but right here,” and then there’s a huge red mark in the exact 2x4 shape in one specific area.

Couple Qs:
1. Anything I can be doing rn for the Duncan? The head near the damage is very closed up still and obviously stressed.

2. Is it possible for a flatworm to eat Duncan flesh, or is this more likely a coincidence that the flatworm was on the damaged area?

 

[Lyss]

Bumping this — anyone have any advice?

Duncan looks better today, but still not it’s full glory, and there’s more tissue loss on the base. I found another one of the same flatworm on it again last night and was only able to blow that one off the base of the coral.

Should I be worried about these flatworms or is it more likely they’re harmless and just a coincidence? My params haven’t changed, except for salinity going up a tiny bit when I added some pods on Friday.

 

[jcdeng]

I think you will find more of the same flatworm over your tank, just a coincidence that it was on the duncan. How big is your tank? A wrasse like the six line would surely help for smaller tanks and get a melanurus if the tank is big enough, (can't have cuc with melanurus tho)

 

[tautog83]

^ I had melanarus with all sorts of snails , shrimp and urchins so I wouldnt say that's accurate . Some may pick at them but it's not as common

 

[Reefing102]

I would also caution with the melanurus. Mine left snails attached to rock/walls alone but the moment they got flipped over he was going after them

 

[jcdeng]

^ I had melanarus with all sorts of snails , shrimp and urchins so I wouldnt say that's accurate . Some may pick at them but it's not as common

thats is good, but might be a double edged sword. A well fed fish might not touch the CUC, but on the same note, if he doesn't show interest in hunting the CUC, why would he go after pests?

 

[tautog83]

The same way we snack on popcorn before dinner lol I think its instinct honestly . Mine would always go to an area if I lifted a coral or a rock to inspect what was underneath it .

 

[sdreef]

Bumping this — anyone have any advice?

Duncan looks better today, but still not it’s full glory, and there’s more tissue loss on the base. I found another one of the same flatworm on it again last night and was only able to blow that one off the base of the coral.

Should I be worried about these flatworms or is it more likely they’re harmless and just a coincidence? My params haven’t changed, except for salinity going up a tiny bit when I added some pods on Friday.

How big is your tank and what other LPS do you have? I'm wondering if there are other corals that could also be affected.

You can dip the coral to remove the worms. Melafix is one dip that has worked well for me. It will irritate the worms and can get them to release with some gentle basting of the coral.

This will not remove the eggs. You may need to dip again on an interval to remove any worms that newly hatch. When you remove the coral to dip, I recommend inspecting and you may be able to see eggs which can be removed with a tooth brush.

Here is a photo of a torch coral that I received. There is an arrow pointing to the clusters of brown eggs that I found upon initial inspection. The eggs were removed, the coral was placed in QT, it was serially dipped on a weekly interval for four weeks prior to being placed in the display, and it remains alive and well today.

 

[Lyss]

I have a 20g Max Nano, and mostly softies, but I do have a micro lord that bailed a few weeks ago -- that polyp is doing well in an acclimation box and regrowing skeleton. And I have a blastomussa merletti that is doing great. Up until the morning I posted this, the Duncan looked amazing and was doing great, so this seemed to have happened overnight. Other than the very slight upward salinity swing I have not noticed anything else unstable about my parameters, which typically are:

Salinity: 35 ppt -- went up to just shy of 36 ppt when I added the pods
Alk: 8.5 - 8.9
Calcium: 400 -435
Mag: 1300 - 1350
Phosphate: .06 - .08
Nitrate: 25 ppm

I have to pull the frag out I guess and check for eggs/dip. I just have been cautious of disturbing it right now. The super closed up head has come back out now but is still more closed up than usual. I'm also not sure if the flatworms I've seen are something to worry about or totally benign.

Also does anyone know if the coral is a goner b/c of the tissue necrosis on the base? Can the coral recover from that?

Edit: Just adding that I'm not looking to add livestock rn, especially any fish. A melanurus is definitely not an option for my tank but I would like to eventually find a pink-streaked wrasse. For now, I do notice my female clown hunting in the sand, and have seen her take flatworms and amphipods off the glass.