Odd looking critter...

Greybeard · Sep 7, 2017

Saw these on the glass tonight, hadn't seen them before, but I hadn't cleaned the glass in a while, and had a film of algae on it... watching them move around, it appears that the two points are the rear end... they're moving the other way. Small, 1/16", maybe a bit larger.

Some sort of copepod? I'm used to the more typical amphipods, but this one is new to me.

saltyfilmfolks · Sep 7, 2017

Flat worms. Look like brown acoels.

Not horrible, except in large numbers. Generally bloom and fade away. I've had them, did nothing and they went away.

Greybeard · Sep 8, 2017

Looks like the right critter, thanks.

Hm. Tank was started with dry rock and sand, a couple of pieces of live rock from my old tank, where I had never seen these... I took a few frags and some macro algae from a friends tank, these almost had to come in from his tank.

I'd imagine that a wrasse or some such would be able to eradicate these in short order, if they don't fade on their own. Haven't seen them on what few corals I have at this point, I'll keep an eye on things and see what happens.

saltyfilmfolks · Sep 8, 2017

Yup. Happy I could help.
I'd guess the chato perhaps. And any picker fish works. Scott we blenny , wrasses etc. I don't think they bother corals much as it's not what the feed on. Unlike the red ones who can feed on coral mucus as as well as detritus.

Greybeard · Sep 8, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
Yup. Happy I could help.
I'd guess the chato perhaps. And any picker fish works. Scott we blenny , wrasses etc. I don't think they bother corals much as it's not what the feed on. Unlike the red ones who can feed on coral mucus as as well as detritus.

Not chaeto... Caulerpa mexicana. Not sure why everyone assumes macro algae means chaetomorpha, but it does seem to be the most common variety these days.

I have a smith's blenny... he's been looking nice and fat lately, may well be working on them already.

Thanks again