what type of flatworms are these?

[nebraska dreamin]

through browsing data bases and other peoples experiences ive concluded these are not planeria or AEFW, please let these be the kind that are benign! any ideas??

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[Shep]

[HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG]

 

[143MPCo]

looks like flatworms to me.

 

[143MPCo]

benign

This are what benign ones look like:
http://melevsreef.com/node/436

 

[Ike]

They're most likely Acoel flatworms and don't seem to do any harm to corals.

 

[nebraska dreamin]

looks like flatworms to me.

yes, i believe you are right but, they dont have the same characteristics that planeria and AEFW have.
im trying not to panic but have been thinking about starting a qt tank for corals lately and this may be a perfect excuse to do so. I did dip the coral pictured in revive and those guys came off. there are no eggs anywhere and no nibble marks around the base or anywhere else. I just added a halechoeres melanurus recently in case something like this happened and of coarse within 3 days of adding him i noticed little specks on 2 of my frags. could i add another wrasse in a 75 long? would a pseudocheilinus octataenia get along w a melanurus?

 

[nebraska dreamin]

the more i read the more i think the 8 line may be a little more aggressive than what i want. anybody keep 2 melanurus together in a 75. w sump about 100 gal total volume

 

[143MPCo]

pseudocheilinus octataenia

The Eight Lined Wrasse is very aggressive towards other Wrasses and best kept singly.

Here's what every hobbyist needs to know about the identification and prevention of common "frag" pests that are finding their way into home reef aquariums.

​

Flatworms

Identification
While Flatworms, also known as Planaria, can become a problem in just about any saltwater aquarium; the aquaculture industry has encountered two distinct types of flatworms that are now fairly common in the United States.

Rust Brown Flatworm
The first and most common type of flatworm can become a nuisance quickly in the home aquarium. These organisms are tan, brown or rust colored with a red dot, and reach a size of up to 1/4" in length. They are oval and slightly elongated with two tail-like appendages at their posterior. This brown flatworm has been identified asConvolutriloba retrogemma, and will proliferate rapidly in aquariums with elevated nutrient levels. The populations of these pests can increase to a point where they will actually perch on corals, and block the light from reaching the corals' tissue. Some experts believe that the flatworms actually feed on the zooxanthellae from coral tissue, thus damaging the corals themselves.

Acropora-eating Flatworm

​

The Acropora Flatworm is starting to become prevalent in the United States, and has been recognized in Germany for the last few years. This unidentified species is a more aggressive species of flatworm that consumes the actual tissue of Acropora sp. corals at a rapid rate. This flatworm is white to opaque in color, and is mostly oval in shape, making them very difficult to notice in the display aquarium. They seem to prefer species of Acropora that have shorter polyps, and are most commonly found on Staghorn types and Tricolor species. This flatworm is very invasive, and immediate action should be taken if noticed in your aquarium.

Symptoms & Signs
The Rust Brown Flatworm can be seen on top of corals, and normally in areas of low flow in the reef aquarium. The Acropora-eating Flatworm can be recognized by the rapid tissue loss in certain colonies ofAcropora, and their presence will be known by the gold to brown egg masses that they leave behind on the bare coral skeletons.

Treatment
The best way of controlling flatworms is by prevention. Maintaining low nutrient levels in the aquarium with the use of carbon and aggressive protein skimming, along with increased water flow will help to reduce the populations of these pests. Proper quarantine of new specimens, and all aquatic life before they are placed in the display aquarium will keep the initial introduction of flatworms to a minimum.

• Natural means of control include: Wrasse of the genus Pseudocheilinus, such as theSix Line Wrasse (P. hexataenia), Halichoeres Wrasse, such as Yellow Wrasse (H. chrysus), Macropharyngodon Wrasse such as the numerous Leopard Wrasse(Macropharyngodon sp.), and Dragonets such as the Spotted Mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus). The Blue Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians) is very effective at consuming flatworms in the aquarium, but is very sensitive to changes in water chemistry and has a short life expectancy in the home aquarium.
• Although the species mentioned above will consume flatworms, they may not feed on all of the different species that inhabit the aquarium, nor will they typically rid the aquarium completely. Also be sure that your aquarium is appropriate for the fish, as some of the species do have special requirements and increased care levels in the home aquarium.
• Another method of removing flatworms from an infected colony is by performing a brief freshwater bath or dip. Flatworms are very sensitive to salinity changes; by dipping the colony in dechlorinated freshwater for 5 to 10 seconds and then shaking the colony while submerged in the bath of freshwater, will cause the worms to lose their grip and fall to the bottom of the container. Be sure the freshwater has the same temperature and pH as the aquarium's water in order to reduce the amount of stress on the colony.
• The last method involves manual removal. Siphoning seems to work the best, as the flatworms do not keep a very strong grip on the colony. A small diameter airline tubing works very well for soft leather coral colonies and some species of mushrooms. Be careful not to damage the coral with too strong of a siphon. For the more delicate mushrooms and LPS corals, small syringes work very well. It is possible to get the syringe very close to the flatworm and gently draw the worm into the syringe without harming the coral.

With severe infestations, you may have to employ a combination of all methods mentioned above in order to eliminate or even control the populations of these pests.

 

[143MPCo]

If it was my system, i would get 2 or 3 Blue Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians).

 

[nebraska dreamin]

thank you i had found that resource a few months ago and didnt seem to run into it when i actually needed it! i like the idea of the blue velvet nudis, i dont have a spotted dragonette so maybe i should get one of those guys. i have quite a bit of pods incase he doesnt go for the worms.

 

[KJ]

Tank Crash

If it was my system, i would get 2 or 3 Blue Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians).

 

[Ike]

Blue velvet nudis will eat "red planaria", but I'm not sure they will eat this type of Acoel flatworm. Also, wrasses and mandarins are generally hit and miss. In my experience the best flatworm control animal I've come across is the Lemon Damsel, and I'm 4 for 4 in having specimens eat both planaria and Acoel flatworms. I've read about how mean they can be, but have yet to experience one that is anything but shy and well behaved of the four specimens I've kept. But, they are damsels, so proceed with caution. I would take one over a six line wrasse every day of the week...

 

[nebraska dreamin]

^^^interesting, ive not heard of that being a predator of aefw. learn something new every day. gotta love reefing

 

[Ike]

I keep one in my frag tanks at all times.

 

[NanaReefer]

My Sixline Wrasse (last fish added) totally decimated my Red Planaria. Thus far he's been a model citizen. Doesn't even bother my Royal Gramma and vise versa [emoji7]

 

[Squamosa]

Hi all.

I will share my experiences

I recently discovered a green Acropora was losing colour steadily upwards from the base and upon closer inspection, noticed a huge number of tiny circular bitemarks towards the encrusted base, indicating AEFW. Now this is a colony that I grew out from a frag.
Further inspection of other corals revealed a tri-colour that was infested (they seem to be very susceptible) and was debating various options to get rid of this pest.

In the end I settled for a six-line wrasse and was able to get a large specimen that had been conditioned onto frozen foods and was fat and healthy. I chose this method because all my frags are now large colonies and I would've had to dismantle the rock work to get them out and dip.

The wrasse first started hiding amongst the Acropora branches and seeing this I started to blow off the AEFW with a turkey baster.
The first attempt released dozens of these little pests in to the surrounding water and to my surprise the wrasse, fire angel and Anthias stated to grab them even from the glass when some settled there.

I am now blowing water onto the colonies every evening, right before feeding time and the little wrasse sits and waits until a flat worm flies off and it can grab it from the water column.

This has proven to be very effective and now it seems there have been no animals blown off the corals for some days, but the little guy still waits when I come along.

The affected corals are improving and I will monitor and "treat" as needed. Also, the little wrasse has been a model citizen.

So, win-win

 

[nebraska dreamin]

thanks everyone for sharing! This is how im going to handle it. im going to dip any affected frags in revive. that seems to do really well when i use 2 cups of tank water to one cap of revive and let it sit for ten min. doesnt stress the coral and those things whatever they are come off easily. i have a melanuris that i just recently added and he scrutinizes the hell out of frags/colonies/rocks so i think ill hit the colonies w a baster and hope fish go for it. so far not really seeing anything fly off when i hit it w a baster....if it gets out of hand ill set up a frag tank and or try the blue velvet nudis

 

[143MPCo]

blue velvet nudis

Sent you a PM on these guys... hope that help you.

 

[ronnie]

I'm not sure they are flatworms at all. The front appears to have a well defined mouth or legs. Can you get an image with day lights to show more definition?