What's Crawling All Over My Softie

[patsheridan]

What are these brown spots? They aren't actually spots - when I touch them with a pipette, the shrink up a bit and start to crawl.

Apologies for the less-than-clear pics . . .

 

[CNDReef]

Maybe flat worms
Google them and compare

 

[BoomCorals]

Looks like flatworms

 

[jason_mazzy]

flat worms

 

[patsheridan]

Should I be worried?

 

[Kzoo]

Not good get a wrasse

 

[patsheridan]

6-line, or some other?

 

[Kzoo]

That or there are others that like to eat them. Or you can use flat worm exit but it can be dangerous

 

[Maritimer]

There are a number of wrasses that enjoy them, even some fairies and flashers. Some damsels, too, and target mandarins . . .

~Bruce

 

[patsheridan]

Question on addition of wrasse: I've got a couple of Fairy Wrasse in my 72g tank. Will the addition of a 6-line or Flasher disturb the current inhabitants?

 

[Gil03]

You're just gambling by buying a fish in the hopes he'll eat them, chances are they won't. I've found it the most effective and easiest to just take your siphon hose (the hose, not the siphon) and just suck it off the coral. I use a small siphon hose for a nano tank so as not to pull too much water out when doing it. Just be careful with more delicate type corals like small euphyllia, I actually recommend you just dip those types but softies like toads/shrooms/nepthea will all be fine just sucking them right off.

 

[ReeferJim]

I had the same issue, and I did a fresh water bath, and that did the trick. 1 bucket of fresh water the same temp as your DT. 1 bucket of DT salt water. Remove the coral from the tank and place in FW, after 1 min, gently swish in water to displace worms. Repeat after 5 min. remove from FW and place in salt water.after 3 min, gentle swish to remove anything that might be left. Replace back in DT. Replace FW as needed, dispose of bucket water after use.
hope this helps.

 

[howardcath]

I used Salifert's "Flatworm eXit" product with good results in my 120-gallon mixed reef tank -- mostly softies and fish. Had to use it for at least 2 (or 3?) cycles to finally get rid of them all. Don't really know if they do any direct harm, but they just started to proliferate profusely.