Worm ID help

[Cstar_BC]

Hi !

so I just found these all over my glass and near my power heads while doing my water change today (very strange as I haven’t added anything in weeks )

size : >1mm
colour : clear with white spot

please excuse crude drawing . Melevs reef critter id says benign flatworm

suggestions for natural predators

 

[Malifry97]

Wrasses will get rid of them...based on your description, they are probably flatworms...just a tip for other ID’s, please post a photo of whatever you need to ID under white lights

 

[Crabs McJones]

Acoel flatworm

Wrasse will eat them. Otherwise they're not really that big of a deal. They can overpopulate and mess with corals, but they dont munch on coral

 

[Cstar_BC]

Hey sorry I didn’t post a photo - they were too small for my iPhone camera to pick up

 

[Cstar_BC]

Looks like I’m getting a wrasse ! Now to figure out which one

 

[Ratsinmyhead]

I had those. Put in a melanarus wrasse and it took about a week for him to settle in. Then I would say 3 days later I couldn’t find one anywhere. He would pick them right off the glass

 

[Wolf89]

More options:

Springer damsel - small, peaceful, beautiful damsel well known for eating flatworms

Velvet nudibranch- obligate flatworm-ivore

Either way, they're harmless

 

[Cstar_BC]

More options:

Springer damsel - small, peaceful, beautiful damsel well known for eating flatworms

Velvet nudibranch- obligate flatworm-ivore

Either way, they're harmless

Thank you it’s nice to have options

 

[Cstar_BC]

Phone pics - as good as I can get them

 

[Topekoms]

Flat worm I would recommend flatworm exit follow directions exactly

 

[Cstar_BC]

Flat worm I would recommend flatworm exit follow directions exactly

I don’t think this would work as it says “siphon out dead flatworms” - these are tiny specs on the glass - I only noticed cause they were moving right were I was cleaning the glass

 

[Topekoms]

Then you don't have that many you siphon out what you can. Most people are completely infested with them so you have to try and manually remove as much as possible

 

[Cstar_BC]

Then you don't have that many you siphon out what you can. Most people are completely infested with them so you have to try and manually remove as much as possible

Ok . Then I will slow my panic to a dull roar and maybe just grab a wrasse and see how we do

 

[vetteguy53081]

Acoel flatworm. More if s nuisance than killer. Agree on wrasses as a combat tool

 

[Reefasaurus X]

Ok . Then I will slow my panic to a dull roar and maybe just grab a wrasse and see how we do

 

[Reefasaurus X]

I finally used flatworm exit on my tank yesterday. I guess my flat worms are so tiny that they don’t give off much if any toxin. Here’s a video of the flat worms suddenly moving around on a mushroom after dosing. Before that I would see them but I would never see them move. After adding the second half dose I finally started seeing some of them in the water swimming. my clown fish got excited and started swimming around gobbling them up. My fish and corals were unfazed. Didn’t even need to do a water change.

 

[deftonead]

I had thousands of them until I got a sixline wrasse and then they all vanished

 

[Reefasaurus X]

I had thousands of them until I got a sixline wrasse and then they all vanished

I’ve had a six line for about a month now and didn’t seem to have an appetite for the type of worms I had. I wonder if they only have an appetite for certain types of flatworms..

 

[deftonead]

I’ve had a six line for about a month now and didn’t seem to have an appetite for the type of worms I had. I wonder if they only have an appetite for certain types of flatworms..

I don't know. Maybe. I didn't add the sixline for that purpose but he seems to enjoy them. I really didn't mind the worms when I had a lot. they didn't seem to bother anything and only collected on the from of the glass when I didn't clean it for awhile.

 

[Cstar_BC]

Thanks for the input everyone ! I have had a really hard time finding a wrasse so went with a mandarin - I will see if he has a taste for the worms since they are so small .

If not flatworm exit might be the next stage .

Will keep this thread updated