So this is currently going on in my shark tank.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The copepod explosion happened several months ago, likely a result of my heavy feeding and lack of predators or other clean up crew members. I first noticed one of these flatworms about a week ago and thought it was just a typical red planaria at first, of course after closer examination I quickly determined that it was far too white and seemed much more active than the acoel worms that I had encountered in the past. After only a couple minutes of close observation I realized that their diet consisted of copepods (at least in this tank).
They are not terribly effective as they move pretty slow compared to the pods, so they have to hover over them and hopefully trap them with the "bag" that they make with the front part of their bodies. I have yet to see one actually capture a larger pod, so I'm assuming that unless they start reproducing at a high rate that they will likely have minimal effect on the pods as long as I keep their food source flowing.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The copepod explosion happened several months ago, likely a result of my heavy feeding and lack of predators or other clean up crew members. I first noticed one of these flatworms about a week ago and thought it was just a typical red planaria at first, of course after closer examination I quickly determined that it was far too white and seemed much more active than the acoel worms that I had encountered in the past. After only a couple minutes of close observation I realized that their diet consisted of copepods (at least in this tank).
They are not terribly effective as they move pretty slow compared to the pods, so they have to hover over them and hopefully trap them with the "bag" that they make with the front part of their bodies. I have yet to see one actually capture a larger pod, so I'm assuming that unless they start reproducing at a high rate that they will likely have minimal effect on the pods as long as I keep their food source flowing.
