Flatworm ID?

[Coastie Reefer]

Can anyone help me figure out what this is? Flatworm of some sort I guess. About 3/16 to 1/4” long, whitish, slides across the glass but also “stands up” off the glass.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It is a Planaria flatworm. These worms are scavengers and carnivores. Although they will not harm your healthy fish, they love to feast on eggs and therefore are dangerous if you're breeding fish or have eggs in the tank.
They may also go after weaker fish.
If you only have a couple- no sweat. if a few, you may want to get rid of them. Siphoning well may do it. If not, treatment is harmful to an array of fish. The ones that work are; API " General Cure " or AAP Clout Parasite Treatment . DO FOLLOW PACKAE as this stuff is potent

 

[Coastie Reefer]

It is a Planaria flatworm. These worms are scavengers and carnivores. Although they will not harm your healthy fish, they love to feast on eggs and therefore are dangerous if you're breeding fish or have eggs in the tank.
They may also go after weaker fish.
If you only have a couple- no sweat. if a few, you may want to get rid of them. Siphoning well may do it. If not, treatment is harmful to an array of fish. The ones that work are; API " General Cure " or AAP Clout Parasite Treatment . DO FOLLOW PACKAE as this stuff is potent

Thanks for the info. There’s no fish in this particular system and I’ve only seen a few so hopefully I can get them under control pretty quick. Wonder if a wrasse would knock em out?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thanks for the info. There’s no fish in this particular system and I’ve only seen a few so hopefully I can get them under control pretty quick. Wonder if a wrasse would knock em out?

Should.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for the info. There’s no fish in this particular system and I’ve only seen a few so hopefully I can get them under control pretty quick. Wonder if a wrasse would knock em out?

A melanurus may eat them

 

[Coastie Reefer]

A melanurus may eat them

Only problem with that is it’s a bare bottom frag tank...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Only problem with that is it’s a bare bottom frag tank...

Place a small bowl of sand in back corner. The wrasse will make it home

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Ok sounds like I have options for laying out a plan. Just to double check, API general cure is reef safe and I can dose it directly to the tank?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok sounds like I have options for laying out a plan. Just to double check, API general cure is reef safe and I can dose it directly to the tank?

Check package as a good question. May not be as its harmful to CUC and shrimp

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Well I got all my cuc out and nuked the tank with flatworm exit. Initial results look good. Carbon reactor is online and 20% water change is ready for tomorrow. Now I just wait and see...

Then see what wrasses the LFS has in this week.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

[Triple] Dosed the tank around 7am this morning, go home during lunch to check the tank and do a quick water change. Lo and behold, 4.5 hours later, there's one of these things on the glass. I swear it gave me a grin, then looked directly at me with bloodshot eyes and said, "hey man... how bout some more of that good stuff you gave me this morning!!!".

UGH

 

[DaveWasabi]

They just keep on coming, do they?

 

[Coastie Reefer]

They just keep on coming, do they?

I've only just recently seen them, and the most I've seen at one time is 2. I'm not sure they're really a problem, but I HATE flatworms. Not sure what the active ingredient in flatworm exit is, but I've read a few things about fenbendazole (dog dewormer) killing them in two doses, with 48 hours between doses.

I will say that after some more digging I'm not 100% sure that they are planaria, and they very well could be rhabdocolea... aka detritus worms (I just cleaned a ton of detritus out from under my eggcrate). I'll try to get a macro attachment for my phone so I can get a better pic.

 

[vetteguy53081]

[Triple] Dosed the tank around 7am this morning, go home during lunch to check the tank and do a quick water change. Lo and behold, 4.5 hours later, there's one of these things on the glass. I swear it gave me a grin, then looked directly at me with bloodshot eyes and said, "hey man... how bout some more of that good stuff you gave me this morning!!!".

UGH

Opportunity to net it out of the tank !!