Flatworm

[Redbird5]

This morning I was admiring my aquarium before work, as I always do, when I notices what looked like a flat white form on my glass. It honestly looked like a peace of tiny starfish, which I don't have any of those starfish, but as I removed the intruder I squished it with the jar I was going to inspect it in and didn't get a picture. I know there are more because that's the way this hobby works. Some times I feel like I can't just observe my aquarium I have to fight a war or at least that's the way I feel at the moment. Any ways, I believe it was a flat worm. It was white flat and creepy. A picture would help everyone but it kinda fell apart when I tried to capture it.

First of all, I have to take a deep breath and focus on a resolution.
Second I have to find that resolution.

First question I have is are there flatworms that just eat bacteria and not coral? I've worked pretty hard to have some nice coral this year. If it's a beneficial worm I may ignore it and let them work. If it's a type of worm that will eat coral, I'm going to war.

 

[get-salty]

Ive dealt with flatworm on euphyllia - hammer corals, and they're normally on the coral. I havent witness one on the glass.

Ultimately, a picture/s would help here..

 

[Redbird5]

Ive dealt with flatworm on euphyllia - hammer corals, and they're normally on the coral. I havent witness one on the glass.

Ultimately, a picture/s would help here..

When I realized what it was I panicked and when it didn't cooperate I tried to remove it. I'm going to go hunting today to see if I can find them, but I already have a six line wrasse and a yellow coris wrasse. BRS suggested Flat worm exit if the problem gets really bad.

 

[Fish Fan]

You mentioned a sea star, did it look like something like this, which is an Asterina star, and very common in aquaria (you will see them on the glass):

They sometimes look misformed, like they are missing an arm or two, and might resemble a flat worm:

 

[get-salty]

When I realized what it was I panicked and when it didn't cooperate I tried to remove it. I'm going to go hunting today to see if I can find them, but I already have a six line wrasse and a yellow coris wrasse. BRS suggested Flat worm exit if the problem gets really bad.

Id hold off on nuking the entire tank as flat worm exit might harm your CUC. If you dont see any on your corals then you're fine. Even if you do see them on your corals, you can simply try dipping it first before any drastic actions.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Unless there are corals actively in distress and you're seeing way more than one flatworm, there is no reason to dose flatworm exit. It can do more harm than good in the wrong scenario.

I would turn off all of your pumps and look at the base of your corals and underneath any fleshy bits. I've found them around the flesh ring of my euphyllia corals and also in the polyps. I've also found them around and on my acropora/montipora as well as on the surface of my mushrooms. They tend to be active at night as well, wait a few hours after lights off and shine a strong flashlight around your corals and see what's moving around with the pumps off. You can also try blowing them off of corals with a turkey baster but that can be a good way to spread them if they're only on a single coral colony.

There is also no reason to panic and start making big changes, small meaningful changes add up to good results.

 

[Redbird5]

You mentioned a sea star, did it look like something like this, which is an Asterina star, and very common in aquaria (you will see them on the glass):

They sometimes look misformed, like they are missing an arm or two, and might resemble a flat worm:

That's not what I saw. It was flat off white and looked more like a the snails without a shell, I forget the name.

 

[Redbird5]

Unless there are corals actively in distress and you're seeing way more than one flatworm, there is no reason to dose flatworm exit. It can do more harm than good in the wrong scenario.

I would turn off all of your pumps and look at the base of your corals and underneath any fleshy bits. I've found them around the flesh ring of my euphyllia corals and also in the polyps. I've also found them around and on my acropora/montipora as well as on the surface of my mushrooms. They tend to be active at night as well, wait a few hours after lights off and shine a strong flashlight around your corals and see what's moving around with the pumps off. You can also try blowing them off of corals with a turkey baster but that can be a good way to spread them if they're only on a single coral colony.

There is also no reason to panic and start making big changes, small meaningful changes add up to good results.

My initial panic is over I'm thinking clearly. Thankfully I have wrasses and I'm going to let them do their job. I'm also going to dip my coral and observe.

I think my fish decided to play a prank on me.