Identification please

[Filthybum]

Can anyone help me identify what these red specs are in my tank. I have not seen anything on here identifying these they are all over my rocks and my glass I can blow them off but they just return. They are not bothering any coral that I can see but they are multiplying and I seem to have more and more covering the rocks. Thanks

 

[YoungReefer00]

Red Planaria flatworms

When I bought my 55g tank, it was infested with Flatworms - Red Planaria - which propagate via fission. They are known to increase rapidly, smothering the sandbed and corals. If they all die at once, that crash will wipe out a tank due to the toxicity of the flatworm juice. I vacuumed out 1000's over 10 months, and then dosed my tank with Salifert's Flatworm eXit which removed them entirely. For a time being, some of the local fish stores I visited had these infesting their coral tanks and that left me little reason to buy anything new. I did bring it to their attention so they remove these and stop spreading this pest to other aquariums, and over time the stores got rid of the problem.

Source: https://www.melevsreef.com/critter/red-planaria-flatworms

 

[Reeferdude1888]

When you do water change syphon out as many as you can they can be really detrimental to your tank there are treatments for them but I would do small water changes to syphon them out to get them to minimal amount before using treatments because when they die they become toxic so better to syphon most of them out first hope this helps .

 

[SammieT]

Can anyone help me identify what these red specs are in my tank. I have not seen anything on here identifying these they are all over my rocks and my glass I can blow them off but they just return. They are not bothering any coral that I can see but they are multiplying and I seem to have more and more covering the rocks. Thanks

When you do water change syphon out as many as you can they can be really detrimental to your tank there are treatments for them but I would do small water changes to syphon them out to get them to minimal amount before using treatments because when they die they become toxic so better to syphon most of them out first hope this helps .

make sure you do what he says, those thing multiply and quick

I siphoned mine out into a 5 gallon container with a net attached at the end of the hose and a pump returning the water back into the tank, i kept this process for a good few days than started breaking it down to whenever i see them

treatment is best, the chemical they use it very very strong and will knock them out
make sure to have a carbon reactor ready and a good amount of water ready for a change once you start

i forgot to mention, do not blow them off when they are on the glass, they will just land somewhere else and multiply, they hide really well inside rock cracks and will cover your corals and eventually kill them (i had an army of them on my shroom when they overpopulated in my tank)

 

[Filthybum]

Thanks guys I was thinking that’s what they were but have not had any problems with my corals so was hoping it was something else. Will get started on syphoning as much out before treating the tank.