LPS eating nudibranch?

skr791346

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Noticed STN on one of my oldest red goniopora a few weeks ago. Couldn’t make sense of it as parameters are stable. Then tonight, I found these on the colony after the lights were out.

Anyone have any experience with them or know ID? Wanted to know if flatworm exit will work against them. Halichores wrasses in my tank do not seem interested. They seem to be able to also “swim” around.

1EC39B99-022F-4370-A101-8277A33AA322.jpeg 1E3E08D4-26C8-418D-AD6D-C68E19BFA53F.jpeg
 

Euphyllia97

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Interesting... looks like normal flatworms to me? Didn’t know they eat lps :0 Flatworm exit will work, but be careful with the toxins the flatworms release when dying. After treatment I would do a wc and run some carbon.
 
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skr791346

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They do seem to be flatworms, not nudis. They are significantly bigger than a typical red planaria flatworm though.

Would a blue velvet nudibranch work against them? They are about the same size if not larger than a typical blue velvet nudibranch I’ve seen.

I don’t see anything similar in scale / color in either of the hitchhikers lists
 
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skr791346

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Here’s a video of them, not sure if file format worked
 
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skr791346

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Thank you for the ID. Cancelled my order of FWE. Will Coral RX be enough or do I need something stronger?
 
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skr791346

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Any idea if KZ Flatworm stop is effective against other species of flatworms as well?
 
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skr791346

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Also, are they known to go after soft corals as well? Wondering if I need to dip non-LPS corals as well.
 

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Polyclads are lps specific...so no worries on softies.
Idk if any fw killer will work id stick with pulling off the ones u can see. Scraping off eggs and repeated dippings. Coral rx or bayer.
 
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skr791346

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Good to know they are lps specific. Confirmed on zeovit forum that FWS won’t work on them

Is their egg hatch cycle known?
 

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I dont think its been documented yet. I would dip every 3 to 5 days to be safe.
 
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skr791346

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So I found some more juveniles after a dip. They seem to be brown compared to the adults, which were ghost grey. (One of the reasons I was able to even see them against a red goniopora)

Coral rx did dislodge them but they were still alive in dip after 20 minutes. Might try Bayers for the next dip. I couldn’t find any visible egg clusters.
 

vetteguy53081

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Polyclad no doubt. Polyclad flatworms are fragile. And if you tear them, even the tiniest piece left in the tank can grow into a new flatworm.
Their primary food is clams – they’re even colored just like a clam’s mantle as camouflage. They will also gladly and actively dine on worms, snails, crustaceans, and some corals. If snails or other members of your clean-up crew seem to be disappearing at night, you may have one or polyclads in hiding in your tank. Don’t stress it or rip it in the tank as it will release a toxin that can wipe out your tank.
To catch it put a clam on a half shell in your tank in the evening and keep a eye on it with a red light, once you see it smother the shell you a long pair of tongs and yank the shell and all out. Most dips dont work on these things
 
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skr791346

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I think the one I have is a different species of polyclad than the one that goes after clams. Body pattern is very different and I haven't noticed any issues with CUC disappearing. (In fact, there's been non-stop explosion of Trochus snail babies constantly) Also no clams in the system. I added a wild Euphyllia about 4 months ago that STNed within a couple of weeks after doing really well for two months. I'm guessing it hitchhiked on that piece.
 
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skr791346

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This is kinda gross, so many were inside the colony! They look small enough for blue velvet nudibranch to suck up...Are blue velvets known to only eat specific species of flatworms?

Also starting to wonder if these are just generic photosynthetic flatworms as they do look somewhat different from the much bigger grey ones I saw initially
 

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