Weird red creatures growing on my glass please help ID

[Nonamejames]

I have a tank that used to be a frag tank then I kind of let it go refugium. Recently these little red things have started appearing on my glass in great numbers. not sure what it is.. Please help

 

[Aquanaut WA]

BEWARE! RED FLATWORM, good thing small wrasses eat them.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Holy Cow!!

 

[Nonamejames]

o no! what should I do and what can they do to my tank?

 

[bigsby]

I mean looking at the picture what's your main concern? Is there anything in there you are really worried about? It looks like nuisance algae euphoria. Are you even wanting to keep anything that's still alive in that tank? I don't think I would personally.

 

[Nonamejames]

well I have some easy to grow things like zoas palys and some gsp. would it not be safe to put them in my main reef?

 

[jasonp87]

Red flat worms aren't that bad. They don't eat corals, but they can smother them in large numbers. Wrasses are hit or miss. You could try siphoning out as many as possible several times over a week then try flat worm exit (FWE). Just have water on hand to change out as when the flat worms die they release a toxin that can and will kill everything. You want to remove as many from your tank as you can before using the FWE, then after treatment get the dead ones at ASAP as well and do the water change.

 

[Nonamejames]

ok thank you for the advice. I plan on shutting that tank down soon. would taking the corals out and hand picking the worms off if there are any on the coral then putting the coral in my main reef and maybe buy a 6 line wrasse be sufficient in your opinion?

 

[jasonp87]

Dipping the corals and then inspecting them should be fine. They also come off pretty easy so you could try blasting frags with a turkey baster to remove the flat worms.

That's how I get my yellow coris wrasse to eat them. I blast the rocks with the baster and he swims around chomping them down.

 

[Nonamejames]

ok thanks to everyone very much!

 

[Nemesis]

Those are Acoel Flatworms. I am not sure if the red ones are bad. The white ones don't cause any problems. They seem to show up then go away one thier own.

 

[iretthepirate]

Get a6 line wrasse dip corals clean tank

 

[NanaReefer]

Red flat worms aren't that bad. They don't eat corals, but they can smother them in large numbers. Wrasses are hit or miss. You could try siphoning out as many as possible several times over a week then try flat worm exit (FWE). Just have water on hand to change out as when the flat worms die they release a toxin that can and will kill everything. You want to remove as many from your tank as you can before using the FWE, then after treatment get the dead ones at ASAP as well and do the water change.

A+++ Exactly what I did. Had them just as bad. 2 treatments 2wks apart completely removed them.

 

[Oscaror]