White Flatworm ID?

Joe31415

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I'm assuming these are flatworms, but I can't find anything that's both white and the same shape. So far, I've only ever seen them on the glass, never on any of the corals (invert only tank), but if they are on the corals, it's possible I'm not seeing them (though I have been watching). I've been seeing them for probably 6-12 months and their population may fluctuate but it doesn't appear to be getting out of control.
These are range from about 1 to 3 millimeters long.

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vetteguy53081

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I'm assuming these are flatworms, but I can't find anything that's both white and the same shape. So far, I've only ever seen them on the glass, never on any of the corals (invert only tank), but if they are on the corals, it's possible I'm not seeing them (though I have been watching). I've been seeing them for probably 6-12 months and their population may fluctuate but it doesn't appear to be getting out of control.
These are range from about 1 to 3 millimeters long.

.

Looks like acoel flatworms also called Ghost flatworms. While they are not harmful as red planaria, they in numbers can smother bases of coral and block the needed light for production of zooxanthellae which is their energy source.
Removal can be accomplished by siphoning them with a 3/8" tubing into a nylon stocking and discard
OR
Add a wrasse such as Yellow coris, 6 line, lunare or malanurus OR even a springieri damsel which will eat them

With the number you have, for the next 2 weeks you will have to look for eggs and scrape off as there is likely some and would be future acoels. Eggs are really tiny

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Joe31415

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I've been sucking them out with a turkey baster. It's an AIO tank and I keep a funnel with a coffee filter sitting over the sump. When I'm bored and staring at the tank, I'll grab the turkey baster and suck out things that probably shouldn't be in there (like these, or chunks of algae etc). The coffee filter, hopefully, catches them while letting the water go back into the tank so the ATO doesn't kick in.

Would acoel flatworms be white?

I'll have to look into a coris. It's only a 20g tank, and it's my invert QT, so I'd rather not have fish in there and even if I did, it would have to be moved to my DT when it's done. As it stands, all my fish seem to get along with each other so I'm wearing of adding another, especially a wrasse. Also, my DT is only a 40g breeder, so there's not a whole lot of space for anything that's going to get too big.

Do you have any links to pictures of the eggs I should be looking for? I don't think I've seen any eggs of any sort, but I do have had some other kind of critter in the tank I'm trying to ID (but couldn't get a picture of it for this thread). I don't *think* it's a flatworm egg, but then I have no idea what it is.
 

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