ID Flatworm?

[USMC81]

Can anyone help in identifing this creature. I am thinking a flatworm. Did some reseacrh on the forum, could not find any images that looked like these. I think they came in on some recently purchased frags. Have had the tank running for 3 years and have never seen anything like these.

How do I get rid of them. i have read some posts about fresh water dip. I assume this requires all rock, corals, and gravel.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[brandonberry]

Yep, those are red planaria flatworms. Most people use Flatworm exit to get rid of them, however follow the directions carefully as they release toxic juices that can kill fish. After treatment, consider adding a mandarin or six line wrasse to eat up any that may have survived treatment. I've also heard it is best to treat at night when the fish are sleeping to prevent them from eating any flatworms that float around the tank after they die.

 

[USMC81]

I was in Raleigh, NC this weekend and stopped by a reef store. Picked up some Flatworm exit. It worked like a charm. Did not lose anything other than the flatworms.

Thanks,

 

[Shoot Me_I Explode]

I have the same guys, just been sucking them out everyday.

 

[brandonberry]

I have the same guys, just been sucking them out everyday.

Sounds like fun! NOT! Go ahead and bite the bullet. Do you really want to keep doing that as long as you have your tank?

 

[USMC81]

Just follow the directions and you should be fine. I made sure I had a water change ready, carbon was ready. Sucked out as many as I could before treatment. Everything went just as the directions said. I have not seen another flatworm yet.

 

[stubbsz]

Just follow the directions and you should be fine. I made sure I had a water change ready, carbon was ready. Sucked out as many as I could before treatment. Everything went just as the directions said. I have not seen another flatworm yet.

But you will. Mine came back months later but aren't the plague they were before. I'm leaving them alone this time.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, those are red planaria flatworms. Most people use Flatworm exit to get rid of them, however follow the directions carefully as they release toxic juices that can kill fish. After treatment, consider adding a mandarin or six line wrasse to eat up any that may have survived treatment. I've also heard it is best to treat at night when the fish are sleeping to prevent them from eating any flatworms that float around the tank after they die.

Just a check:

The evidence that mandarins eat flatworms is pretty sketchy, and actually, same for a six line. Plus, six lines can often be bullies to other fish. Just about any biological control is hit and miss, so if you are adding an animal to deal with problem, make sure you want the animal in case it does nothing for the problem.

The most important thing about running Flatworm Exit IMO is running carbon in a canister after treatment, and sucking as many out for a week or so before treatment.

 

[brandonberry]

Sketchy or not, it worked for me. After using FE exit I noticed several starting to come back a couple of weeks later. I added a mandarin and within a week I could not find any trace of flatworms. I haven't seen any since and that was several years ago. Is it possible that something else caused them to suddenly die off: yes, but not likely. As for the six-line wrasse, I have not personally used this, just read it many times, and heard it from several reputable sources and assumed it to be true.

 

[Anonymous]

Sketchy or not, it worked for me. After using FE exit I noticed several starting to come back a couple of weeks later. I added a mandarin and within a week I could not find any trace of flatworms. I haven't seen any since and that was several years ago. Is it possible that something else caused them to suddenly die off: yes, but not likely.

I think it is just more likely that they died off than the mandarin ate them because flatworms die off 'on their own' all the time. So much so, that many people recommend no treatment for flatworms, recommending waiting them out instead.
If you actually saw the mandarin eat the flatworms, that might be one thing (although the hit and miss nature of biological pest control still holds), but if you didn't its post hoc ergo proctor hoc reasoning - which always worries me.
If a mandarin works its hit and miss, as you can find many reports of people trying them to control flatworms, but having no effect.

As for the six-line wrasse, I have not personally used this, just read it many times, and heard it from several reputable sources and assumed it to be true.

The hobby is filled with 'old reefers tales' like this - especially regarding biological control of pests. Many of them are not true at all, some of them are based on single or few instances of the animal in question actually eliminating the pest when the majority of the animals don't, and a few of them are true. The problem I have with them is that when someone says something is true, people rush out to buy the animal to fix their problem. Most of the them the animal doesn't do any good dealing with the pests and the person is stuck with an animal they don't really want, and sometimes (in the case of mandarins) an animal they can't take care of properly.
The real point about six lines is that they are often bullies. Getting one to hopefully eat flatworms means that you may be stuck with an aggressive fish for a long time to come, as they can be very, very hard to catch.