Ginormous Flatworm!

Very cool trap though especially for a DIY. ;D;D;D

 

That DIY trap is great! Here's a pic of the nasty thing Jwin took last night. It's probably a few inches long/wide. It's the big flat thing in the center dining on one of my snails. GROSS!!!!

 

OK, so red blotches on a rock aren't flat worms then?

 

My dear, if you can catch the thing, I'll give it to you, along with a bottle of A1! ;D

 

No, it's just that single big blob. The red patches are just coralline.

 

wow...never had one...I will follow along.
Here is some info...

Treatment
The best way of controlling flatworms is by prevention. Maintaining low nutrient levels in the aquarium with the use of carbon and aggressive protein skimming, along with increased water flow will help to reduce the populations of these pests. Proper quarantine of new specimens, and all aquatic life before they are placed in the display aquarium will keep the initial introduction of flatworms to a minimum.

Natural means of control include: Wrasse of the genus Pseudocheilinus, such as the Six Line Wrasse (P. hexataenia), Halichoeres Wrasse, such as Yellow Wrasse (H. chrysus), Macropharyngodon Wrasse such as the numerous Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon sp.), and Dragonets such as the Spotted Mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus). The Blue Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians) is very effective at consuming flatworms in the aquarium, but is very sensitive to changes in water chemistry and has a short life expectancy in the home aquarium.
Although the species mentioned above will consume flatworms, they may not feed on all of the different species that inhabit the aquarium, nor will they typically rid the aquarium completely. Also be sure that your aquarium is appropriate for the fish, as some of the species do have special requirements and increased care levels in the home aquarium.
Another method of removing flatworms from an infected colony is by performing a brief freshwater bath or dip. Flatworms are very sensitive to salinity changes; by dipping the colony in dechlorinated freshwater for 5 to 10 seconds and then shaking the colony while submerged in the bath of freshwater, will cause the worms to lose their grip and fall to the bottom of the container. Be sure the freshwater has the same temperature and pH as the aquarium's water in order to reduce the amount of stress on the colony.
The last method involves manual removal. Siphoning seems to work the best, as the flatworms do not keep a very strong grip on the colony. A small diameter airline tubing works very well for soft leather coral colonies and some species of mushrooms. Be careful not to damage the coral with too strong of a siphon. For the more delicate mushrooms and LPS corals, small syringes work very well. It is possible to get the syringe very close to the flatworm and gently draw the worm into the syringe without harming the coral.
FYI : )

 

Interesting read there, Lillys Grandad. Ours doesn't seem to be a lot of small ones, just this single large one. The tank has been active for 3+ years and this is the first creepy thing I've seen in a very long time! I have a six line wrasse, but this thing is big enough to swallow my wrasse! My son tried to pick it up with the tongs last night, but it grabbed onto the rock (which of course is a low rock that goes down to the glass bottom and is partially covered by 3 inches of sand). I'd hate to have to try to get the rock out. I could if I had to, I guess.

A thought - I wondered if there's anything we could inject it with that might kill it. It's big and flat and not too fast, so Jwin thought he could inject it if we could think if something to try that wouldn't hurt the tank. I'm going to watch for it tonight and see if it comes out again....

I have a large bore needle/syringe that I've used to inject aiptasia in hard to reach places. I guess I could shoot it up with Aiptasia-X and see what happens!

 

Oh the horror.

Polyclad worm, it will move fast when it wants to.

I doubt flatworm exit would do much. Once it felt you getting anywhere near it will be gone in a flash.

Using a snail in a container to bait it is a method that has worked for others.

 

If your luck is anything like mine you will just end up making it stronger lol. You could always just stab it several times with the syringe and see if you can kill it, might want to make sure it wont hurt your tank first though.

 

those are so nasty, give me heebeegeebees. i had one once - i was breaking a coral off a piece of LR I needed to nuke (due to other issues) but that LR ended up breaking into several pieces. Anyway, found it inside. Things is, I (and you) probably had it since you first put rock in! <<shiver>> surprised as heck you got such a good pic. good job