Flatworms?

Are flatworms bad? I was looking at my zoas tonight and noticed this tiny, flat, pink thing gliding on my zoas. I have no idea what it is, but I'm thinking a flatworm.

Thanks!!

 

They are bad when they reach 'plague' proportions.

I had them before - they seemed to like low current and would hang out in dead-spots.
I bought a six-line wrasse on people's suggestions and he didn't do anything.

I bought a Tunze powerhead and turned the tank into a tidal zone.

The flatworms went away after that.

FWIW.

There are chemical solutions - like Flatworm X - I think it is called - probably make your skimmer go crazy for a while. I have never used it.

Make sure you ID it correctly before you do anything. Post a pic!

 

I can't get a picture!! It's tiny! Like 3mm or something. It's a light pink.

 

Pink sounds like a flatworm.. maybe a bit orange...

here is a pic of some:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2iVbB9CQugE/SrVuOHl1t3I/AAAAAAAAFTY/_NA2EJXQHqo/s800/IMG_8155.JPG

the chemical stuff is called Flatworm Exit actually.

Anyway, type 'flatworm' into the upper right search box and a ton of info comes up - how many do you have now?

 

Yes, that's it! Good find. I was Googling and couldn't find one that looks like mine.

So far I've only seen this one.

 

Cool, just one eh? How is your flow in your tank?

 

I'll add that it would be best to use a turkey baster or something similar to suck them up and get them out as you see them. If they get to the point that you need to use flatworm exit you'll need to siphon out as many as you can before you use it because they release a toxin when they die that could kill off your livestock and corals. Even if you get the majority of them I believe you'll still need to run carbon and do a couple big w/c. Hope this helps you further.

 

Thanks monkey I totally forget about that bit of fun with Exit. I never went through it, but I read about it from others a lot.

 

i had them on a frogspawn in good flow..they didnt go away. i used the blue life flatworm control. i treated the coral outside of the DT for 5-10 mins. then "rinsed" it in fresh saltwater.you can also use iodine.

 

Ditto! I was successful (luckily I imagine) to control a small outbreak awhile back by just siphoning them off the glass and coral they came in on every time I saw them. Thankfully never got to the flatworm exit stage but I was prepared.