are flatworms bad? i think i saw a very small (2 cm long) green one on my tank's glass today. i didn't know whether to leave it or take it out. anybody have any experience with this?
are flatworms bad?
- Thread starter rxdoc_85
- Start date
When they start to reproduce and get into plague proportions, yes. If it was me, i would be syphoning out the worms as you come across them...
Flat worms don't generally cause harm but can reproduce to huge populations and then are unsightly. Literally a plague. They can enter your system as eggs or adults on LR, coral or among zoanthid colonies, etc. One day I saw a couple on the front of my 135 and thought, I'll siphon you guys out tomorrow. Well tomorrow turned into a week and ...
They multiplied. I jumped into action, siphoning them out. They appeared again, in fewer numbers, everyday for about a week. I siphoned them out everyday as they appeared. Since then, 9/06, I haven't seen any. Diligent siphoning can get rid of them.
They multiplied. I jumped into action, siphoning them out. They appeared again, in fewer numbers, everyday for about a week. I siphoned them out everyday as they appeared. Since then, 9/06, I haven't seen any. Diligent siphoning can get rid of them.
Another method for controlling flat worms like planaria is to have a banana wrasse. I have a friend who started to get them in an escalated growth in his tank and I suggested he get 2 (he has a 55 gal) and they instantly went into action and a few days later they have really controlled the growth. Wetwebmedia has quite a few good articles on flatworms and one other denominator seems to be flow in the tank. Here is a link, it's worth a read. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/flatworms.htm
Catpicklesdog
Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Once they get to plague proportions and start covering corals, that's when they start to do harm, as they block out the light from the corals, and the corals eventually die if nothing is done.
thanks guys, you rock! that's juwt wanted to hear...a straight answer. and amphibious, thanks so much for the pic...that is EXACTLY what mine looked like. of course he's gone now, but he's the onl one i've seen in the tank, so hpefully there aren't any others. if i see him or another one again i'll definitely take him out pronto. thaks guys, you're always such a good help.
I have a problem with the red ones. Although, they don't block the light from my corals, actually I think my Millie stings them, they are very unsightly to look at. I did however purchase a six line wrasse, but my jerk of a clownfish (Maroon female) decided it was better as anemone food.
mainly whatever they come across. Copepods or anything else their can catch or land upon. I had an outbreak of the white ones in one of my old tanks and lowering nutrients helped significantly.
Don't forget that most of the troublesome species are photosynthetic, also. That is why they will literally reside on top of corals--to soak up the best light spots.