View Full Version : Mysterious Inhabitant
I am tranferring my rock and some crabs from my smaller reef tank to a new one. Today I noticed in the old tank a weird looking thing. It looks like a giant ameba. I know they don't get that big, so I have no idea what it could be. It moves along the sand and glass by spreading itself out length wise and then pulls itself back together. Its clear, you can see its organs. Anyone know what this might be? Should I take it as well to the new tank?
ChilDawg
09-13-2003, 7:24 PM
I'd google Sea Cucumbers to see if that's it, but I'm not too sure...
I forgot to mention it it flat. Does that change anything?
ChilDawg
09-14-2003, 10:48 AM
It's probably not a cucumber then...
It sounds almost like a bristleworm, but for some reason, my gut reaction is that I don't know for sure what it is...try Googling bristleworms, but I'm not sure that these are it either.
kreblak
09-15-2003, 12:56 AM
Can you post a picture? It almost sounds like a jellyfish...
OrionGirl
09-15-2003, 8:35 AM
Flatworms. There are many kinds, most are harmless detrivores, while some are obligate feeders on corals, sponges, etc. The obligate feeders seldom survive in aquariums.
While I have not seen any clear ones, they meet your description in other ways. I've only seen one in our tank, and it was pink (looked like coralline algae on the back wall of a drained tank, right up til it moved!). We left it in the tank, and haven't seen it since. It had 2 small eye stalks on one side, and contracted was about the size of a quarter.
mogurnda
09-15-2003, 9:56 AM
Yep, sounds like a flatworm. If you can, I'd get rid of it. Maybe it's harmless, and I have no idea about the species you have, but there are two issues with flatworms:
1. They can multiply and harm corals. From what I've read, they may not actually feed on corals, but they cover them and block the light. It sounds like your tank is well-established, and you just found it for the first time, so maybe this won't be an issue.
2. There are some large species that eat snails and other inhabitants. I found a big one that looked like the attached picture, which had been living in the tank about a year. It could produce copious amounts of foul mucus, which it apparently suffocates its prey with.
http://home.comcast.net/~rrauh/Tank/DSCN0098.JPG
mogurnda, the pic you have shown looks like the critter but mine is well, clear. Other than that it looks just the same. Thanks you guys!
kreblak
09-15-2003, 10:21 AM
Death by mucus engulfing....gross...
Yap,I'll say flat worm,check out this (http://www.rshimek.com/animal_identifications1.htm) site by Dr.Ron Shimek