need help to ID

leocom2000

AC Members
Dec 27, 2007
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There is a billion little bugs that could be amphipods and a small star that I can't ID. I need help with these. I also have some small brown flat worms in small quantity. Do you think I should worry about them right now?
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Thank you for your help.

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The pic at the top is an amphipod -- no problem having them around.
The star is one that I tend to move out our display tank and put down in the sump or refugium. I've not had it happen myself, but I've read claims that people have caught stars like that (with the blue / gray coloring) eating zoas. Again, not so sure how true that is (they could have just been eating dieing zoas), but better safe than sorry.
The flatworm is a little off color for what I would normally call a red flatworm, but it could still be. Red flatworms multiply like mad and can harm corals simply by congregating on them and blocking the light. That said, there's other types of flatworms that do not multiply so rapadily and do not pose much harm at all. IME, those are ones that have been more of a clear / white color. If the flatworms are indeed the dreaded red flatworms, there's a few fish (wrasses) that are likely to eat them, although they tend to only keep the population down if it's grown so large. Or, there's a reef safe chemical treatment for them called Flatworm Exit (made by Salifert). If you decide they need to go and choose the chemical route, please follow the directions, especially where it says to manually remove as many of them as possible before using the chemical treatment. The fluid inside the red flatworms is toxic and if the population is large enough, it's not hard to cause a bigger issue in the tank when most or all of them die from the treatment. Frequently, there really are more of them in the tank than anyone thinks.
 
I'd be REALLY careful with flatworm safe. The chemical kills flatworms, but they release toxins when they die. There are many, many more than you see, I've heard of entire tanks being nuked by this.

Personally, I get a 5ml syringe from the pharmacy (no needle) and gently suck up any flatworms I find. I've also found that my gobies seem to like eating them... at least I had flatworms, but after I got the gobies, I haven't seen on.

I have observed that type of star eating algae off the surface of torch corals, so they are probably OK. I too would remove them from more sensitive corals though.
 
Dang, Amphi... Always glad when you're around... Nice to keep learning that names for critters I thought were right actually aren't.

As for chemically treating for flatworms... That's why it's necessary to follow the instructions, remove as many as possible manually and run large amounts of carbon to neutralize the toxins from the flatworms. I've had to treat for them multiple times thanks to getting them from some other local hobbyists and never had a problem with the treatment hurting any fish or corals. I've since found it much cheaper to just keep a yellow wrasse in my tanks, and have been lucky enough to end up with one that likes to eat them.
 
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Amphis, and the astrea star is OK to have, but the flatworm must go. There are some wrasses that will eat them.
 
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