ACK! Flatworm?? How to catch and kill???

[glbtrottr]

I was on the phone with Gabriel last night, after the aquarium lights were off, ready to drop off his big 'ole Nassarius snails, picking a head or two of frogspawn, when out of the left side of the tank, like a stealthy, slithery, superfast thin piece of bumpy grey and pinkish paper sliding across, came this thing.

A blob.

Remember the movie?

It engulfed one of my trocus snail shells, smothering it whole, looking like a flat lettuce nudi though much flatter and not nearly as frilly, though frilly on the sides, nonetheless.

Rats!

That thing *cant* be good.

No wonder I have been finding a few empty nail shells!

That just blows.

And here I was looking to put back a six line wrasse in my 58G tank...

This thing was *huge!* it was as big as my hand / palm. Definately not a stomatella on steroids.

Gigantic.

Where did it come from? (hitchiker on live rock, I know.)

Besides a six line or a coris wrasse, any ideas on how to get this bad boy to be eradicated from my haven?

 

[SaraB]

Sounds like a large Bristleworm to me. I had one about 8 inches long when expanded and I was finally able to catch it a couple of weeks ago and put in my fuge.

 

[glbtrottr]

Definately not a bristle worm. Monstrous flatworm. I felt like I was watching "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"

 

[lovereefs1]

Hey, it might be a Eunice worm! I just pulled one out of my 58 gal. when I upgraded. He was nearly 3 ft. long and living in a 4 lb. rock. They are deadly and will eat soft coral as well. I couldnt figure out for the life of me why everything in my tank was going to hell. He would attack my cucumber every night and leave marks on it. The cuke would fend him off with his toxic defense and smack the rest of the tank as well. EVERYTHING suffered! Check oregonreef.com under the "worm incident" or there is an article in a past reefkeeping magazine. I also have some pics of mine if you'd like to see. If this is what you have, pull the rock he's in and flush it with fresh water ASAP...he will come out! GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[SaraB]

Wow, that sounds even creepier! With the colors and the frills on the side you described, it sounded like a fat stout bristle ... Guess not. Be sure to catch some photo's of that beast to share with us!

 

[ykh]

yea, show us some pics, I sure won't look at it when I have my meals

 

[zonco]

Almost sounds like a spanish dancer. Its a type of swimming nudibranch.

 

[glbtrottr]

It looked like a spanish dancer, but not quite...lots flatter.
It looks like an acro eating flatworm:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=362

A six line wrasse can control some things, but it looks like I will have to catch and net this monster!

 

[Pufferpunk]

You're right it DOES look like the Blob! Whatch your children!