Coral flatworm!?

[Javeo]

I discovered a polyclad type flatworm on my green hammer coral and Im not sure if its ok to leave or not. Its been there since i bought the coral, it is exactly the same beigeish colour as the tissue of the coral that overlaps the skeleton. That why i didnt realise what it was until today, when i actually saw it move. I havent seen any damage to the coral but the worm is quite small, about 4cm long and 2 cm wide.

 

[Javeo]

no one!

 

[LeslieH]

Well, the little available information on polyclad eating habits says they specialize on molluscs and tunicates which seems to indicate that your corals are safe. On the other hand, not that much is known about them. Having the same color as the coral might indicate that it is indeed feeding off the coral. I'm betting you'll feel safer if you yank it!

 

[fijireef]

Does it look like any of these? http://wetwebmedia.com/flatworms.htm

 

[Javeo]

Nope nothing like any of those pics. I never saw it move from the coral so i assume it was eating something on the coral. I flushed it anyway, which is a shame as i find them very interesting.

 

[kmk2307]

It is probably a symbiotic species. Frogspawns commonly get acoel flatworms which seem to eat mucous that would otherwise be shed into the water column. They "clean" the coral. Keep an eye on the coral for signs of deterioration but I doubt you will see any. If you could post pics of this flatworm, that would be great.

edit: I just realized you already flushed it. That's too bad.

Kevin

 

[Javeo]

no this looked more like a polyclad. I do find them very intersting but i had one before that ate my tube worms so i wasnt willing to risk it