critters - good or bad?
- Thread starter mskohl
- Start date
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Stomatella Snails. IMO, one of the best snails you can get. He also has a Spirorbid Worm on his back 
The little swirly, white thing. So, you have a hitchhiker with a hitchhiker 
The little swirly, white thing. So, you have a hitchhiker with a hitchhiker 
papagimp
COMAS Rocks!
The pics are slightly fuzzy but If I'm not mistaken, those are Stometella's! Very nice little critter to have. I've seen stometellas go through hair algae like wildfire. Plus they're about as friendly and reef-safe as they come. I originally found just one large stometella snail in my display and a couple months later I have a freakin' colony of them just livin' life and enjoying themselves in the refugium. They keep my fuge and cheato ball as clean as my display tank. Haven't bought another snail since I found em.
papagimp
COMAS Rocks!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8233775#post8233775 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
He also has a Spirorbid Worm on his back
I was wondering what those little swirly worms were, I have oodles of them EVERYWHERE in my tank.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Yup, they are also broadcast spawners, so they feed your tank as well.
mskohl
Active member
ah, that's all right. They have already disappeared into the rocks or sand. They were so tiny.
However, I did finally manage to capture that little starfish wannabe. I forgot what it's called, but it's the tiny one that doesn't get full length 'legs'. I think it eats the coralline - which would be fine if it ate what is on the glass instead of the rock. I plucked it out and have it in a little cup.
Are you still collecting little pests, Travis?
However, I did finally manage to capture that little starfish wannabe. I forgot what it's called, but it's the tiny one that doesn't get full length 'legs'. I think it eats the coralline - which would be fine if it ate what is on the glass instead of the rock. I plucked it out and have it in a little cup.
Are you still collecting little pests, Travis?
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Yes ma'am. I like-a duh Asterina Starfish
Wildstar1063
New member
If these snails will keep your cheato clean, I'd like to get some of
them. I'm constantly having to manually clean mine.
If anyone wants to donate or sell some, let me know
Chuck E.
them. I'm constantly having to manually clean mine.
If anyone wants to donate or sell some, let me know
Chuck E.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
It's a red Planaria. Flatworm if you will. Uhm, good and bad. Typically it's a good detrivore, but occassionally with lots of nutrients, their numbers can be so overwhelming that they will climb over corals and smother them. A few Planaria species are known to eat coral tissue, but if you haven't seen them munching away yet, then I wouldn't worry about it. When, and if, they get into a plague proportion, you must be careful with their removal. While treating them with the same respect as if they were a nuisance algae by bumping up your tank husbandry as well as water changes and such should be able to take care of them or at least reduce their numbers to a very managable amount. Syphoning them out during waterchanges is a huge help. A few animals have been reported to much on them, but only one animal truly predates on them; the Blue Velvet Nudibranch (AKA Headshield Slug). Animals that occassionally eat them are the various dragonets, lined wrasses, coris wrasses, butterflyfish, arrow crabs, etc. If you decide to use a chemical means of irradication, be extremely careful. When Red Planaria like these die and break down, they release a toxin into the water. While the death of a few will most likely go unnoticed, the death of an entire population could crash a whole tank without enough waterchanges and activated carbon.
papagimp
COMAS Rocks!
Intersting, I've had these buggers for as long as i've had my tank set up. they always show up in large numbers in the fuge, towards the top of the water column, against the front glass. I don't recall ever seeing them in the Display though, if some dragonets eat them, maybe my mandarin has been keeping them in check. Are we 100% sure about the blue velvet nudi eating these particular flatworms? I've wanted one of those so much but since they eat only flatworms (from my reading) I've been afraid to add one. For what it's worth, I have seen large numbers of these pop up every time I cycle a new tank.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Yes, Blue Velvet Nudibranchs eat only flatworms. Like the Berghia Nudibranch that eats Aiptasia, it is a specialized eater. It would be difficult to sustain one for very long in a typical tank without culturing food in a seperate tank.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Well, by "red planaria" I meant it literally. It's a reddish colored flatworm. Not the dreaded "Red Flatworm" that is supposed to eat corals or anything.
Youngsilver
C'est un touche-Ã -tout
A while back, I tried some "Melafix" (supposedly reef safe) in my tank, and it drove the planaria crazy, I hd never seen a single one until then. There were litteraly thousand of them in my water column
papagimp
COMAS Rocks!
Okay, how red to the red planria get? Cause that photo was taken by somebody else from their tank, I just happened to notice I have those too. But some of mine look redder than that. Could be cause they get fed extrememly well, all my fuge critters get fed well on a daily basis.
