Flatworms

[Plankt0s]

Does anyone know if flatworms are really that bad...do they do anything other than cover corals and block light? what do they eat?

 

[scapes]

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html

 

[greenbean36191]

Which flatworms are you talking about? There are thousands of species.

Convolutriloba retrogemma, the red flatworm common in the hobby has endosymbiotic algae that give it most of their energy. They don't "feed" on anything perse. They do have a toxin that is released when they die though.

 

[LeslieH]

The majority of flatworms are carnivores & predators. A very small number of species are herbivores or carry endosymbiotic algae as Mike mentioned. Unfotunately the most common species found as hitchhikers are either the rapid multipliers like Convolutriloba or molluscs predators.

 

[Plankt0s]

they are the red menace type...well they are the same color as my dark maroon mushroom, and they are always on my corals. I havent seen them on the rocks much but mostly on my soft and LPS corals