ID this thing?

[Ethics]

Hey guys,

So over the past week or so I noticed a few weird little things in my tank.

One of which was this thing.

I actually noticed 2 of them. Their red / orange in color and move just like a snail. Any idea on what it might be?

Thanks,
Mario

Edit - I just noticed, there are at least 5 or 6 of these things in my tank.

 

[racrumrine]

They are flatworms.

Some species are harmless and some are not. Here is more info.

http://melevsreef.com/id/flatworm.html

Most people consider the clear ones harmless.

Most people consider the red ones a pest and try to get rid of them with Saliferts Flatworm Exit (which doesn't always work) or natural means. Since yours are red, fellow reefers will consider you to have a plague and you shouldn't share anything out of your tank unless you disclose in advance that your tank has flatworms.

Best of luck,

Roy

 

[graveyardworm]

The red flatworms ( aceol planaria )are themselves harmless. In large numbers which they will most likely reach if left unchecked they can smother corals and become unsightly. They do contain a toxin which is released when they die. If they die in large numbers it can poison and effectively nuke just about everything in your tank. Flatworm Exit ( FWE ) in my opinion has the potential to cause too much damage to other tank inhabitants not to mention the toxin released when the planaria are killed. I have them and I control them with regular siphoning along with my water changes. Sometimes they go away on their own, but not for me yet. A long time ago I did try the FWE and it didnt kill them all. Some fish will eat them, but for the most part its hit or miss. There is also a sea slug Chelidonura Varians which eats them exclusively, only problem with the slug is once the flatworm population declines the slug starves leaving enough planaria to repopulate, all it takes is one they reproduce by dividing.

 

[DiViNeLeFT]

i just ridded my tank of flatworms using flatworm exit. started killing the flatworms in a few minutes, siphoned them out, and everything is fine but the flatworms.