micro brown mushroom things

jjlove

New member
okay guys, im sure a picture would help, but i dont have any pics yet.
i have a ton of tiny brown mushroom things all over my tank. this look to be about 1/16 in diameter and are almost rectangular in shape. they appear to move, as some are on the glass. others are attached to rocks. i literally have hundreds.
any ideas on where to look to I. D. these things? thanks
 
Yep, a pic would definitely help. They're definitely not stray zoas, they're uncommonly prolific for aiptasia (unless this has been coming on), but aiptasia would be my best guess.

My suggestion is a couple of juvenile (young as you can get) peppermint shrimp, who tend to eat little brown mushroom things, and don't feed them. Make them work for a living.
 
mmmm, yes, I'd thought of them as fixed, with a kind of pedestal, like grocery store mushrooms or atomic clouds, but if they don't have that and are like SALTWATER mushrooms, kind of flattish and maybe ripply, that's exactly what it likely is, and in THAT case, you're going to need a really good skimmer, I think, and I'd like some people with real experience with flatworms (I only dealt with them in genetics lab) chime in here. There is Flatworm Exit, but!!!! if you don't have a skimmer up to handling a massive dieoff, and a nanocube may not have such--- or if you glitch the instructions---the result from the treatment itself can be a tank crash. Here's where we need a real estimation of the density of the infestation, and some people who've dealt with this. Do sixlines eat these things?
 
I have heard that most wrasses will eat them, but as with most things, it can be hit or miss. Your best bet is to siphon out as many as possible, then use flat worm exit, siphon out the dead/dying ones, do a water change and run carbon. they are likely to only get worse it not taken care of now.
 
I never had an animal in my tanks eat them, and there was a sixline in the tank at the time I had these. Manual removal of as many as possible will help. Keeping nutrient levels as low as you can will also help deter the massive breeding you may be seeing.
I used Flatworm Exit with outstanding results. You have a very small tank so make sure you have plenty of fresh, mixed saltwater and loads of carbon with something to run it on.
Use a section of airline with a filter sock or piece of pantyhose tied to one end. Siphon the flatworms with the other. I did this for a few weeks a few times a day. You can reuse the water just make sure you clean the sock well between uses. Might not be a bad idea to run carbon when doing this just in case, I always run it anyway.
When it gets to the point you rarely see many around, do the flatworm exit. It may take more than one dose, but follow the directions. When you see them dying, do a water change and run fresh carbon.
Keep an eye on the tankmates. If they start acting strange, do another water change.
 
If you try to touch the ones on the rocks(not with hands but with a plastic knife or anything) do they dissappear into the rocks or form like a nodule or budlike thing? if they dissappear into the rocks, could be aptasia, and then ya peppermint shrimp will be your friends.
 
FYI make sure if you are buyyin pepermints, make sure they are the real deal. Sometimes LFS sell shrimp that look almost just like peppermints, but they are not and will not help with anyones aptasia probs.
 
unless theres different types of aptasia, they are def. not that. these have no "stems" like mushrooms, but are flat and wave when the water has strong movement. they are rusty brown colored and kinda look like specs of flake food.
 
These are flatworms with a snail for size comparison.

m5836conva.jpg
 
They are the ones you don't want. When left unchecked, they can grow to massive proportions. Keep in mind what I said about water quality and nutrient levels. With high nutrient levels, they will get out of hand fairly quickly.

As with everything in this hobby, take your time. Siphon out as many as you can. Less flatworms=less toxins when you use flatworm exit.

Someone else posted this and it's worth a look.

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html
 
thanks for the great info guys! im sorry, but i think i was about half asleep last nite when i was reading the replies. Recently i purchased a brain coral that i had lots of trouble with. ended up becoming just a skeleton. i think the flatworms may have hitch hiked. could they also be the reason for the coral's short life?
 
Back
Top