Red bugs, flat worms? Pictures included

[jccaclimber]

Looking in to my tank last night I discovered little red critters everywhere. After a brief panic I grabbed a couple. This morning I got them under a microscope.

1) I'm pretty sure what I have is a flatworm (see pictures).
2) If I understand correctly red bugs are a copepod, not a flatworm, so this isn't a redbug.
3) Is this sort of flatworm a pest, or just annoying to look at?
4) In either case, what can I do to get rid of it safely?
5) I'm going to be on vacation for 9 days starting Friday, so should I wait until I get back? I trust my wife to feed the fish (she's returning after 4 days), but not to handle a tank emergency.

The first picture is the bugs in a 4" diameter plastic container for scale.
The second is a photo of one of the critters.
The third is the same critter under a microscope. Scale is microns.

 

[pstank1]

Red bugs are yellow with a red head, they are about the same size as a small copepd and don't stray far from the coral they're living on. Acro eating flatworms also tend to just stay on the corals they're eating, and some times lay eggs on the surrounding rock work.

If you're pulling most of those off of the glass or just random spots, then they are most likely red planaria. I believe flatworm exit can be used in the tank to kill them off before they reach plague proportions. It is very important to follow up treatment with a water change to remove as many of the dead ones as possible. You do not want them decomposing the in the tank.

Unless they are currently blanketing your corals and blocking the light, you are probably ok in waiting until you come back from your trip before treating the tank. Maybe do a small water change to suck out as many as you can before you leave so that you thin the population a bit.

 

[71xlch]

Guessing they are Red Planaria.

 

[swk]

Forked tail is a great sign. Not aefw.

 

[jccaclimber]

Good to know this isn't as serious as I originally thought. There are a lot of them, but they aren't blanketing anything. I'm thinking FWE when I get back. Does anyone know the lifecycle or how I should stage the treatments?

 

[swk]

You might be able to wait them out. If they're not causing any harm, I would keep an eye on over feeding and see what happens in a month

 

[mcfa2403]

I believe red planaria are photosynthetic so I don't know how much effect cutting back feedings would have. not necessarily fact, only what I vaguely remember reading.

 

[tom obrecht]

Mine always went away in time. They can be an eyesore but even in large infestations I never have ill effects.

 

[reefmutt]

I seem to recall that many dragonets will eat these flatworms..
Neat fish as well, if I'd decides not to..

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Wrasses like a sixline would eat these up i would think. Basting them to blow them into the water colum shoukd draw in your fish and they may eat then as well. Sucking them up whe doing water changes helps as well.