something odd I found in my tank last week.....

[mfp4073]

I posted this on the main forums, but figured I would share it with you guys too.

"help with an id of something odd.... from a 5.5 gal thats almost 2 years old.

no pictures, But imagine a large 1.5 inch long by .75 inch wide slug/flatworm and oval in shape. About the size of a quarter if it got squished on the traintracks. dark gray with green and brown almost leopard print to it. Very flat. Moved not in a line, but almost sideways up into the rocks like an octopus (but looked nothing like one physically). I could not get a good look at it, but this tank is almost 2 years old and has had no rockwork or frags added for more than 1.5 years and never seen it before. It actually creeped me out because i thought one of my mushrooms was moving on the rock. I could not get a picture of it and looked at melves guide and could not find anything. I am assuming its reef safe because nothing has ever been eaten in the tank, but it also does not look like anything I have seen on the board."

then found this picture on melves:

and it looks just like that! No new rock for the last 2 years, nothing that has gotten eaten (no crabs, snails and such). Some zoos, gsp, candy canes, and mushrooms.

I am still just amazed that something this big could be in my tank for that long and i have never seen it before. I mean dang, the tank is ONLY 5 GALLONS and my first tank so I have looked very closely at it for a long time!

one of those things that is amazing in this hobby.

 

[acro-ed]

Interesting. Any leathers in there? Could be a benthic ctenophore, who knows. Good luck with the id.

-Ed

 

[mfp4073]

I messed up and did not include in my post that it is some sort of preditory flatworm. Supposedly they eat clams and their camo is to hide itself on the clams mantle.

 

[MitchReef]

I don't have any idea what a benthic ctenophore is, but it sounds absolutely terrifying to me.....

I guess that predatory flatworm option isn't the sweetest thought either.....

 

[Me No Nemo]

That's a polyclad flatworm. Best to get it out asap. They are usually noctural and envelope inverts and eat them. They fall apart fairly easily so do try to get it when it's on a rock you can remove. GL!

 

[mfp4073]

I dont even know where to start trying to get it out....the tank has only 2 rocks in it and I have only seen it once in all this time. Have not seen it since and that has been about 2 weeks now. any ideas on removal? The only times I have seen it (2x in one night) it was mostly in the rock, siphoning the second time could not pull it out....

 

[Me No Nemo]

Place a glass in the tank with some clam or crab or even a live clam from the seafood department of the food store. Once lights go out just keep an eye out for it to enter the glass as it does eat inverts. Then quickly remove the glass. It's always easiest to use a red light at night as it won't spook the inhabitants. Some hunting supply stores sell lights with red lenses or you can get a small flashlight with red LEDs. Let me know how you make out. Marcye

 

[mfp4073]

that I can do! Red lights are easy. Go get a cheap flashlight and then go to any auto parts store. They sell that red clear tape for fixing the taillights on your car. It will stick to any cheap flashlight and make a night light out of it. (I guess you could use an expensive one too, but it kinda defeats the point of doing it cheap and easy......)

do I just flush him when I get him out?

 

[Me No Nemo]

Well. to do it humanely, I would place it in a bag of water and place it in the freezer.

 

[mfp4073]

I tricked it out today. Put a piece of shrimp on a string and "fished" it out. I have it set to the side. Anyone want it for a species tank? LOL!

 

[Me No Nemo]

Good job! Congrats, and no, I think I'll pass

 

[JUICE!]

hey marcye.....a little off topic, but do you think a 46bow with one MJ400 and a sump with a Mag3 return would be OK for Sea Horse? I have a bedroom tank with gorgonia, chalices, micromussa, and palys. I'm considering putting the fish in the big tank and getting my lady a pair of sea horses. the flow is pretty gentle....my spotted sea hare likes to bob across the tank instead of crawling (lazy boy)

The tank is under T5s right now......any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm thinking about maybe a mated pair. I'm prepared to raise brine and I've heard that the little ones will eat several kinds of pods from my fuge if I cut the the power head off.

~Donovan

 

[Me No Nemo]

Hey, Donovan, they do like gentle flow. Gorgonians are great as they like to anchor onto them. I've had good luck with the brine shrimp hatcheries that go into the tank...I think Mac's used one as well. I use the refrigerated decapsulated eggs from Algagen..they hatch within 5 to 15 hours and give a fairly consistent supply of baby brine with very little fuss and the units themselves (made by the company "TOM") are inexpensive. I put a drop or two of Selcone in the unit each day for them to feed on and fatten them up. Brine shrimp, even live ones, have nutritional value when 1) they are newly hatched and still have the yolk attached (usually the first and most of the second day or 2) when gut loaded with a fine supplement such as Selcon. I'd definitely purchase tank raised as opposed to wild horses and would check out the dwarfs. ORA is now tank raising dwarf seahorses and I've heard people are having great luck with them. Good luck, Marcye

 

[JUICE!]

Is there any kind of fish I can keep in the tank with them? Also, are there any common reef inverts that I need to stay away from? I'll definately be coming to you when I'm ready to order them....I'm still needing info on care and compatability

~D

 

[Me No Nemo]

There are some excellent articles on Seahorse keeping at seahorse.org, IMO the best seahorse source out there. Here's a link to an article that lists what's safe and not safe to keep with seahorses. Although they are most often said to do best in a species only tank, there are fish, coral and inverts that can be successfully kept with them. Here's the link:
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates.shtml

I'll be happy to help you out...just yell! Marcye