what is this creepy crawler

minirex4777

Lets trade some coral!!!
Premium Member
I happened to look in the tank after dark and saw the crazyest thing.It was gliding along the bottom and had the flesh of an octopus.it was superflat and had a slight backbone it was 4 inches long and an inch across and brown and dissapeared into the rock.ive never seen anything like it.i was going to catch it but it was so cool i didnt want to hurt it.it was like a sea hare without the body just flat.now im thinking what if it eats my fish or something.any help is appreciated!
 
Google polyclad flatworm and see if that's what you've got. If so, your snails and clams are at risks, but probably not your fish.
 
rssjsb almost certainly has this one right. There was a thread on here recently where one enveloped and killed a peppermint shrimp, too. They normally feed on molluscs as rssjsb pointed out. They do often have a ridge down the middle of the dorsum, although it's not really a backbone.

Cheers,



Don
 
thats him and my snails have been dropping like flys thanks oh ya how do i get rid of him i never see it
 
good luck getting him out. i am sill fighting that battle right now. trying to find exactly what rock he is living in is a real pain. but i have been trying to bait him out as of recently and it is not working.

BTW im the one who had it eat his pepermint shrimp.
 
Would love to see pics. If you isolate it, I bet there are polyclad systematists that would kill for an ethanol (or acetone in a pinch) fixed specimen of whatever it is.

Also, the "backbone" comment threw me off. It's not a chiton is it?
 
Nah, it won't be a chiton. They don't really "glide," and the vast majority aren't near 4" long. The "superflat" and the fact that it had a ridge down the dorsum that looks like its spine just about clinched the polyclad ID. People often say they look like they are "flowing," or being "poured" into a hole in the rock.

Cheers,



Don
 
i agree with pagojoe. they do look like they are kinda just gliding in the tank. very crazy looking worms when you actually get them outa the tank. the first one i cought was defilently bigger then 4" though. it was a monster for sure that took a ride on the porcelin express :lol:
 
:lol: im sorry for laughing. it is just such a pain in the butt to catch these darn things. i got lucky with my first one and i am still trying to catch the second one. make sure you get the whole thing when you do catch them. other wise you will have another a few weeks from then.....
 
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