Bug of the Week

[bang guy]

With all the interest in gathering detailed information about our animals we have brought the Fish of the Week, Coral of the week, etc. I now bring you "Bug of the Week". Every Monday we will see a new critter, normally a common hitchhiker, but not necessarily. If you have information to add please contribute. Experiences and Pictures are especially useful.
This week we explore one of the commonly found flatworms, the so called "White Flatworm". This worm appears to eat small crustaceans like Copepods and has been rumored to eat other smaller flatworms. Unfortunately from my experiments it does not ent the dreaded "Red Planaria" aka Convolutriloba sp. The closest scientific name I have been able to find on this critters is Amphiscolops sp. and I am quite unsure of that.
As illistrated by my photos below, this 1cm animal captures its prey by lifting its bulbous head, expanding it like a net, then clamping down against the surface and closing the "net". Copepods or other prey are then forced into the stomach and the process starts over.
If you have experiences, information, or just general comments please contribute.

 

[j21kickster]

Ill get some pics of my white flatworms tonight- just found em a couple of days ago

 

[wrassecal]

I had a feeling this was coming.....Guess I'll be out with magnifying glass all the time now

 

[jonthefb]

so whats your verdict on these Guy???? are they harmful...reproduce readily...etc.etc.
good luck, and spectacular pics!
jon

 

[sggavin]

i have a couple of those, they can only be seen right after the lights come on the tank, and if i turn on the light in the room they start going back into the CC or live rock.
I've seen my flame angel peck at them but once he gets a taste he swims away, they must not taste to good.
I would also like to know if they are harmful

 

[barracuda]

Very good idea Bang Guy! and nice picture.

 

[thomas712]

I've got a bunch of the green looking ones and no visible signs of pods anymore. Had this plague for a few months now. Seem to decrease after a water change, but they like to make a comeback. Because of these little bas#@#* I will not be able to move my liverock from my 55 over to the 90 until I find a solution to kill them.
Someone has suggested a 6 line wrasse. Is this a proven method of exterminating these guys? or hit and miss? Does anyone know of some meds that will kill them. You would think a mandarin would prey on them, but nooooooo, they would rather have pod cocktails instead.
Where is oomid when you need it.
Thomas

 

[broncofish]

I know I had at least three of them in my 29g. My six line ate them all or they moved because i have not seen them lately, and my pods are through the roof.

 

[marinemarty]

Great Idea Guy, I would also like to know if these things ae good or bad to have. Can i also suggest that anyone posting a great picture also tell us what camera they used? I think this would help getting more pictures on the site. I know i am shopping for a better camera with macro capabilities. My 2 cents
Martin

 

[sheree]

I have seen one in my 5&1/2 gal dwarf seahorse tank. Havent noticed any decline in the number of rockroaches yet.
oh,,rockroaches are what I call copepods

 

[nm reef]

Outstanding pics Bang...helps to visualise something folks think they might have.
I've never had to deal with flatworms of any kind until just recently. The wife wanted a sun polyp and I finally found one that appeared healthy. Part of it started to decline(about 1/4 of the colony) and I've seen small sort of brown colored spots that may be some type of flatworm. The digital camera I use doesn't take macro shots well at all...so a pic is probably out of the question. So far they don't seem to be spreading. The biggest part of the sun polyps are very healthy and open after lights out. I am a bit concerned about the potential for flatworms to do futher damage...if thats what they are.
Any guesses as to what they may be...and what should be done(if any thing) to prevent futher damage.

 

[bang guy]

The White Flatworms are harmless unless you're the size of a Copepod. With their diet it is highly unlikely they could reproduce fast enough to reach plague proportions.
NM - Flatworms are normally easy to blow off with a turkey baster. If they hold fast I would guess it's some other organism. Can you see them move?

 

[nm reef]

I've not been able to witness movement...and they didn't displace when I used a turkey baster on 'em. They appear to be splotches...but they are in different places day to day.Shape is close to what I'd think a flatworm would be....may just be a bacteria or infection.

 

[wildmike]

Great idea!! Like thomas asked is the six line the proven methad for removal???

 

[jamesp]

Hey Bang Guy,
Just a suggestion, those image are huge as far as file size. Someone on dial-up will be waiting quite some time to down those.
Try these:
* * Thank you! * * Pictures Grabbed.
Cool pics though.

 

[dr. phil]

Awesome Idea guys! Lol, i'm on dial-up and it took forever to load! Great job though!

 

[leboeuf]

I assume that a lot of people have these problems, so what's the solution ???????

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by LeBoeuf
I assume that a lot of people have these problems, so what's the solution ???????
I'm sorry but I don't believe these white flatworms are really a problem. Just added diversity. I think the only way they could be a problem is if you were trying to culture Copepods and one got into the culture tank.

 

[ekclark]

I am glad to see this sticky...I have these guys and have wondered for months what they were. I have noticed a drop in my pod population and have tried to counter it with a refuge. It just seemed hard to imagine one of these delicate looking guys getting through a power head.
I also think I may have seen them mate. I was sitting by my tank a few months back and watched two of them come face to face. They seemed to envelop one another and then go their seperate ways. I assumed it was mating, if not it was a very strange sight to see. I now see these guys most often in my sump where it is dark 24/7 and they can hang out all day.
Thanks for the post.

 

[20galsw]

I realize we're on the topic of flatworms this week, but I just had to mention a hitchhiker that made it into my last aquarium. I did not even notice this thing until i was cleaning out my old 50 gallon aquarium, and helping my friend(the person I sold it to) move it into his apartment. While removing the sand, I saw this spiny creature, who, after further research I found to be a Black LongSpine Urchin, clinging to the sand. In the 2 years i had this aquarium, I had never seen this thing, and it must have come in as a baby on the Live Rock, been living in the sand growing during its stay in my aquarium.
Anyway, I threw it into one of the buckets we had emptied my inhabitants into for the move. Once my friend set the aquarium back up, it found a place on one of the rocks, and has been living in plain view ever since.
Why I never saw it, and why it was never on the rock boggles me.
Thanks,
-David-