Flat Worm?

[newbe reefer]

I think I found a Flat Worm on the front glass of my tank.
My questions are is it indeed a Flat Worm?
How bad are they?
If bad how do I rid my tank of them?
Thanks,
NewBe

 

[mlm]

You usally get a outbreak of them when there is a nutrient problem. This site now sells the nudibranch that eats them.

 

[newbe reefer]

I've been trying to find out more about them on the Web but when I put in Flat Worm I get everything but what I have. Does anyone know the name of this kind?
Thanks,
NewBe

 

[sammystingray]

Look up red planarian.....that pic is a bad one. Bang guy informed us awhile ago I believe that planaria is not the "correct" name, but almost all info will be under that name anyway. I don't remember the right name, but you will find all the info under "red planarian". The third tail appendage and red "dot" are dead giveaways. They can destroy a tank by smothering everything, and can use light just like a coral etc., so they need to eat very little to take over, but people seem to be having more success nowadays in removing them without a tear down than they used to. I have never had them.

 

[newbe reefer]

Sammy, are you saying that my Flatworm pic is bad? I took it and thought it was pretty good considering how small the little bugger was Anyway thanks for the name, I'm still trying to find out more about them.
NewBe

 

[sammystingray]

hehehehahaha....no I am saying the "flatworm IN the pic" is a bad one, not your photo skills........the FLATWORM pictured is bad. sorry about that misunderstanding, the picture quality is fine.....better than most flatworm pics actually. Perhaps someone will give the actual name, but red planarian are a name commonly used, and a google search should provide info. Anyone NOT using google is hurting bTW. Google is pretty much far superior to ANY search engine I have EVER used, and I don't have to look at the weather, and stock market everytime I want to look up fish..... they use a web crawler instead of only letting you see sites of people that paid to be seen......most search engines are a joke in comparison IMO. www.google.com

 

[newbe reefer]

Oh that's funny. Well not really I guess because I would rather have taken a bad pic of a good worm than a good pic of a bad worm. I always use Google, like you I don't want all that other crap. Just not a lot of pictures out there and the info is kinda all over the place, still searching.
Thanks Sammy!
NewBe

 

[bang guy]

Convolutriloba sp.

 

[jonthefb]

teh red planaria themselves are not really harmful, however as stated above, they can smother corals, and can also reproduce to plague proportions very rapidly....they are hoever toxic if they die off in large concentrations.....the owner of a lfs back home in pueblo had a nasty outbreak of them in his home tank, and he treated it with a vet grade dewormer used to treat horses...the name of the stuff is in Baensch's Marine Atlas vol. 1......however he used the smalles dose of the dewormer as possible, and immediately after introduction, his tank water turned yellow because ofthe massive dieoff....there were many more than he had expected in the tank, and the mass toxins they released upon die off killed every fish in his tank, but the corals were all fine! crazy stuff!
anyhow, just a bit of info for ya!
good luck
jon