Flatworms, Pseudocorynactis, and Slime. Oh my.

percy-cin

percy-cin

New Member
I've got a few issues in my tank right now. The first is flatworms. Their not really a problem that I know of. Their too small to take a pic of. Their transparent/white and the tail comes to two points on either side like this ( . Is this an issue or are they okay to keep. I've heard people say to get rid of them because they are an eye soar, but I don't think they're bad to look at.
The other issue I have is this slimy build up that keeps building at the top of my tank. It's really bad. We try to skim the top off the water everyday, but then it breaks up into the water and my fish think it's food. Does anyone know what this is and how to get rid of it? Nitrates, nitrites, ph, and ammonia are all really good so what else could it be?
Lastly, I had a hitchhiker that I discovered to be pseudocorynactis. The body is a little pink, but the tentacles are clear and the balls are white. I have several, but they're all smaller than a nickel. They are spreading, though. My question is, are they harmful. I've read on some websites yes and others, no. Does anyone have any experience with this.
All answers to any of the above questions are appreciated. Thank you.
 
namas05

namas05

Member
When you say your water is pretty good what do you mean.
Check and list ammo., trates., trites, salinity, phosphates, alk, clacium. Also what is your water source.
 
percy-cin

percy-cin

New Member
Bare with me. I'm pretty new at this. According to our test kit from API, the Nitrate, Nitrate, and Ammonia are all at 0 and pH is around 7.4, all at normal/good range. Our salinity tester shows that the water level is perfect as well. We haven't started testing the alk or cal yet so I'm concerned that that could be the problem. We get our water from the lfs. Any idea what it could be?
 
ajroc31

ajroc31

Member
The white flat worms are harmless and few fish eat them incase they become a problem. If you ever get brow/orange flatworms, then you should worry.
 
blazin2k6

blazin2k6

Active Member
I have brown/orange fireworm bristleworms and they dont bother anything. They are good at eating leftover foods and algae. I have some over 10 inches long and dont bother anything. I kind of like to watch them. Pretty neat like snakes or something
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Originally Posted by Percy-Cin
http:///forum/post/2665245
I've got a few issues in my tank right now. The first is flatworms. Their not really a problem that I know of. Their too small to take a pic of. Their transparent/white and the tail comes to two points on either side like this ( . Is this an issue or are they okay to keep. I've heard people say to get rid of them because they are an eye soar, but I don't think they're bad to look at. The white ones will not be a problem unless they get to plague proportions. You can use a turkey baster to suck them out when you see them. If you get too many they can smother any corals. There is also a product called FlatWorm Exit. If you are going to use this be sure to read and follow the directions carefully.
The other issue I have is this slimy build up that keeps building at the top of my tank. It's really bad. We try to skim the top off the water everyday, but then it breaks up into the water and my fish think it's food. Does anyone know what this is and how to get rid of it? Nitrates, nitrites, ph, and ammonia are all really good so what else could it be?Sounds like no turbulence opn you water surface. Point a powerhead towards the top so you get some movement up there. The danger here is restricting gas exchange by having the film.
Lastly, I had a hitchhiker that I discovered to be pseudocorynactis. The body is a little pink, but the tentacles are clear and the balls are white. I have several, but they're all smaller than a nickel. They are spreading, though. My question is, are they harmful. I've read on some websites yes and others, no. Does anyone have any experience with this.I have some in my tank and have decided that I am not going to do anything about them. So far a couple have died and the others do not appear to be growing or causing any problem. They are cool looking creatures and I am going to let them go until unless they pose a problem. JMO
All answers to any of the above questions are appreciated. Thank you.
Hope that helps a little.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
those white flatworms will be gone as fast as they came. do not use flatworm exit. you do not need it. the same goes for the brown flatworms. you don't have to worry if you get those either. they have come and gone in my tank. their population grows with the pod population. deplete the pod population and the flatworms will disappear. you can do this with various wrasses, or a mandarin.
as for the pseudocornactis. it's not something to worry about either. i've had them for a long time. they don't bother anything.
the cyanobacteria is from excess nutrients. waterchanges with R.O.D.I, skimming, cutting back on feeding, and increasing flow will take care of that.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Hmmm... X I got from the OP that the slime was on the water surface.
"We try to skim the top off the water everyday, but then it breaks up into the water and my fish think it's food."
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2673388
Hmmm... X I got from the OP that the slime was on the water surface.
"We try to skim the top off the water everyday, but then it breaks up into the water and my fish think it's food."
that's what i get for skimming through lengthy posts

i would point a powerhead towards the surface for something like that, and let the skimmer get it.
 
percy-cin

percy-cin

New Member
The flatworms decreased all by themselves. We went from around 15 down to 1 in a few days. I don't know why.
We pointed the pipe towards the top of the water and the slime disappeared overnight.
I'm glad to hear that the pseudocorynactis is okay. They're cool to look at.
We had a few bristleworms in the tank. One of them ate one of our peppermint shrimps. I've pulled a few out since then but they were all about 1/2 inch long. Is there anyway that a bristle worm that small could have taken down my pep shrimp? I haven't seen any more in a while.
And yes, according to our test kit, it is at 7.4.
thanks to everyone for the helpful advice. You guys rock.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
no way a bristle worm ate a peppermint shrimp. maybe it was munching on the molt?
i agree that your ph is low. you might try a ph buffer to raise it.
 
percy-cin

percy-cin

New Member
Ph buffer? I've never heard of that. I didn't know Ph could be too low. I've got so much to learn. I love it though.
Well, as far as the peppermint shrimp goes, I didn't explain it very well. We already had one peppermint shrimp, but we bought a second one. The next morning we came out to find our new shrimp dead with a bristle worm slowly leaving the scene. The bristle worm didn't eat it but we think he may have killed it. All of the fish and crabs and even the other shrimp munched on poor Minty until we took out her separated corpse. I'm just wondering if the bristle could have killed it. If not, who would you blame first; we have the other peppermint, a perc, and a tail spot blennie. I think it's gotta be either the bristle or the peppermint shrimp. Do they get territorial?
 
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