Something killing my polyps!!!

[poohnasty]

Hello, I have a 55 gal tank with a very nice rock filled with sand and sun polypls on it. Over the past 2 weeks, the polyps have been dropping off and disappearing. I noticed some very small creatures on the rock. It was infested by about 20 to 30 small snail like creatures without shells. They move like snails and are about a half of a centimeter long. They have spike looking backs but no shell. They were never there before, so I guess they weree stowaways. Occasionally the larger ones will get on the glass. I have no clue what they are. They are a pinkish or flesh colored animal. Please help! They are killing my polyp rock.

 

[demonknight]

sounds like u got planaria. do they look like there smothering the polyps? as for a cure, i really don't know. never had a prob with them. for now u could try just suking as much out as u can daily, that'll cut the pop. down. i think too, that some fish and shrimp will eat them, don't rember which.

 

[jonthefb]

six lined wrase, arrow crab and mandarin goby have all worked for me at different time, but it sure sounds like you have flatworms. the three animals above will probably be your best bet for bio control. as for other methods. I have siphoned them out it airline tubing, but thats really it. my parents read up on a chemical that they had to get from a vet that they used to kill a small flatworm population, and it did a wonderful job. The flatworms were the only things to die, however they passed this substance info on to the lfs' owners who had an infestation in their hoe show tank, and when they dosed it their water turned yellow from the death of all the planaria, and this toxic substance that they all released at the same time, killed all of their fish. Inverts, however were fine! ill get the name of the stuff and post it here a bit later. my mom found the stuff in the marine atlas by helmut debelius, in the section about flatworms.
anyhow,
good luck
jon

 

[poohnasty]

Thanks for the help, I have a mandarin in there right now but he didin't really control the problem. the polyps are pretty much gone now. It's just a bare rock with some here and there. Will they kill any other kind of corals. I have some mushrooms, but those are fine.