Unknown Pest/Problem!

hnnhflns · 08/10/2014, 05:37 PM

So these greenish/brown/red boxy-oval shaped things showed up in our sump and frag tank. We have no idea what they are. They have not spread to the DT yet; not even sure if they can spread to the DT. Picture below. Does anyone know what they are?

[IMG]http://i62.*******.com/13z4krk.jpg[/IMG]

hnnhflns · 08/10/2014, 05:45 PM

Here is a closer picture of just one of these things:
[IMG]http://i59.*******.com/1znx3bt.jpg[/IMG]

cloak · 08/10/2014, 05:46 PM

Flatworms.

You might want to try siphoning them out one by one before you start adding chemicals to the tank.

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html

hnnhflns · 08/10/2014, 05:50 PM

the only problem is that our sump has a working volume of almost 250 gallons (running a 300 DT with with sump) so siphoning them isn't really a viable option. Are there any fish or inverts that eat them?

Crooked Reef · 08/10/2014, 05:59 PM

Nothing is guaranteed and some fish only eat certain types of worms. Some you could try are yellow corris wrasse, six line wrasse, leopard wrasse and I have heard of some cases of spotted mandarins and some sort of sleeper goby. I think the best net would be a six line, but they can have major territorial issues. Also the wrasses may not be able to eradicate them even if they eat them.

hnnhflns · 08/10/2014, 06:00 PM

My hope is that I can get them to a reasonable number then maybe treat the tank. And the wrasse would be the only fish in the sump besides a sargent damsel that is confined to his own area of the tank. The wrasse could get the whole refugium and frag area to himself.

seanb · 08/10/2014, 06:17 PM

My Melanurus wrasse has eaten many, not eradicated them, but knocked the population down quite a bit.

skimjim · 08/10/2014, 06:39 PM

+1 on Melanurus wrasse

completely destroyed my flatworm outbreak in 2 days.

hnnhflns · 08/10/2014, 06:51 PM

We are fragging today and we are cleaning the rocks as we pull them out as well as dipping the new frags in coral Rx before putting them back in the tank. So hopefully this makes a dent. Definitely will be getting a wrasse to help. Melanurus or Six Line? Which works better?

Crooked Reef · 08/11/2014, 09:25 AM

Behavior wise if you want to add any new fish after this I would go melanarus. How big is the tank? Also a quick freshwater dip should kill the flatworms. Just make sure if you do that you get as many of the dead ones out as you possibly can so they don't foul the tank.

hnnhflns · 08/11/2014, 02:00 PM

The DT is 300 gallons and has a yellow wrasse (maybe he is eating them and that is why I am not seeing any flatworms in the DT). The total sump volume is just under 300 gallons as well. The wrasse would be put in the refugium/frag tank area which is about 130 gallons. That is where the flat worm problem is. It could move between the two areas easily and would be the only fish down there. Afterwards it would be easy to catch it again so we could put it in the 300 DT.

The working volume of the tank is ~500 gallons. Our problem is bad enough to notice, but I think there would have to be a much bigger number of flat worms to threaten the tank.

Nina51 · 08/11/2014, 02:15 PM

i've been siphoning them out of my dt as much as possible. i put a couple of small rocks into my qt that had flat worms on them. yellow coris wrasse had a banquet and ate every single one of them. hoping he will do the same once he gets to my dt!

Dearth · 08/11/2014, 04:08 PM

Yellow coris
6 line wrassehole

Both will control your flatworm population

08/10/2014, 05:37 PM	#1
hnnhflns Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 292	Unknown Pest/Problem! So these greenish/brown/red boxy-oval shaped things showed up in our sump and frag tank. We have no idea what they are. They have not spread to the DT yet; not even sure if they can spread to the DT. Picture below. Does anyone know what they are? [IMG]http://i62.*******.com/13z4krk.jpg[/IMG]

08/10/2014, 05:59 PM	#5
Crooked Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,765	Nothing is guaranteed and some fish only eat certain types of worms. Some you could try are yellow corris wrasse, six line wrasse, leopard wrasse and I have heard of some cases of spotted mandarins and some sort of sleeper goby. I think the best net would be a six line, but they can have major territorial issues. Also the wrasses may not be able to eradicate them even if they eat them. __________________ “In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank.

08/10/2014, 06:17 PM	#7
seanb Premium Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Central Coast, CA Posts: 236	My Melanurus wrasse has eaten many, not eradicated them, but knocked the population down quite a bit. __________________ The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny..."' - Isaac Asimov Current Tank Info: 225 gal reef tank

08/11/2014, 09:25 AM	#10
Crooked Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,765	Behavior wise if you want to add any new fish after this I would go melanarus. How big is the tank? Also a quick freshwater dip should kill the flatworms. Just make sure if you do that you get as many of the dead ones out as you possibly can so they don't foul the tank. __________________ “In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank.

08/11/2014, 02:15 PM	#12
Nina51 biggliest cofveve champ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 5th floor, Illinois, gewgaw expert Posts: 3,506	i've been siphoning them out of my dt as much as possible. i put a couple of small rocks into my qt that had flat worms on them. yellow coris wrasse had a banquet and ate every single one of them. hoping he will do the same once he gets to my dt! __________________ of all the things i've lost, i miss my gary the most. Never hold your farts in. They travel up your spine into your brain, and that is where crappy ideas come from. Current Tank Info: i gave my reef away and i feel like a bird out of a cage!!

08/10/2014, 05:45 PM	#2
hnnhflns Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 292	Here is a closer picture of just one of these things: [IMG]http://i59.*******.com/1znx3bt.jpg[/IMG]

08/10/2014, 05:46 PM	#3
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Flatworms. You might want to try siphoning them out one by one before you start adding chemicals to the tank. http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html

08/10/2014, 05:50 PM	#4
hnnhflns Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 292	the only problem is that our sump has a working volume of almost 250 gallons (running a 300 DT with with sump) so siphoning them isn't really a viable option. Are there any fish or inverts that eat them?

08/10/2014, 06:00 PM	#6
hnnhflns Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 292	My hope is that I can get them to a reasonable number then maybe treat the tank. And the wrasse would be the only fish in the sump besides a sargent damsel that is confined to his own area of the tank. The wrasse could get the whole refugium and frag area to himself.

08/10/2014, 06:39 PM	#8
skimjim Registered Member. Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 513	+1 on Melanurus wrasse completely destroyed my flatworm outbreak in 2 days.

08/10/2014, 06:51 PM	#9
hnnhflns Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 292	We are fragging today and we are cleaning the rocks as we pull them out as well as dipping the new frags in coral Rx before putting them back in the tank. So hopefully this makes a dent. Definitely will be getting a wrasse to help. Melanurus or Six Line? Which works better?

08/11/2014, 02:00 PM	#11
hnnhflns Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 292	The DT is 300 gallons and has a yellow wrasse (maybe he is eating them and that is why I am not seeing any flatworms in the DT). The total sump volume is just under 300 gallons as well. The wrasse would be put in the refugium/frag tank area which is about 130 gallons. That is where the flat worm problem is. It could move between the two areas easily and would be the only fish down there. Afterwards it would be easy to catch it again so we could put it in the 300 DT. The working volume of the tank is ~500 gallons. Our problem is bad enough to notice, but I think there would have to be a much bigger number of flat worms to threaten the tank.

08/11/2014, 04:08 PM	#13
Dearth Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 14	Yellow coris 6 line wrassehole Both will control your flatworm population