Critter????????

[jason]

I was glazing into my tank this morning before the lights came on and noticed this guy. It is the size of a dime and camouflages very well. Does anybody know what it is?

[LoneStar]

Some sort of nudibranch perhaps?

[blueboy]

looks like a chiton

[blueboy]

does it look like a roly poly? but flatter, with a segmented shell on it's back, and many legs underneath?

[don-n-sa]

yeap...its a chiton


A very good critter to have in your reef

[::pete::]

http://oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/biodiversity/gumboot/gumboot.html

Are they flatworms I see?

[Reef69]

Yeah, before i would throw them away, now i let them roam around..

[cpreefguy]

+1 on the chitons.
I used to throw them away too before I found out how beneficial they were >_<

[robby]

definitely a chiton, if you want more, go to the coast, they're everywhere. Good luck peeling them off, though.

[jason]

Thanks everybody!

Pete, If your talking about the red dots I'm not sure what that is. I added a Tunze 6060 about 2 months ago that caused a small sand storm.
I thought it was the algae that builds up between the deep sand bed and the glass that got disturbed and settled on the rock. The tunze is still
moving the sand (slowly) and causes more of this to gather on the bottom of the rock.

[::pete::]

Here I circled a few ....

[jason]

It just settles on the rock. It doesn't move. I vacuum it out when I do water changes and It comes back.

[::pete::]

They look to be on the glass as well as the rock. Try barely touching one that is on the glass with a "poker" ... bet they move.

[::pete::]

If ... go here ... http://www.reefcorner.com/BigTankJournal/Month_27.htm ... scroll down a bit.

[jason]

OHHHH S@#T !!!!!! THEY DO MOVE !!!!! THERES MILLIONS

Iread the article. I guess it's time to go to battle!!!!!

[::pete::]

Siphon as many as you can first and then have carbon on hand for after. Order enough to do it 2 or 3 times and double the dose.

[Jenn]

Hey Pete, do I have them too? Look at this pic... They are everywhere! I have a fairly small tank with a firefish, black urchin, banded goby, gigas clam, zoos, rics, & a red sea hare. Will that stuff harm any of those?

I appreciate anyones help on this.

[blueboy]

yep jenn, that looks like a flatworm to me.

[Jenn]

Geez! I have never had these before! :blink

[cpreefguy]

There are a few fish that will eat flat worms like the spotter mandarin and sixline

[Reef69]

...Pandemic????

[Jenn]

Ok, that settles it - I need to find a sixline bad! Thanks so much for the info.

[::pete::]

Just ... use flatworm exit!!

[jason]

That's what I'm gonna do. I just ordered it.

[Jenn]

Ok, I will get some of that too. I have a nasty bristleworm problem too, so a sixline will be beneficial either way. Thanks Pete.

[Jenn]

Jason, where did you order yours from?

[SBreef]

Jenn,

Check with CB, I know that at one time, They had it in stock.

Roy

[jason]

I used the MAAST link to Premium Aquatics. It was $14.95 + shipping.

[jason]

Here are more pics. >_< :angry

[::pete::]

Wow ... siphon as many as possible FIRST and then siphon as they start dieing and floating ... its the toxins from the "amount" of flatworms that is not good ... not the flat worm exit. Like I said earlier dont be affraid to double the dose.

[Ram_Puppy]

I could be mistaken, but I don' think what jenn has is harmful. I posted pics of those about 2 years ago and was told they are part of the micro-fauna of a tank, the only flatworms you really need to be concerned with are the kind that eat zoos and the red ones that sit all over everything.

the ones that look like little white ghosts that crawl all over your glass and what not are just part of your system.

(those more in the know feel free to correct me.)

[Jenn]

Mine are so much smaller than that and have a greyish patterned back. Do they get bigger and vary in color or is it possible I have something else?

[Reef69]

.. Here (http://www.rshimek.com/flatworms.htm) is some help by Dr.Shimek, hope it helps out Jenn :)

[Jenn]

Thanks so much. Yup, definitely looks like the same things. I guess they differ in color & size. I wish I could get a good pic - they are grey and less than 1/8" - EVERYWHERE!

I appreciate it and will be going to get some treatment stuff tomorrow.

[Reef69]

..No problem, like Dr. Shimek says, some arent bad, some are..but i dont think its good to really have them, so..I guess treat with Flatworm Exit (thats what i treated with when i got flatworms from Alex Wolf's tank)..and they will be gone in no time..maybe do 2 treatments..to make sure they are all gone, so..from now on, dip all the corals you get and you'll be fine :)

[Ram_Puppy]

again, If the picture jenn put up earlier is indicative of what is in her tank, I don't think she has a problem, this is part of the micro-eco-system that sustains her tank. You should always go by the health of your tank, you say these are all over the place, are they really? Are they on your corals? are they leaving any visible signs of damage?

I have watched these things (or something similar) under a magnifying glass, and they cruise around looking for life forms even smaller than they are.

Unless you have positively identified these flatworms as a pest creature that is doing your tank harm, i think you are doing yourself a dis-service by nuking your tank w/ a chemical treatment.

[C.Mydas]

The problem with flat worms is that they multiply very quickly. So quickly that most of the time a tank wont be able to support their rising numbers and that is when they pose a real problem. Basically you'll have a mass dying off as the population tries to stabilize itself and upon death they release a nasty toxin that can be fatal for a tank. Which is why you have to vacuum out as many as you can before you do the treatment, the more you leave in there the more toxin will be released as they die for the Exit.

[::pete::]

Nuke them already !!

[Reef69]

..Yeah, thats the thing with flatworms forgot to mention it..its the most important thing, LOL)

Xtina, shouldnt you be posting pictures of a certain something????! :P

[::pete::]

..Yeah, thats the thing with flatworms forgot to mention it..its the most important thing, LOL)

Xtina, shouldnt you be posting pictures of a certain something????! :P

:o

[Ram_Puppy]

well, I will bow out in lieu of overwhelming opposition.

[chrismikea]

looks like a chiton


yeah thats what it is

[Jenn]

Ram, I really appreciate your input here. I am very leary of dosing any type of chemical treatments, especially since I run no sump/fuge like 90% of the others here.

Thanks,
Jenn :)

[::pete::]

No one is knocking Ram's input and that is what the open forums are for, but this is one chemical that works and harms nothing except the flat worms. I have had them 3 times and used it 3 (6 actually) times with no negative effects.

[Jenn]

Awesome, thanks Pete. I was hoping someone would chime in with personal experiences. I appreciate it and will be going to find some today. My tank looks ugly!

[Reef69]

Flatwork Exit is very easy. The treatment usually lasts a few hours..but since you have alot of flatworms, get as many as you can out first, then treat..do a waterchange, treat again, and a final waterchange and you should be set to go..i.e - treat today, and do a waterchange today,,wait a couple of days to treat again..and do a waterchange then..Anybody think this is a bad plan, LMK..

[::pete::]

Call me lazy but I just do the last water change. :innocent

[Isis]

Polyplacophora, aka chiton