Tiny clear (white) small creature... id please

nitewindes

Reefing newb
Our tank is approx 2 1/2 months old now. Doing well, finally got the crabs, shrimp, snails and stuff all cleaning things up. Adding corals slowly, no fish yet.

JBJ Nano Cube Fluorescent tank. Need help to ID this little bugger. Started out with one about a week and a half ago. Have about 15 now and they are growing. I would swear I saw one subdivide. But maybe not. Here are as good a pictures as I could get..

Any ideas?? Good? bad? If bad, how do I get rid of them?

Thanks!
Debbie
 

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neither fish will work... I've never seen a fish go after a flatworm and I've had them before whilst having a mandrin and damsel...
 
Flatworms... You can use fish such as wrasses, mandarins or damsels to control them sometimes, but not every fish will eat them -- it comes down to individual taste. Plus, if you have an infestation that's bad enough that you can see them on your glass, the fish will not be able to keep up with them. There are already too many.

Your best bet is to use a treatment called Flatworm Exit (by Salifert). You have to follow the directions very carefully, as flatworms are toxic. When they die, they release their toxins into the water and pollute the tank. For this reason, you need to remove as many manually as you can. A good trick is to buy a cheap powerhead, put a length of tubing on each end, and tie a filter sock to one end. Vacuum up the flatworms, and they get collected in the bag, and the water returns to the tank. Once you have removed as many as you can, then treat with the Flatworm Exit. Be prepared to do water changes galore and have carbon ready to run afterwards. You will probably have to do more than one treatment.

Yes, I've been there. It sucks. ;)
 
Flat worms? Gross. I'd cry in the shower for an hour, take two days off from work and then take the phone off the hook. :D :shock:
 
You wouldn't close the curtains, light some candles, put on some Fall Out Boy and cut yourself? Why are you going to half-ass it?? ;)
 
Oh no! I've seen 1 of them on the class in my fuge. I'm sure there are more than just that 1 in my system. What do they feed on and why are they bad for our tanks?
 
I had what were unquestionably flatworms. They were ID'ed by my photos at 2 sites. So I put FlatwormXit and accidentally spill 10x the dosage in. I do a big water change. Two days later, the worms are back. I repeat the whole treatment. Three days later they are back. Repeat treatment and they are still in there!! Eventually they just went away.

Keep in mind that many species of flatworms are benign and will not kill corals. If I were you, don't panic but watch them carefully.
 
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