Tiny worm or slug? No clue (pic)

[Gatorfreak]

I've recently noticed these in my HOB fuge. They're about the size of pods and are typically on the glass but they can swim to some extent. I've never seen them in my main.

I'm concerned that they could be something bad. Appear to have a tube-like body. Anyone have a clue?

 

[afishyonados]

Planaria. Potentially very harmful. Highly toxic. Some fish will eat them, but only in small amounts. Think of eating habanero peppers. Just 'cause you are man enough to eat a couple, doesn't mean you can eat ten or twenty in one sitting.
Pterosynchiropus and Synchiropus sp. will eat them, as will Paracheilinus sp. and possibly members of the Pseudochromis genus.

 

[Gatorfreak]

Well crap. Thanks for the ID though. I actually have a Spotted Mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus?) which might explain why I've never seen them in my main. Maybe I should just clean out the HOB fuge and either let it repopulate or forget it altogether.

 

[afishyonados]

They have about a three day hatch out on the fresh eggs. There are treatments on the market, but they are hard on your bugs and 'pods.

Cleaning out the refugium is a good idea.

They are not really detrimental until they reach epidemic proportions. Then, they actually suffocate the corals by blocking the light!

Some species of the flatworms are actually photosynthetic. They will truly take over the world when there is too much red spectrum involved.

 

[Gatorfreak]

Reading up on them now. As long as they're not eating my pods, and my mandarin is eating them in the main... seems like they're not so bad. Food for the mandarin.

 

[afishyonados]

Just be careful with dosing addatives like iodide. It appears the Planaria enjoy excess addatives.

 

[Gatorfreak]

Oooooh... I do dose iodine! Thanks for that tidbit! I'm going to cut back on the iodine and see what happens.

 

[afishyonados]

Cool!

 

[weemanpow3]

yup