Strange Seaslug Infestation!!!

[muse12]

About a day ago (10/13/04) I was looking at my tank up close, and I noticed these little brown creatures moving very slow along my rocks and along the back glass. There are about 150 of these little guys just everywhere! I am really freaking out. Here is a picture that I took of them. Someone I.D. please!

Q 1. Are the reef safe?
Q 2. Do I need to remove them?
Q 3. How do I remove them?

thanks you guys

 

[phases99]

You've got flatworms. They are reef safe but the populations can explode very quickly and look bad. I have been removing them from my tank with a small baster. I've heard that some of the Wrasse's do eat them. Their populations usually wax and wane according to the nutrient levels in your tank. Good Luck.

 

[fireman26m]

I believe you can use a treatment called "Flatworn Exit". I believe it is reef-safe but I'm not sure.

 

[steve-s]

Flatworm exit is fairly safe but be sure you have plenty of carbon and enough water premixed and aged to do almost a 50-100% water change over a few days. Once the treatment is used (some recommend at double the dose) you must emmidiately remove the remnants of the flatworms. A 25% water change would be needed afterwards along with several changes of carbon.

It's not the chemical that's the problem but rather the toxins released by the flatworms when they die. If possible, try siphoning out as many as possble before using the exit.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Reef Dr.]

I have heard of many different types of treatment for flatworms. Some medications can in fact also paralyze certain inverts and usually are not agreeable to many corals and so as Steve has referenced quick removal of both flatworm and medication is a must. According to Julian Sprung (The Reef Aquarium, Vol. 2), the only reliable option for getting rid of flat worms is the Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians). This nudibranch use to be quite rare in the hobby, however, I know that there are many commercial sites that you can purchase them from today. In addition to being an effective treatment this nudibranch is also quite beautiful and supposedly will readily reproduce while the flatworm supply is rich. Let me know if you need a link to purchase.

As an alternative some dragonets have been reported to also consume flatworms (especially mandarins), however, I can confirm first hand that this is a hit and miss kind of thing with great intraspecies variation.

Good Luck!

 

[muse12]

Thanks you guys. Man, I get over one thing, and get another! I just finished reviving my leather toadstool and now I have flatworms. I have a flasher wrasse but he doesnt seem to eat them. So is this nudibranch reef safe also? I have heard that they don't have a very good survival rate. Also, I would like a link to purchase the nudibranch.

Q If I just do nothing, will they die off?
Q What do they feed off of?
Q What is a good link to information on flatworms?

thanks
you guys are a great help

I hope I can get over this!

 

[fireman26m]

only reliable option for getting rid of flat worms is the Velvet Nudibranch (Chelidonura varians).

Problem I see with that is most nubis have very specific diets. Once all the flatworms are gone wouldn't the nudi starve to death?

 

[Reef Dr.]

from a quick search I found the following links you may find interesting

http://www.rshimek.com/rogue's_gallery.htm#Red%20Planaria

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/flatworms.htm

There are also numerous posts and books on flatworms.

to purchase the nudibranch try http://www.aquacon.com/saltwater_critters.html
$26.99 each - 3 for $75.00 - 6 for $149.00

If your supply of planaria is high you may want to consider buying at least two. They will cross fertilize each other to produce offspring. on the other hand there are reports that they can also generate new individuals by splitting asexually.

 

[muse12]

so you would recomend purchasing from aquacon?
I have never bought livestock off of the internet before.
Is aquacon reliable?

 

[Reef Dr.]

This is true with the nudibranch diet. Most feed on sea squirts, bryozoans, small worms, crustaceans, or snails, but some are cannibalistic.

Once the food supply is gone they will starve and die. Which means cure has been acheived in the case of planaria infestation. However, my experience has been that most aquarists prefer to spend the small amount of money up front on the nudibranch rid their problem and donate the nudibranch to the LFS upon success as others are almost always in need.

 

[Reef Dr.]

You will have to make that decision yourself. I have never had a problem with orders from them in the past, but it has been a long time since I have purchased anything from them. The company has been in business for a long time now I'm sure you could poll others on recent experience.

Hope this has helped!

 

[fireman26m]

I was just concerned about the animals well-being.

In regards to Aquacon.....here's some things to consider:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=29111&highlight=aquacon
or
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=26439&highlight=aquacon
or
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=1790&highlight=aquacon

Do a search for "Aquacon" here or other aquarium hobbiest sites....you'll get some interesting info on them. I'll leave my personal experience with them out.

Two good online stores I've personally used:

www.liveaquaria.com *excellent service
www.marinedepotlive.com

Fireman

 

[Reef Dr.]

Based on the recent experience and thoughts of others I would say to search for another supplier. This was just the first that I found doing a quick search for you. I have attached another link to alternate supplier that has some more detailed information that you might also want to consider.

http://www.marinedepotlive.com/1223794.html

 

[muse12]

I'm pretty familiar with marinedepotlive, but have never purchased anything from them. After reading those threads about aqua "CON", I think I will stay away from them. I was unable to locate the velvet nudibranch on liveaquaria, so I will probably just order from marine depot, or ask for them to special order it at my lfs.

I have one more question....
Has anyone ever been bit by a velvet nudibranch? Does it post a threat?
It says on marine depot that they are venomous. 8O

 

[phases99]

I've heard nothing but bad stuff about Aquacon, but I have never used them myself. I bought my Fiji rock from Marinedepotlive.com and was satisfied with my order.

 

[seaham358]

Guys in my reef club have tried the flat worm exit with success. Like others have said you need to get as many of the bodies out as possible. One member lost a seahair to the FW exit but everythign came through ok. The red/brown FW are not good for a reef tank. There is a member now who is using the nudi and he has not had any trouble with it yet. I have fw in my 20 gal fuge and will be looking for the nudi soon. It only takes 1 of those suckers to get into a tank and then bam hundreds.....