Is this a flatworm? It’s huge

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Found several of these on sides of torch coral stalks. Close to an inch long and half inch wide.
Are they harmful? It was very flat on the torch but not so much when I put it in the sink.
Thanks

IMG_0642.jpeg
 

KrisReef

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
15,227
Reaction score
31,279
Location
ADX Florence
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can you retake the pictures with a white background, and perhaps some extra water in a dish?

They kind of look like polyclad flatworms but they are hard to see with the dark background.
 
OP
OP
tobster

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That is actually a white background in the bathroom sink. I already sucked them off with a pipette.
I pulled the torch out of the tank and dipped it and there were several that come off. They do look like flatworms, but very big compared to pictures I’ve seen.
 
OP
OP
tobster

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Can you retake the pictures with a white background, and perhaps some extra water in a dish?

They kind of look like polyclad flatworms but they are hard to see with the dark background.
If it is a polyclad, are they bad?
I googled polyclad but these were not colorful, just white and tan.
 
OP
OP
tobster

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
here is the closest I could find online to what the looked like.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0643.jpeg
    IMG_0643.jpeg
    75.5 KB · Views: 48

ISpeakForTheSeas

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 22, 2021
Messages
8,450
Reaction score
10,304
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
@ISpeakForTheSeas , this is an interesting one...
OP, is the torch doing alright, or is it seeming irritated/like it's dying off randomly? Do your worms look like one from the links below?
 
OP
OP
tobster

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yes it looks like the ones in the link.
Torch was closed up more than normal which is what caused me to look in the first place.
The torch has been splitting into 2 heads so I thought maybe that’s why it was closed more than normal.
 

ISpeakForTheSeas

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 22, 2021
Messages
8,450
Reaction score
10,304
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yes it looks like the ones in the link.
Torch was closed up more than normal which is what caused me to look in the first place.
The torch has been splitting into 2 heads so I thought maybe that’s why it was closed more than normal.
Yeah, I would guess these are Euphyllia-eating Flatworms (EEFW) - not to state the obvious, but they feed on Euphyllia corals, such as torches (Euphyllia glabrescens), so they're not worms you'd generally want in a tank.
 
OP
OP
tobster

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yeah, I would guess these are Euphyllia-eating Flatworms (EEFW) - not to state the obvious, but they feed on Euphyllia corals, such as torches (Euphyllia glabrescens), so they're not worms you'd generally want in a tank.
Any recommendations on how to get rid of them?
I have several torches and hammers.
 

ISpeakForTheSeas

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 22, 2021
Messages
8,450
Reaction score
10,304
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Any recommendations on how to get rid of them?
I have several torches and hammers.
Repeated dipping to get the adults off from any eggs that may hatch and scrubbing to get any eggs you can find off is the tried and true method; some people just dip and skip the scrubbing phase. It just takes a lot of dips, a few weeks, and some patience, as I understand it.
 
OP
OP
tobster

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Repeated dipping to get the adults off from any eggs that may hatch and scrubbing to get any eggs you can find off is the tried and true method; some people just dip and skip the scrubbing phase. It just takes a lot of dips, a few weeks, and some patience, as I understand it.
Thank you! I’ll give that a try.
 
OP
OP
tobster

tobster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 19, 2024
Messages
181
Reaction score
142
Location
Knoxville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Attachments

  • IMG_0647.jpeg
    IMG_0647.jpeg
    234.2 KB · Views: 29
  • IMG_0646.jpeg
    IMG_0646.jpeg
    109.9 KB · Views: 25
  • IMG_0645.jpeg
    IMG_0645.jpeg
    181.7 KB · Views: 24
  • IMG_0644.jpeg
    IMG_0644.jpeg
    88 KB · Views: 23

ISpeakForTheSeas

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 22, 2021
Messages
8,450
Reaction score
10,304
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I found these crawling on the glass today after dipping the torch yesterday evening.
Still think Euphyllia flatworm?
With that first one, yes - the elongated body on the third seems more like a Prosthiostomid flatworm of some variety, but I could be wrong.
 
Back
Top