Unknown creature.

[user17482]

This flatworm looking creature came off my lettuce nudibranch. I purchases this nudibranch about a month ago not really any problems with it until now. When I was checking the tank a lunch it looked as if it had laid eggs. About 3 hours later this thing has been moving around the tank. The nudibranch looks thiner and has been slightly dormant. A potential cause is a major drop in nutrients, I had really high phosphate and nitrates and have been recently getting them down. If you've experience anything like this please share.

Thank you!

I apologize for the bad images but the first one was of this thing first coming of the nudibranch an the current update ( Also the thing is very thing and has remained at the top of the surface)

 

[Lemons]

Any pictures under white light? Its some sort of polyclad worm... usually never a good thing to find.

 

[salty joe]

Looks a lot like a flatworm I saw in a video taken at a shore in Australia. It chased down a crab and ate it!

 

[Cthulukelele]

Polyclad flatworms are wild. Most of them are shockingly effective predators. That looks to be one to me. I had one. It ate lots if different coral in my tank before I caught and removed it

 

[CBonito]

Polyclad flatworms are wild. Most of them are shockingly effective predators. That looks to be one to me. I had one. It ate lots if different coral in my tank before I caught and removed it

You're scaring the children!

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Polyclad flatworms are wild. Most of them are shockingly effective predators. That looks to be one to me. I had one. It ate lots if different coral in my tank before I caught and removed it

Yikes, maybe it's time I remove the one in my tank. Good thing they can't regrow from small pieces like euphyllia eating

 

[Cthulukelele]

Watching them crawl into rocks makes me feel like I'm watching a scifi movie

 

[jabberwock]

Rathtar

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Yikes, maybe it's time I remove the one in my tank. Good thing they can't regrow from small pieces like euphyllia eating

On the other hand they are pretty cool creatures, it's been on one coral since I got it (about 5 months ago), there is damage on that coral but that coral has also been infested with pycnogonids (which I've observed eating the coral) and the (most likely) polyclad always stays about an inch from the damage, never saw it ever really leave its spot. When I did try to get it it kept dropping tail segments and after the 3rd (?) One I gave up. Never really leaves the hole its in and i observe it well into the night every day. What to yall think, stay or leave?

 

[Cthulukelele]

On the other hand they are pretty cool creatures, it's been on one coral since I got it (about 5 months ago), there is damage on that coral but that coral has also been infested with pycnogonids (which I've observed eating the coral) and the (most likely) polyclad always stays about an inch from the damage, never saw it ever really leave its spot. When I did try to get it it kept dropping tail segments and after the 3rd (?) One I gave up. Never really leaves the hole its in. What to yall think, stay or leave?

I say leave it. I watched mine consume a ton of euphylia at night so I removed. They really are interesting creatures. If you start losing small fish mysteriously overnight though you may know why.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I say leave it. I watched mine consume a ton of euphylia at night so I removed. They really are interesting creatures. If you start losing small fish mysteriously overnight though you may know why.

Should mention this one is probably slightly under an inch, very small, though black with white patches so obviously not your average planaria

 

[Cthulukelele]

Should mention this one is probably slightly under an inch, very small, though black with white patches so obviously not your average planaria

Ah that's less scary. I had a 5+" leopard polyclad. Ate any snail that wasn't a large trochus and most lps I tried.

 

[user17482]

As soon as I heard euphylia eating I removed it! With my luck though it has laid a batch of eggs... I got what I could out of the tank but very likely there are still some in the tank! Could there be more in the tank??? The majority of my coral are LPS and Softies ! I've also noticed recently certain LPS corals not looking so hot specifically my Acans I don't know if its just them getting adjusted or should I do a dip on them?

 

[user17482]

Also do these guys hitch hike on certain inverts? because I dip all new corals introduced?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Also do these guys hitch hike on certain inverts? because I dip all new corals introduced?

My understanding is the big ones usually hitchhike in on rocks, but they can also come in on corals. They're easy to miss when wrapped around the base or underside of a frag

 

[user17482]

My understanding is the big ones usually hitchhike in on rocks, but they can also come in on corals. They're easy to miss when wrapped around the base or underside of a

could there be more?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Also there could be more, but I doubt it. My understanding is that they're solitary creatures.

could there be more?

 

[user17482]

My understanding is the big ones usually hitchhike in on rocks, but they can also come in on corals. They're easy to miss when wrapped around the base or underside of a frag

Also I really do not want to loss 500 dollars in coral over this thing. Is there anyway to remove them if there's more?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Also I really do not want to loss 500 dollars in coral over this thing. Is there anyway to remove them if there's more?

It's hard to know for sure. They're slippery creatures. I think easiest way would be if you checked your tank at night with a red flashlight for a few days

 

[user17482]

Also there could be more, but I doubt it. My understanding is that they're solitary creatur

It's hard to know for sure. They're slippery creatures. I think easiest way would be if you checked your tank at night with a red flashlight for a few days

Okay! and where should I be looking around the base of the coral or rock work?