Help ID this stuff.

[JDigital]

So I have noticed these red flakes spreading around the LR rock in my tank. I had thought it might be Red Bugs, but none of my SPS/Acros' have any of these flakes on them, plus I think they are too big to be Red bugs..

[christyf5]

Well helloooooo flatworms

Siphon, siphon, siphon. Then once you've siphoned out most of them you could treat with flatworm exit. Be sure to follow the instructions with a large waterchange and carbon handy.

[JDigital]

Originally Posted by christyf5

Well helloooooo flatworms

Siphon, siphon, siphon. Then once you've siphoned out most of them you could treat with flatworm exit. Be sure to follow the instructions with a large waterchange and carbon handy.

Cr*p....

Thanks for the bad news... haha!

[christyf5]

Sorry

Another approach, which may be more successful long term, is to introduce a wrasse to the tank. I have a haliochoeres wrasse that ate every flatworm in my tank (which was a side benefit as I wasn't adding him for that reason at the time). The little yellow coris wrasses have also been reported to eat them.

[JDigital]

Originally Posted by christyf5

Sorry

Another approach, which may be more successful long term, is to introduce a wrasse to the tank. I have a haliochoeres wrasse that ate every flatworm in my tank (which was a side benefit as I wasn't adding him for that reason at the time). The little yellow coris wrasses have also been reported to eat them.

Thanks Christy! Could be a good excuse to pick up the Mystery Wrasse I wanted..

Other than being an eye sore in the tank, is there anything else I should be aware of regarding these flatworms.

[Carmen]

Whoa Nasty! Sorry to see that Josh! UGH! Better pick up that Mystery wrasse quick!

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by JDigital

Thanks Christy! Could be a good excuse to pick up the Mystery Wrasse I wanted..

Other than being an eye sore in the tank, is there anything else I should be aware of regarding these flatworms.

LOL, yes flatworms are a great excuse for a mystery wrasse. As long as your SO doesn't see the bill

So if you do a bit of reading on these suckers, they can release toxins upon death, its a good idea to keep the populations low by siphoning if you don't go for the predator idea. That way when you get sick of them and eventually go for the FWExit you won't have as many to kill or harm the tank when they croak.

[Keri]

+1 on siphoning and natural predation, I had problems with these in the beginning and siphoned out most of them and added a yellow wrasse and scooter blenny and haven't seen one since (knock on wood) I don't know if the scooter helped at all but he was added about the same time as the yellow wrasse and after them they (the FWs) disappeared. I've heard that flatworm exit can work but I've also heard it can crash your tank, I suppose every situation is different.

FABULOUS pics by the way! Do we have a "hitchhiker" sticky here? if so, those pics should DEFINATELY be on there!!

[JDigital]

Yea, I definitely would like to stay away from "prescription" type fixes... I really hate adding that stuff to my tank.. I think a wrasse and siphoning are going to be my first choices, and see how it works out.

Thanks for the quick replies!

[Alberta-newb]

Oh the horror! Your pictures really brought back some bad memories for me. Indeed, jump on this right away and go for a natural approach. I waited far too long on my tank. Since wrasses are a no go for me (I eventually will be getting mandarins) I went with the "chemical warfare" route. Tank is flatworm free for 2 months now (as far as I can see) but I believe it did contribute to the loss of my rabbit fish The population got really out of control in a matter of a few weeks.

Great photo quality BTW, as Keri said we should create a "bad hitchiker sticky" and include these pics.

Francis