# Flatworm......Godzilla??



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

My friend has a 10gl tank ,few corals ,LR and has been set up a few months ....
They havent noticed any problems with the tank and corals look nice !
Im guessing they baught something and they noticed some flatworms .
No big deal so I told them do a light shut out for a few hours at night then try and suck up as many as they can ,then do a waterchange and continue to do this untill you see no flatworms!
so they did just that then with red light viewing (while sucking up flatworms) they saw the mother of all !!!!
it was 3 inches long and 1 inch wide it slithered along almost like it poured itself along then dissapeared into the live rock .

the best they could figure was it was this 
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/flatwrmfaq3.htm
go down to what the h,e ,double hocky sticks is this!

but the color was hard to tell under the red lighting ....

all snails and stuff are accounted for it dont seem to be eating corals either ...
any suggestion or inputs thanks ahead!


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

I guess if doesn't do any harm it would stay harmless and no concern for anyone. Interesting creature!


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Black outs will not deter flat worms.

Flat worms most often, come in on corals. they can over run your tank.

You can try flat worm exit but it might kill your tank. *Do your research*.

You can try to vacuum them out of the tank and repeat until they are mostly gone.

The word is bought, not baught. When you see a red dotted line under a word, you have a spelling error.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Tabatha said:


> Black outs will not deter flat worms.
> 
> Flat worms most often, come in on corals. they can over run your tank.
> 
> ...


I have done extensive research , I didnt say black out ....

I know all about flatworm exit!

Wow ....bought,baught..... I dont do spell check ...oh well you dont like it ? its on you!


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

conix67 said:


> I guess if doesn't do any harm it would stay harmless and no concern for anyone. Interesting creature!


Thanks conix, I was thinking the same thing!


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

blossom112 said:


> I have done extensive research , I didnt say black out ....


I stand corrected, you said:



> No big deal so I told them do a light shut out for a few hours at night I know all about flatworm exit!





blossom112 said:


> Wow ....bought,baught..... I dont do spell check ...oh well you dont like it ? its on you!


No, it's not on me, it's on the English language, butchered again, as usual.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

blossom112 said:


> please stop cluttering the post!
> unless it is relevant to the topic.


Okay, you don't need to turn off the lights to vacuum flatworms. You can also put a filter sock on the other end of the hose and simply return the vacuumed water back to the tank with the flatworms trapped in the filter sock.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

Tabatha said:


> How about you do some homework before you start pointing fingers and putting people in boxes?


I second that

by the way, I've done the filter sock method it works wonders for flatworms...I suggest not using the exit unless as a last resort, seen it wipe out a tank before.... deaths to hundreds of thousands of flatworms create a huge nitrate problem...causing death

unless if you have 2357235907235097 dollars in resources to do a continuous water change for like a year


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

Have a reed hear....


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

UnderTheSea said:


> Have a reed hear....


Thank you very much Chris!!!

you sent that to me over a year ago and I lost it with my other pc.

So would you suggest to remove the big one ?
and how do you think they can get it out sucessfully!
I am sure if they break it at all the tank will get wiped out!

thanks again!


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

Definitely try to manually take out as much as you can.

What size of tank are we talking about? There are fish that go after flatworms. Sixline, Cory, Dragonets.

Here is some good info as well


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

if ti's not actively predating on anything (coral, fish), I'd leave it.

High fives to you UTC.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Let it go and keep the thread on track; if you have a problem with someone, take it to pm.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I better speak up.. this thread got nasty and all it is about is a big flatworm.

This is a 10 gallon tank. 

Okay, I am coming out of the flatworm closet here. This problem is mine. I was horrifically embarresed by the whole situation. I don't have the means to do flatworm exit, or the complete equipment to do a proper quarentine. Shame on me. 

The creature in question is at least 3 inches long and about an inch wide. the typical brown flatworm is sucked out easily. 

Let us be peaceful and no longer argue or bicker about internet ettiquite, or however it is spelled. My program doesn't spell check. Anyway I wish this digression to stop.

I have a large odd animal in my tank. A flatworm it seems. I saw it only one at 4am and it left me slack jawed saying What the frag is that?! I contacted blossom because she got me started. 

Basically she gave the details enough. I am not looking for a remedy for the small ones, just information on the large one. I been googling flat worms for three nights and I have found little to no info on them other than what I saw on wetwebmedia. I doubt I can get a pic of the animal due to the fact I have only seen it once, I have no idea when it comes out and when it does, I prefer to be safely ensconced in my bed. 

I saw the animal in question using a red LED lamp that is used as a bike blinker. Also has steady burn. I was shocked and impressed at the size of the creature. 

That filter sock idea might work better than my turkey baster. 

So the giant flatworm, I've affectionately named godzilla, are they dangerous?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Sunstar, Ive read a thread or a post on ome blog (reefbuilders maybe?) about a giant flatworm - and it did nothing, they suspected it was a planktivore. 
So unless you are certain it eats coral or whatnot important to you, I'd leave it be.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I appreciate you doing tihs... its like finding out I have some sort of internal parasite or something kinda shameful.

This is the closest image I can find to the animal. Actually, I saw it under a red light so I can't tell you the colour.










By no means I am saying it is this animal.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/01/19/flatworm-monster-roadrunner-creepy-crawlies/


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

That sums it up. 

IS it safe?


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

comments say it eats turbo snails... I have found a few empty stomatella shells. Makes me wonder, if I get some periwinkles and put it into a bottle, maybe I can trap it? I'm not caring either way if I have snails,... I got the stomatella to do the jobs.....


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

That was one cool video!

godzilla will live ! y--


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

personally I am embarassed. Sorry to have put you through that blossom. 

the worm doesn't scare me, but I want to make sure my creatures are safe. my creatures being hermits and possibly shrimp, once I determine whtat is safe.

Edit: I just dread if that thing dies, it'll foul my tank something horrible.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Sunstar said:


> Okay, I am coming out of the flatworm closet here. This problem is mine. I was horrifically embarresed by the whole situation. I don't have the means to do flatworm exit, or the complete equipment to do a proper quarentine. Shame on me.


Geeze Sunstar, you don't have to be embarrassed because you have flatworms or any other kind of parasite in your tank, it happens to the best of us (except maybe ameekplec).  I don't think anyone should jump to chemicals without more research.



Sunstar said:


> Let us be peaceful and no longer argue or bicker about internet ettiquite, or however it is spelled. My program doesn't spell check. Anyway I wish this digression to stop.


I don't know why everyone keeps bringing it up, I left it on page 1! If people would stop obsessing and let it go, it wouldn't have made it to page 2 or 3 for that matter.  



Sunstar said:


> So the giant flatworm, I've affectionately named godzilla, are they dangerous?


Glad to see ameekplec has identified your mysterious hitchhiker!


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

he ID'd it, just now I ask.... is it safe? *whines* and I've been looking around and can't find anything to say yay or nay to that.


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

I have gone through this thread and deleted those postings that were not relevant to the topic at hand. Should this thread go off topic again I will lock it.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Thanks knaveto. I really want to find out more about this creature.

Doug (that looks wrong) at alternative aquariums insists I remove the creature asap. He says it will destroy my tank. If I need to, I can set up temporary housing for the animal.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

UnderTheSea said:


> Definitely try to manually take out as much as you can.
> 
> What size of tank are we talking about? There are fish that go after flatworms. Sixline, Cory, Dragonets.
> 
> Here is some good info as well


We currently have flatworms as well, we purchased a six line and a spotted dragonette specifically to aid us in ridding them. We haven't seen either touch a flat worm yet. Ah well, they're great additions to the tank nonetheless.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Tank size is an issue. 10 gallon and I really don't want fish.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Sunstar said:


> Tank size is an issue. 10 gallon and I really don't want fish.


I was just mentioning this in general Sunstar, I know your tank is way too small for either fish. Perhaps someone else can benefit but I've also learned that every fish is different -- just because our dragonette or sixline doesn't eat flatworms obviously doesn't mean they all don't. It seems to be hit or miss.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Okay. I still want a blue whale in it


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Sunstar said:


> Okay. I still want a blue whale in it


LOL! Yeah, okay!


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

You guys just reminded me... I have three pictures of whales from NL that I have to get framed. Add them to the collection


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

KnaveTO said:


> You guys just reminded me... I have three pictures of whales from NL that I have to get framed. Add them to the collection


Do you have those photos in another thread? And to keep this related, do you have flatworms???


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

No... they are prints I bought in St. John's by a rather famous local photographer so no scans, and no I do not have flatworms... besides Sunstar brought up the whales


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Sunstar - any updates? Have you see Gigantica again?


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I've looked, but I've been up late only once and last nigth I was down really early with a migriane.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I found the flatworm and extracted it. It got hurt slightly in the processs. But I will keep it in something...... hopefully keep it alive.

Edit: Picture of the Captured Animal.










NOT as big as I thought it was... unless I have two.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

eeeeewwww.... lol! Reminds me of a leech and I had 75 on me at one time. LOL

Happy you did get it! Or at least...I hope that was it.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I had 1 leech..... on my rear end when I flipped my kayak in a pond


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Congratulations on the catch! I'm sure if you had live sand, rock, cheato and a little AquaClear in a 5 gallon tank, it should be fine!


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I may do something on the pico scale for it.


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