flatworms on my frogspawn!

[alexmurovec]

i just tested my params, heres how it went:

 

ammonia 0

nitrite 0

nitrate 0

phosphate 0

ph 8.2

sg 1.025

 

i moved my frogspawn to a place in the sand so i can better analyze it. the tenticles seem to have lost alot of airyness, if you know what i mean. for example, the tenticles have something in them that makes them plump and appealing, where as some of my tenticles are toothpick thin and streched so the base is white, very strange. also, in the middle of each hole is a gaping hole, wide open to the max, is this the mouth or what? could it be signs of something? i haven't been feeding until last night i tried, my open brain accepted the target fed krill, but my spawn didn't have any feeding tenticles out so it could not eat.

 

another quick note, today as i came into my room my open brain spit out a stringy gooy thing, is this just fecal matter?

 

 

any natural predators? Like a Sixline?

 

i was thinking something along those lines, and i always kind of wanted a six line. whats everyones thoughts about a six line now, and a pair of percs down the road?

 

I used flatworm exit by salifert, And killed the orange ones and no losses worked like a charm

 

ok thanks for your input, i think i may have to try this stuff if they dont go away soon with manual outtake.

[stallen]

I don't think I would be alarmed by "stretched tentacles" at this point. Frogspawn and other corals in the Euphyllia family have tenticles that stretch out and contract throughout the day based on it's need for light, food, digestion, rest and mood (and for probably other reasons too).

 

I think the one thing that could cause a problem with your Frogspawn is if you keep handling it. Put it in an optimal area of your tank where you plan to keep it and leave it alone. You can kill a Euphyllia if it is moved from one spot to the next too often. Let it adapt.

 

 

 

another quick note, today as i came into my room my open brain spit out a stringy gooy thing, is this just fecal matter?

Could be fecal matter or xooxanthellae.

[alexmurovec]

I don't think I would be alarmed by "stretched tentacles" at this point. Frogspawn and other corals in the Euphyllia family have tenticles that stretch out and contract throughout the day based on it's need for light, food, digestion, rest and mood (and for probably other reasons too).

 

I think the one thing that could cause a problem with your Frogspawn is if you keep handling it. Put it in an optimal area of your tank where you plan to keep it and leave it alone. You can kill a Euphyllia if it is moved from one spot to the next too often. Let it adapt.

 

i know thats my stupid problem too, i am really bad for it; i am always moving my corals and what not, i need to stop. i have sufficient mh lighting, so i dont think lighting is a problem, and the flow is decent because they dont like too much flow. i think its the food issue, and i need to get it to eat something. is the hole in the middle of the head its mouth, or should it have feeder tenticles that come out, because it doesn't and hasn't for the last 2 weeks since i got it.

[shift_9k]

I have these guys all over, should I be going thru the same precautions?

 

[seahorsedreams]

Noooooooooooo! :-)

 

I love those guys. I was so disappointed when they disappeared. I have't seen one in a couple of months. I mean, if you see them in a pod culture, ya that would be bad, but in your tank they are amazing.

 

I miss mine *sniff*

[alexmurovec]

Noooooooooooo! :-)

 

I love those guys. I was so disappointed when they disappeared. I have't seen one in a couple of months. I mean, if you see them in a pod culture, ya that would be bad, but in your tank they are amazing.

 

I miss mine *sniff*

 

is this suppose to be sarcasm? i thought all flatworms were bad?

[c est ma]

No, the white ones are harmless. See these threads:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;hl=flat+worms

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;hl=flat+worms

 

 

The orange ones that infest all tank surfaces, and respond to light, are harmful because they release a toxin when they die. They can also become so numerous as to irritate sessile inverts just by covering them. They have zooxanthellae and photosynthesize, so the common advice to limit nutrients to combat them may not work.

 

I believe there are more than 3 spp of acoels, and the kinds that prefer to sit on corals are different from the ones we're usually talking about...

 

Flatworm Exit is reputed to be very effective. The greatest danger, I've read, is from the toxin released by the dying flatworms. That's why it's important to siphon out as many flatworms as you can both before and after using it, and to do water changes. I've also read a few anecdotal reports from reefers who felt that some of their other inverts were adversely affected, but this could have been from the toxins, not the FW Exit itself.

 

As I remember, your tank is fairly new and sparsely inhabited. Seems to me this would be the ideal time to try FW Exit--before your FW population explodes and your tank is full of interacting creatures and hiding places.

 

BTW, I use a siphon made from a piece of stiff airline tubing for the wand, and pliant airline tubing for the hose itself. Works great on FWs.

 

--Diane

[stallen]

is the hole in the middle of the head its mouth, or should it have feeder tenticles that come out, because it doesn't and hasn't for the last 2 weeks since i got it.

 

It sounds like a mouth from your description. I've had my frogspawn for two months. I have yet to see any feeder tenticles at all. The person that had it before me had it for quite some time and never saw any feeder tenticles. However, it has good color and it is growing. Some people never feed their frogspawn and they do fine. It is probably getting fed indirectly from fish poo and bits of food even though you don't realize it. If you are feeding your inhabitants mysis at least a few times a week and turning off the pumps for awhile at feeding time, I'm sure it'll get enough food.

 

Euphyllia will do fine with moderate light, moderate flow, and whatever detritus you may have floating around in the tank. You could also try some DT's phytoplankton once or twice a week. You probably won't actually see it eating the phytoplankton, but it will be getting some.

[basser1]

I have had good success doing a fresh water dip for my mushrooms. I dip them for 5-10 seconds and the flatworms fall off almost instantly. And the mushrooms make it without any damage. I'd give it a try, just my 2 cents.

[stallen]

The frogspawn has been in his tank for over two weeks. It's safe to assume that the flatworms are in the tank at this point. No sense in dipping the frogspawn if they are still in the tank and you can't dip the whole tank

[SeeDemTails]

Yeah, just leave it alone. Moving it is way worse than the flatworms.

 

Also, about the sixline, I would add it after the clowns, otherwise it might get aggressive. Sixlines can be great, but they can be mean as heck to new additions.

[seahorsedreams]

is this suppose to be sarcasm? i thought all flatworms were bad?

 

As Diane stated I was serious. They are harmless... except to copepods. In my pic you can see a pod trying to run away. But they don't get to plaque populations and the damage they will do to your pod population is minimal.

 

The rust colored one in the same shape that I posted is also nothing to worry about.

[alexmurovec]

It sounds like a mouth from your description. I've had my frogspawn for two months. I have yet to see any feeder tenticles at all. The person that had it before me had it for quite some time and never saw any feeder tenticles. However, it has good color and it is growing. Some people never feed their frogspawn and they do fine. It is probably getting fed indirectly from fish poo and bits of food even though you don't realize it. If you are feeding your inhabitants mysis at least a few times a week and turning off the pumps for awhile at feeding time, I'm sure it'll get enough food.

 

Euphyllia will do fine with moderate light, moderate flow, and whatever detritus you may have floating around in the tank. You could also try some DT's phytoplankton once or twice a week. You probably won't actually see it eating the phytoplankton, but it will be getting some.

 

what awesome help! right now, i do not have any fish, just a cleaner shrimp, which i have not been feeding, which is maybe a mistake now that i think of it. today i'm going to go get some mysis and do that thing.

 

I have had good success doing a fresh water dip for my mushrooms. I dip them for 5-10 seconds and the flatworms fall off almost instantly. And the mushrooms make it without any damage. I'd give it a try, just my 2 cents.

 

most of the flatworms do seem to be only on the frogspawn, so in a way, this may be a way, but i really probably shouldn't move it anymore, i'm going to try the syphon idea.

 

Yeah, just leave it alone. Moving it is way worse than the flatworms.

 

Also, about the sixline, I would add it after the clowns, otherwise it might get aggressive. Sixlines can be great, but they can be mean as heck to new additions.

 

note taken. i will add the six line last if and when i am at that point.

 

As Diane stated I was serious. They are harmless... except to copepods. In my pic you can see a pod trying to run away. But they don't get to plaque populations and the damage they will do to your pod population is minimal.

 

The rust colored one in the same shape that I posted is also nothing to worry about.

 

alright, i should have not been so ignorant i've been so confused over what type of worms they could be, of flat worms. now that you mentioned the rust coloured ones, i went back and identified the picture, and mine are exact, accept the tails are a little bit shorter, and it has a white line down its back. for now i think i'm going to siphon off as many as i can, and if they still keep coming back for the next couple weeks, maybe i will try flat worm exit. then again, if i'm wrong, maybe i should do flatworm exit now. ahhhhhh

[G-Force]

fortunately I don't any flatworms in my system but then I just realized that my possum wrasse has been eating them all! he also seems to like small nudis, asterina stars and any other bugs in my system. great fish, peaceful as heck. he may not be as pretty as a 6-line, but I think it's a great trade-off. just a suggestion.

[alexmurovec]

fortunately I don't any flatworms in my system but then I just realized that my possum wrasse has been eating them all! he also seems to like small nudis, asterina stars and any other bugs in my system. great fish, peaceful as heck. he may not be as pretty as a 6-line, but I think it's a great trade-off. just a suggestion.

 

thank you, i'm going to check into those types of wrasses.

[alexmurovec]

i used airline tubing today to try and siphon off the flatworms off the frogspawn. it was pretty hard because the spawn just closed up and then i could barely see what i was siphoning. the process didn't go to well, i ended up getting maybe a couple worms and a bunch of tenticles. i then did a freshwater dip for 15 seconds and a bunch fell off, and now i cant see any on the spawn. right now its still prety closed up, and those ripped off tenticles are all shriveled and what not. i think it should make a decent recovery though. i tried feeding it yesterday too as its mouth is wide open, but it wouldn't take the mysis shrimp, no feeder tenticles, no nothing.

[alexmurovec]

well, my frogspawn died during the freshwater dip and flat worm siphon removal thanks for the help anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOT today i came home from school and the spawn was fully extended and i have yet to find one flat worm on it. all those tenticles that i siphoned off are all healed up already, and the coral is doing great. i scanned my tank and i can only see one flat worm on the glass, which i will eliminate.

[stallen]

well, my frogspawn died during the freshwater dip and flat worm siphon removal thanks for the help anyway.

NOT today i came home from school and the spawn was fully extended and i have yet to find one flat worm on it. all those tenticles that i siphoned off are all healed up already, and the coral is doing great. i scanned my tank and i can only see one flat worm on the glass, which i will eliminate.

OK, you got me!

 

Seriously though... leave the frogspawn alone!

[DudE31]

i have a better plan than to just leave it alone ... send me a frag

[alexmurovec]

OK, you got me!

 

Seriously though... leave the frogspawn alone!

 

that's exactly what i plan on doing. i took it out of its location once to do the dip and now its back in its original spot, with not too much flow, so it is very happy, its very big now.

 

 

i have a better plan than to just leave it alone ... send me a frag

 

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

naaaah

[c est ma]

Jeez, you got me, too! I was starting to feel really guilty...

 

WHEW! Glad to hear things are looking so good! Post a pic sometime.

 

Congrats.

 

--Diane