tiny bugs

H

harial

ok so I have had these tiny bug animals on my glass for a while but I never really got around to asking about them. I don't have any pics(sorry) but they are small(like a mm) and have a brownish color to them. They arent like pods but more like slugs with a forked back end.

This probably is not important but I just wanted to know.
 
It defintitely sounds like a flatworm to me. Does it look anything close to this?

flatworms.jpg
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or this?

clear_flatworm.jpg
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Now these images are super magnified and the second on is when it is inflated like a sail just as it is about to move forward. If it looks more like a ghost to you than the large rounded end of the second picture, it is still the same creature.
 
No, not at all. they are not nearly as brightly colored like the first pic but they arent clear like the second pic and they are also much smaller.

Also in the second pic the animal seems to have a bubous head. these animals don't have that. they are pretty streamline.

BUT if these are flatworms(and there are a lot of them) what are some suggestions for getting rid of them? I have huge show-worthy dusters and coco worms that I am hesitant to submerge in flatworm exit.
 
You can remove both of those feather dusters to a holding container for the hour or so that you treat the tank. Flatworms don't take long to die.

http://www.melevsreef.com/flatworms.html

You can siphon them out. And tiny is normal. They gotta start somewhere, right? I have some pictures of tiny ones in Casper's tank, but I'd have to really search for a while to find those.
 
UGH one of my coco worms is UNDERNEATH one of my xenia and both are subsequently attached to one of the larger pieces of LR. Oh this is going to be SO much fun. This will be Tuesday's project as I am spending tomorrow working on my schedule for my spring semester classes. I will probably syphon out the ones I see tomorrow night after I have been to the store and gotten some tubing(yes I know I should have gotten it before but I never needed it till now) and actually I had planned to get some sort of electric one from walmart tomorrow to make water changes less stressful for my livestock.

but I have a question, wont any on the feather duster tubing still just spread again after I put them back in the tank?
 
You can blow them off with a turkey baster or siphon them off. If you just want to remove them manually, go for it. It isn't impossible, but it is tedious.
 
It may. However, what concerns me is that we don't even know what you are dealing with yet. If these aren't brown or rust colored flatworms, then you have nothing to worry about and there is no reason to treat the tank.

Casper's tank has plenty of tiny white/gray flatworms and I don't worry about them at all.
 
Siphon out all that you can before treating the tank. Then just follow the directions on the box and in my article and you'll be fine.

The toxins coming from dying flatworms is bad stuff, so you need to do exactly as directed for the best possible results.
 
I used the exit on my tank today and had at most 30. I even had the extra water ready and everything, oh well maybe I caught it soon enough.
 
I think I may treat my tank anyway just to be safe. Because there are A LOT of these things and I am getting sick and tired of looking at them all over my glass and if they die, then they were flat worms and I have done a good thing for my tank.
 
@harial wrote:
I think I may treat my tank anyway just to be safe. Because there are A LOT of these things and I am getting sick and tired of looking at them all over my glass and if they die said:
Don't forget to siphon them out! I was so bored I used a turkey baster and counted them.
Click to expand...
 
OK so I think I did not do it right. the bottle says to use 1 drop for every gallon of water int he tank. now it is a twelve gallon tank but I only use about 7 gallons because of the LR. So I put 7 drops in and I think I only got about half of the worms out. I used 3 drops on my 2.5(which also has LR in it) and it worked like a dream. So I think in a couple of weeks I will do it again but use the proper 12 drops instead of 7.
 
got a quick question. If I dip a rock in water that has a high consentration of flatworm exit will it kill any bristle worms that are living in the holes in the rock?
 
I doubt it would kill them, but they may get a little more active.
 
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