Polyclad flatworm

[Imbarrie]

Finally caught the polyclad flatworms in my rock. Hopefully it's the only one.
I have glimpsed this three times and this time was it's last.
Any takers?
It's quite a striking creepy sci fi creature if anybody wants it.

 

[dubs]

I don't want it but I am curious what does this thing look like

 

[Imbarrie]

I'll post a video later.
But it's pretty gnarly.

 

[dubs]

Ok that thing def looks like a space alien thanks for the pic

 

[rookie07]

Wow! Thats big...how big was it when flat?
I found a 3.5"x1.5" in my tank, but yours is huge!

 

[Imbarrie]

Uploaded video of this thing. Pretty weird thing to find in your tank.
I spend hours looking into every crevice of my rockwork with a red beamed flashlight and I have glimpsed this thing twice in two years.
This thing is 3-4" long and I removed this from the tank through a 1/4" diameter tube.
You never know what lurks in these tanks.

Anyway, these videos play well full screen.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILSGTeoyqec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynEZyMFubpQ

 

[tentacles]

wow, that thing is massive! good thing you got it out!

 

[KathyC]

Ewwww...where is Spielberg?

How did you get it out through a 1/4" hole??

 

[rookie07]

Kathy,

They are like a large piece of ribbon....imagine pulling ribbon through the tube.

 

[ed4]

It's hard to believe that these things can get sucked out using air hose, until you try it.

These things can thread itself into the smallest pinhole in rocks.

 

[bigcapct]

Wow!!

 

[Mattl22]

Pretty sweet ! Why did it have to be removed? What was it eating?

 

[ed4]

These things are voracious predators of lots of molluscs (nearly all snails and clams). When I had these things in my old 90G tank, I'd see lots of Stomatella shells and an occasional empty Turbo shell.

A few year back when I (believe) I caught my last one, I put a 1/4 dose coral dip into it's bucket before I flushed it down "the escape hatch".


The way it swims as it reacts to the dip is art in motion albeit cruel. It swims kinda like a Spanish Dancer nudi.

 

[Imbarrie]

I have lost quite a few things to this worm.

All kinds of snails
Stromatellas
A nice display of pipe organ coral
Most disturbing was my ribbon eel.

It was just getting used to the tank and within a day I noticed it was getting eaten. By then it was too late.

 

[Mattl22]

Wow amazing I'm never putting my hands in my tank ever again

 

[Mattl22]

How the he'll does that thing eat an eel btw did anyone take u upon ur offer for the free flatt worm?

 

[MIKE NY]

nasty suckers...about ten years ago I had one eating all my snails and thought it was my serpants until I found it at night......never saw it again...it either died off or the serpants/hermits etc.. got it.

 

[Imbarrie]

No that offer was for a limited time only.

I believe this took a bite out of the tail of the eel whenever it stopped swimming. It was either this or the serpent starfish I had.