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Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 7:45 am
by BoldVoy
I'm stumped on these tiny yellow spots on my cup coral - they're pretty noticeable, especially the brighter ones on the middle cup and the one to the right. I've been digging around online and can't find anything concrete, just some mentions of similar stuff. They're small, around 1mm long, and some are just tiny yellow dots. I know they weren't there when I got the coral, 'cause I gave it a thorough once-over before buying. They seem to be coming from the hole where the polyps are. I've got some Coral RX on the way, but it won't be here till Wednesday since the LFS was out - can anyone shed some light on this in the meantime, please?

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 10:03 am
by BoldVoy
Here's another pic I took from a slightly different angle.

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:39 pm
by zenoxa
Honestly, the pics are a bit tough to decipher, but I'll take a stab - Mesenterial Filaments seem like a possibility to me.

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 2:34 pm
by BoldVoy
zenoxa wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:39 pm Honestly, the pics are a bit tough to decipher, but I'll take a stab - Mesenterial Filaments seem like a possibility to me.
I know the pics aren't great, my apologies, it's the best I can do for now. If Mesenterial Filaments is the correct ID, I've been reading up on it for a bit and it doesn't seem too bad. I've read it could be a defensive mechanism or a feeding response since it's non-photosynthetic and more active at night. I do feel a bit better now, my girlfriend picked it out and I got the warning - if I kill it, she'll kill me lol, thanks for the help.

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 2:34 pm
by flynix
zenoxa wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:39 pm Honestly, the pics are a bit tough to decipher, but I'll take a stab - Mesenterial Filaments seem like a possibility to me.
That's my take on it. Something's clearly stressing that coral out. I'm seeing some noticeable tissue loss or recession. Those filaments usually point to some kind of chemical warfare between corals.

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 2:58 pm
by BoldVoy
flynix wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 2:34 pm
zenoxa wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 12:39 pm Honestly, the pics are a bit tough to decipher, but I'll take a stab - Mesenterial Filaments seem like a possibility to me.
That's my take on it. Something's clearly stressing that coral out. I'm seeing some noticeable tissue loss or recession. Those filaments usually point to some kind of chemical warfare between corals.
It might be agitated, I've got it acclimating next to a few other corals on the sand. Waiting till I can dip em on Wednesday. The tissue loss probably came from the frag tanks at the LFS, just picked em up Thursday. I'll try moving it a bit further away for now, till I can move it to its permanent spot.

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 4:14 pm
by flynix
I'd get it isolated ASAP, give it some space. Looks pretty malnourished to me. If you're not seeing any polyp extension, it's gonna be a tough road ahead.

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 6:36 pm
by zenoxa
I'm with flynix on this one, that coral does look starved. Regular feeding is key for these corals, almost daily is what I'd recommend. If you're not seeing any polyp extension, it's gonna be tough. Check out this link, it's got some good info on sun corals, might be helpful. http://www.melevsreef.com/suncoral.html

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 8:07 pm
by BoldVoy
Yeah I've been thinking along the same lines too - I've been giving it coral smoothie, trying to entice it out, and I've been sticking to a daily feeding schedule, same time every day, hoping to increase the chances.

Re: Yellow flatworms in the reef tank

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 11:03 pm
by rusticfox
I'm thinking these aren't your typical LPS, more like NPS, so maybe someone on that NPS forum could shed some light on what's going on and how I can get it to feed.