Not for the squeemish - you thought crabs hard to catch!!

[Walshy]

I have a mature tank over 15 months, much coralline, fish happy - even powder blue tang is fat as hell (although is nipping some of my softies), sps bug is growing and so are the corals.

Mysteriously I had a large hermit who died a few weeks back - I put it down to old age - but nothing left but the empty shell.

I've captured all crabs etc but all became clear last night - I came home and switched on the lights at midnight and one of my very large cleaner shrimps was lay on the bottom - I thought initially it was moulting as it was encased in a mottled brown throbbing coating - you could see its outline through what looked like skin!

I walked away and left it to get on undisturbed - next morning empty shrimp case - but alas no fresh new shrimp

Stretching back the old grey matter to over 6 months back I remember not sleeping well so had a nosey at what was going on in the tank after dark (yes my wife thinks I'm sad) and thinking a rock was moving (too much red wine) but it was the same mottled shape which disappeared into the live rock.

So now I've looked at Anthony Calfo and Bob Fenners reef inverts book (good buy everyone) and saw a predetory flat worm that looks like the mantle of a clam - this is it and one of three things happedned:

1. Shrimp died and beastie pounced and ate it
2. Shrimp was moutling and beastie pounced
3. Beastie caught a live shrimp (unlikely)

Now the question if you not already nodded off - how on earth do I catch said beastie if its gonna grab something else - turns your stomach to think of the shrimp going in that nighmarish way, even if I do like a barbie

So to catch a worm - help!

[zhenya]

I would say your shrimp most likely was caught live...
To catch your flatworm I would try to bait it with another shrimp and stake out the tank at night after lights go off. You can easily spot it if you use red flashlight and scoop it up with the fish net.
I've never done it myself, thankfully never had to , but baiting seems the most logical way to go about catching it.

[Krabby]

Wow a title like that and no picture, come on...

[Live Rock Ricky]

I love bedtime stories

[Walshy]

Its giving me nightmares - glad it can't get out of the tank and walk upstairs!!

I'll try baiting and using a net - I've only seen it twice since I've had the tank - sneaky devil

Found what I think it is and the behaviour would seem to be correct including the distinct lack of snails and now crabs and shrimps in my tank!!


Description: 8 to 10 cm; light gray or tan with dark eyespots; flat, oval, and tapered, almost leaf shaped; two short tentacles located near the anterior end.
Habitat: Found on floats, pilings and the underside of rocks between high and low-tide lines.
Natural History: Polyclads are carnivorous and feed on many invertebrates including ascidians, worms, crustaceans, and molluscs. It feeds by extending its large, ruffled pharynx, which is turned inside out, covering the prey like an umbrella. Through muscular and ciliary action, partially digested food particles are brought into the many branched digestive tract, where digestion takes place.

This could prove to be a problem!!!

[Live Rock Ricky]

ouch!

[weez1959]

What a cutey!
Glad he's not in my tank... When you saw him the first time ever was he that big or has he grown since?

[Walshy]

Hard to say, first time he was moving over rocks and last time he was shrimp shaped!!

I think it has grown - lots of mollusc shells empty in my tank, one cleaner shrimp down and one large hermit, one green chromis missing

Doesn't bode well

napalm, agent orange all required

[zhenya]

For those who are unfamiliar with the Polyclad flatworms, check out this wonderful site for images and information about them. You won't be sorry you spend some time on that site...
Marine Flatworms of the World! - Introduction

[Samper]

Wow......Bookmark!