..and what is this strange worm ?

[liferrari]

Hi,
do you know which kind of worm it is ? I founded it 10 days ago in my reef tank in Milan. name, specialities,....it does not seems to be a good reef safe citizen !


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86ttGSuJiVQ

 

[LeslieH]

Not a worm. I suspect it's the remains of a sea pen.

 

[liferrari]

mmmm....but he crawled like a real worm into the rocks, sea pens have those thorns like "spikes" on the sides like him ?

 

[LeslieH]

Sea pens can move quite quickly and the "spikes" are what's left of the polyp-bearing branches. It's very badly damaged - almost nothing is left of the branches. Do an image search for Pteroides. The spikes are the calcareous spines which support the branches.

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/pennatulacea/pteroides.htm

 

[liferrari]

Hi,
I made a tuor on www for Pteroides.

you've right that the photo is bad and the worm is "a bit" broken ...., but my concern is that I saw him crawly through rocks, moving as well as a simple fire worm. There was nothing that was releated to branches.

If i am not wrong, if it was a sea pen, why I never seen before him in the reef with the branches ? It is no soo little (about 5 inches) -

also, please note that I am not really an expert

Ciao !

 

[LeslieH]

I'm not really sure what it is either, except that it doesn't match any of the polychaetes that show up in tanks. If you still have it please take a picture of the other side of the animal - that might help us identify it better.

Sometimes predators will eat the fleshy branches of sea pens leaving only the base of the calcareous spines, a little bit of the upright portion, and the stalk. That's why I thought it might be a sea pen.

 

[liferrari]

I'm ...........Sometimes predators will eat the fleshy branches of sea pens leaving only the base of the calcareous spines, a little bit of the upright portion, and the stalk. That's why I thought it might be a sea pen.

Hi Leslie,

I have to find a good camera for that !

this is what I have in my tank:
LPS, SPS, Sarcophytom sp., Ricordea Florida, Red Actinodiscus

FISH:...may be too much !...N. 1 Zebrasoma flavescens, N. 1 Naso splendidus, N. 1 Acanthurus leucosternon, N. 2 Amphiprion ocellaris, N. 2 Pterapogon Kauderni, N. 2 Chromis viridis, N. 2 Synchiropus splendidus, N. 1 Pseudochromis paccagnellae, N. 1 Salarias fasciatus, N. 1 Pseudocheilinus hexatemia, N. 1 Centropyge Loriculus, N. 1 Ecsenius Bicolor, N. 1 Acreichthys tomentosus,

OTHER
2 Lysmata Amboinensis, 3 Lysmata Wurdemanni, N. 2 Lysmata Debelius, N. 2 hermit crab Blu, N. 4 mini hermit crab red, N. 1 Sebellastrarte Spectabilis, N. 2 Protula Magnifica, N. 1 Star Fromia Elegans, (22 months at feb-10 !) N. 1 Star Archaster Typicus N. 1 Diadema Setosum N. 1 Riccio Tripneustes Gratilla N. 5 Ciprea Moneta

....and very few snails (it because to date I'm at war with some Oenone Fulgida !! Hoping at the end of the battle to make a special post for it.... for the community......)

Do you see here above potential predator for it ?
ciao !

 

[LeslieH]

The damage may not have been due to predation. The sea pen - or whatever it is - may not have had the right conditions & has been slowly dying. Like a starfish, where the tissue gradually rots off, leaving just the skeleton behind.

 

[liferrari]

Hiiiii,

here some photo could "help" identify it ---I hope ! :hmm5:

ciao

 

[GhostCon1]

Those pics are making me itch.

 

[liferrari]

ITCH ?

what does it means ?

thanks

 

[GhostCon1]

when your skin bugs you and you scratch it

"prurito"

 

[liferrari]

Yes, I thought so, but I was thinking some special way to say some thing else ....


ciao

 

[LeslieH]

I'm glad it's still alive & you were able to post some more pics but honestly, I still can't say with certainty what it is! If you'll send me the best high-res versions of the animal from the front & the back I can circulate them among my colleagues....maybe one of them will have an opinion. PM sent

 

[dread240]

I'm nowhere near as experienced as most, but I couldn't even find something similar on WWM or the such

 

[shrimphead]

looks like one of those worms that crawls in the sand bed but from your video you don't have a sand bed