ID please

[Matt850]

I don't have a pick because I cannot find this bugger. I have seen two different events happen on two days at about the same spot on a very large rock in my tank. A few days ago just a few hours after lights out I came in and saw a small tip of a worm-like object going back into a hole in the rock, It was very very small (about a cm in length) and was banded in black and white stripes. It was just a glimpse but thats what I saw. The second even happened today. I did my top off and before I left a large puff of a white cloud came out from this same rock. There were no critters in the area at the time and the closest coral was my Candy Cane about 2 inches away. It looked like something spawning, white cloud that just dissipated in the water over a few seconds.


Any ideas? Are they related?

 

[D to the P]

Well the first one may have been a micro serpent star all though they are usually in the sand bed. The second one might be something spawning, but I don't know if they are related. Sorry.

 

[Gdevine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12432823#post12432823 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by D to the P
Well the first one may have been a micro serpent star all though they are usually in the sand bed. The second one might be something spawning, but I don't know if they are related. Sorry.

I would agree with this assessment as well. That tiny banded worm you saw was most likely a leg of a very beneficial brittle star. They are good for your tank and will only see at night or if you move rock or some other large item in the tank where they reside underneath.

The "white smoke" is either something kicked up from the sand bed or spawning for sure...

Either way no real concerns...

 

[styndall]

Your creature is probably a peanut worm. Read about them and see some diagrams and photos here:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-04/rs/index.php

As to the spawning event, it's hard to say. There are so many creatures in our tanks that pegging a specific puff to one of them is nigh impossible without directly seeing the creature release the eggs or sperm.

 

[luke33]

Peanut worm, harmless

 

[ryan_paskadi]

peanut worm, also the puff could have been a puff of ground live rock from something excavating in your rock.

 

[Matt850]

Thanks so much for the replies, I couldn't find a picture of the peanut worm that I recognized.

Harlequin Serpent Star << the tips of his legs are exactly like what I saw, however I still have no idea about this spawning event.

 

[D to the P]

sometimes snails just broadcast spawn for the hell of it. I know I had some snails that were just going nuts. My open brain coral loved it, and probably stopped any chances of that snail ever having any kids.