I've got worms

[sinful]

I've seen a couple worms today in my cube. Not sure exactly what kind they are, but should I be alarmed?

 

[plyle02]

No,
not really, they are probably bristle worms, actually very beneficial to your system as they help to keep detritus off your live rock. Some out there have different thoughts on bristleworms, but I like em..lol.. I have some over 10" in my tank, and I have not had any problems with corals or inverts. Good luck..
Perry

 

[sinful]

 

[ladyfsu]

here are the ones in my tank now...yes, really

I'm more proud of them than I am my corals

 

[plyle02]

Lady,
That thing is huge!!! Don't want to get cought barehanded in that tank...lol..

 

[A.T.DAWG]

wow, i didn't know they got that big....lol
just wondering, how bad do bristleworm stings hurt?

 

[doomicon]

For lack of a better term, that's just gross!

 

[Kubi]

now that is a worm...! :bigeyes:

 

[ReefArtist]

Teachers have all the fun - that is COOL!

 

[ReefArtist]

Oh, yes Sinful that is a bristleworm, I have lots

 

[playa0069u]

holy crap

 

[sinful]

here is another worm, I know its not the same as the first one posted so its not a bristleworm. I only see this one at night and if I turn on the light he shrivels up and goes back in a hole in the rock. I got the best picture I could of him, any idea's?

 

[sinful]

could it be a feather duster? sure doesn't look like one with it being able to move the way it does, but at the top of it it seems to have tenicles of some sort and then when it shrivles up it seems to go inside the tube rather than the tube being his body if that makes sense...

 

[ReefArtist]

I can say it is not a feather duster - the tubes do not move like that, only the feathered heads (In/out). If it was a feather duster the hard outer tube would stay in place and all you would see coming in and out would be the feathers). Can you see if it has anything sticking out on it's sides like legs (from the pic I can't tell)? Or is it just a slick looking outer casing, segmented? From those answers we probably can start honing in on this guy. I'll start getting ideas - I love this stuff.

 

[ReefArtist]

Ooops, sorry Sinful I didn't catch your post under the pictures. So part of that is a hard shell and I'm guessing the top is the worm going in and out. It could be a different worm that has taken up residence in a tube worm, they do that all the time. I'll check and see what I find.

 

[sinful]

thanks reefartist. It doesn't so much look like a hard shell, almost like the shell is the worm himself. Other than a white tenicle head sticking out the top and then sucking back in when the lights turned back on I would think the tube was his entire body.

on another board it was identified as a peanut worm, whatcha think?

 

[shibumi]

I have that one too he always eats the detritus from the live rock. My is like clear, grey looking. and yes, it seems to go inside his own body.

 

[ReefArtist]

Does it look like this?

 

[sinful]

yea probably something like that if it was magnified...yuck

 

[ReefArtist]

If it is a peanut worm - it's completely safe. Here's a site that has some information:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/wormidfaqs.htm