Parasite/Hitchhiker on hermit crabs?

[Falconeer]

Hi all, unfortunately I cannot get a picture because the target is moderately clear, and very small and my camera is not that good.

What I have discovered is a very small creature living inside my hermit's shell. I can only see two little arms (they look like the arms of a brittle star and behave in the same way, though I see them picking at algae on the glass/rockwork).

Now, when I tried to suction it out with a turkey baster, it retreated into the shell and I noticed a very small hole on the tip of the hermits shell. This hole is at the very tip of the shell, and I don't believe the hermit knows of this animal.

Any idea of what it is or if it's bad? How do I go about removing it if it is? Do I need to pull the hermit?

Thanks,
Falc

 

[Chiefsurfer]

if it isn't bothering the hermit, guess it's not that bad. Not sure what he was looking for.

 

[bertoni]

It could be a small starfish or a worm of some sort. I'd ignore it.

 

[Falconeer]

if it isn't bothering the hermit, guess it's not that bad. Not sure what he was looking for.

I think it's just looking for food, because while the hermit was stationary, it kept picking at a small speck of algae on the glass.

It could be a small starfish or a worm of some sort. I'd ignore it.

Ok, I would've thought id see more arms for a starfish, but nothing would surprise me in this hobby that I know little about, haha.

I'll leave it alone then.

 

[Chiefsurfer]

if you can keep track of that particular hermit, maybe you can watch him. If that shell winds up empty, then you might want to start searching and see if you can find where that hiker went to.

Since hermits steal snail shells, whatever made the hole may easily have gotten in, eaten the snail, and left the shell behind to alllow the hermit, and the critter to get access.

 

[bertoni]

It could be a small spionid worm, for example.

 

[Falconeer]

It could be a small spionid worm, for example.

I googled spionid worms and based on the pictures, thats what I think it is. Are these harmful or are they ok?

 

[bertoni]

They are harmless.

 

[singold]

Nice call Bertoni, I was going to guess a mini-brittlestar. Scavengers are your friends in this hobby, Falconeer, & this seems to be the relationship you are observing.

 

[jalisco]

Dusting off this thread as I have the exact same thing and I too doubt my camera is capable of capturing it.

My DT has cycled so I took two scarlet hermit crabs out of the invert QT and placed them as the first animals in a completely sterile DT. (RealReef Rock/reef flakes sand).
I noticed towards the tip of a scarlet hermit crabs shell there appeared to be something caught on it flapping around in the current. Being paranoid about pests I watched and noticed it retracted when hit with a flashlight. Turned off the light and out came two opaque milky/clear arms? I removed the hermit crab in the hopes of scraping this off and found a tiny hole in the shell (hermit house not the crabs exoskeleton). I put the crab back in QT.

As I have taken 4 months worth of fish and invert QT to attempt a pest free reef are we sure this is harmless? Does it matter if it is spionid or Phyllochaetopterids? Everything says they are detritus feeders but what about damage to invert shells and overpopulation? I have an ATS and plan on overfeeding so an outbreak of these things could be possible.

I plan on keeping a maxima down the road and wonder if this is a concern:
http://www.asnailsodyssey.com/LEARNABOUT/TUBEWORM/tubePara.php

I'd love as diverse a tank as possible but don't want to regret what I could have avoided.

 

[jalisco]

Are spionid or phyllochaetopterid worms making the hole in shells or utilizing existing holes?