Please Identify

[Narenjee]

Hello everyone, my apologies in advance if I am posting in the wrong forum.

I would like help identifying this big white shape-shifting worm that has come up from under the substrate, I suppose.

Thank you,
Narenjee

 

[Narenjee]

One more picture

 

[reefing102]

Looks like a peanut worm…considered harmless in my experience

 

[kfisc]

Agreed; is it moving around? It doesn't look very healthy and they tend to stick to a given hole in the rock. They can live for decades.

 

[Narenjee]

Looks like a peanut worm…considered harmless in my experience

Thank you reefing102! I had never seen this guy before in my tank or came across a post about it in forums in the past!

 

[Narenjee]

Agreed; is it moving around? It doesn't look very healthy and they tend to stick to a given hole in the rock. They can live for decades.

Thank you kfisc! It does move around the fort time my wife spotted it last week it was all curled up like a ball. It has since changed shapes many times and moves around. My tank is pretty bare with just a clown fish left. No critters either. What has made this guy to come out? I did change the rocks position after a long time and some of the sand was shifted. Was it disturbed?

How big do they get confined to a small tank?

 

[reefing102]

That’s a possibility. You may have disturbed its home. Though generally they quickly rebury themselves.

 

[kfisc]

They can reach somewhat surprising size in a reef tank; mine could stretch at least 10 inches or so. They "telescope," folding back in on themselves. It's fun to look for them at night with a flashlight when they feed.