Strange worm thing

[kar93]

i recently noticed a strange worm type thing in my tank at night it sort of wriggled through the water column stopped and went into like an O shape then started wriggling around again he didnt go on the sand bed aither.

 

[ptychoptera]

Probably just an Architeuthis.

 

[LeslieH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11237116#post11237116 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ptychoptera
Probably just an Architeuthis.

:lolspin:

It's more likely to be the epitoke of a polychaete. Epitokes are sexually mature worms - or the posterior region of such worms - that are full of eggs or sperm & modified to become efficient swimmers. These leave the bottom to swim up into the water column to spawn. The swimming & coiling you describe is fairly characteristic of their movements.

If you go to Chuck's Addiction http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/index.html and then to the Hitch Hikers page then to Worms you'll find a section devoted to spawners.

 

[ptychoptera]

You may be right about this not being an Architeuthis. I'm leaning more towards this being an ammonite. The 'wriggling' sounds much like the specimens I've observed.

 

[LeslieH]

:eek1:

You must be one of the oldest living organisms around or else you managed to steal Mr Peabody's wayback machine. Either way, I'm impressed!

 

[chrisstie]

omg lol. I think I have an ammonite on my fridge glued to a magnet

 

[Reefmack]

I think ammonites died out several million years ago. Just fossils now.

 

[kar93]

i think its a polychate as ive been googling, i really doubt its an ammonite, its about 1cm long

 

[Sk8r]

[architeuthis: giant squid]

 

[Reefmack]

Ammonites - I have a couple beautiful fossils of them - extinct shelled critters:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonite

A giant squid has a better chance of being in your tank, but I'm kinda doubtful