Totally Bizarre...Need ID

[Tripspike]

I was working in my frag tank today cleaning off some plugs. There appeared to be some hair algae on one plug so I triied to remove it by first blowing it with a turkey baster and then trying to suck it up. The closer I looked the more I realized this was not hair algae.

It appears to be a worm with very hairy bright yellow follicles which curl like crazy. I watched it move from one area of the plug to another keeping itself intertwined between the zoa polyps. The hair folicles moved...they stretched straight out and recurled.

The body is green but very difficult to see because of all the yellow fingers. Notice the different locations of this creature in the first two pics with no flash. The third pic is a flash.

Any ideas out there?

Trip

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

Wow, that is bizarre! I love this kind of stuff, but unfortunately have no idea.

 

[jimroth]

My first thought was zoo-eating seaslug, but now I'm thinkin' Spaghetti worm.

 

[Meisen]

Yeah thread worm I think (sometimes called a spaghetti worm but smaller than spag worms). Inland aquatics sells em in their detritivore kits. I got em all over my tank. Sorry, I dont have a species or anything for them.

 

[RicksReefs]

yup, spaghetti or hair worm.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/rs/index.php

 

[Tripspike]

I don't think tis is a spaghetti worm aftr reading the article. However, it may be a hair worm. I am going to see if I can find some pics online.

Trip

 

[LeslieH]

It's a cirratulid polychaete AKA hairworm. There a couple of pics here: http://www.nhm.org/guana/bvi-invt/bvi-surv/worm-g09.htm or do a RC search

 

[Tripspike]

Thanks Leslie...thats what it looks like. Are the hairs actually the gills of this worm?

I assume they are beneficial in reef aquaria. Will it multiply?

Thanks,

Trip

 

[rickkott13]

i think Peppermint Shrimp will take care of it..i once saw it eating those worm in my friends tank.

 

[KUDA]

They are good and eat leftover food.

 

[LeslieH]

Most of the filaments are gills, one reason why some cirratulids are extremely common in polluted areas or areas with low oxygen. Depending on the species cirratulids have 1 to several pairs of true feeding tentacles in the head region.