Tube Worm making a mess

[blacktone]

I got back from class today to find my tank with clear webbing all over the place and long strands of what seemed to be fish poo but it was transparent in the strands, so I setup a bucket and a sock. Started sucking out all of the gunk I could. Then I fell asleep, when I woke up it was worse than before. I started testing Ammonia 0, Nitrate 0 Nitrite 0 salinity1.025 pH 8.3 everything was within parameters. While sitting there pondering what in the world could be causing the mess I see the feather duster tube worm turn in his tube and eject a long strand of this stuff... What is going on?? What is this stuff and should I be worried??

 

[KUDA]

It is probably a vermetid snail's feeding net and not a feather duster.

 

[blacktone]

but... what about that long stringy discharge I watched the feater duster do?

 

[LeslieH]

Everything poops.

 

[surfsharkus]

are they bad for a reef system?

 

[LeslieH]

VErmetids aren't really bad but some of the small species can reproduce & quite rapidly cover rocks & glass. Some people feel that the mucus strands can irritate corals. If you want them out you'll need to get a fish (copperbands are often recommended) or crush them.

 

[surfsharkus]

but i only have a 6 gal tank...

 

[surfsharkus]

and I got these little thing every where.

 

[LeslieH]

That's rough. You'll need to get out your needlenose pliers & start crushing them at the base. For ones on the glass scrape them off with a soft plastic paint chisel. Old credit cards are good too.

 

[650-IS350]

I had some that was encrusted in my monti's... I just superglued them shut...