weird creature in my tank

[Dert42]

unfortunatly i don't have picture, this thing is so small my camera wouldn't take a clear picture.
it's buried itself in my southdown sand, and it has little orange banded tenticles that stick out. it's pulling the bigger grains of sand around it into a pile on top of it. the tenticles are not even as thick as a hair. there are at least 4 of them, but it seems like there is more. it's definatly alive. i haven't dug it up, because it seems like it's so small i would probalby accidently kill it.

i don't think it's a threat to anything. just pretty weird.

anyone have any clues?

 

[MadTownMax]

spaghetti worm - common detrivore and you're right, not a threat to anything but poop - some have more "greyish" tenticles - the orange-tenticled ones glow pretty well under actinics though :thumbsup:

 

[Dert42]

sweet, thanks!
i'll add that to my list of hitchikers.

1. some weird little clam thing that doesn't like light
2. a tiny brittle star
3. aiptasia
4. a spaghetti worm

 

[Shooter7]

make sure you do something to mark number 3 off of that list.

 

[Dert42]

i removed a rock i saw them on and i picked up a peppermint shrimp.
i was planning on getting 2 more shrimps.
i think thats the only biological thing i can do.. ?

 

[MayoBoy]

http://saltyunderground.com/

 

[Shooter7]

yeah, the nudibranches too. I have one in my big tank that is evading me and my two peppermint shrimp I have in there. He's about to get epoxied in his hideout hole. :mad2:

 

[Dert42]

"If you only have a few aiptasia, we do not recommend using Berghia to eradicate them. The Berghia may starve before they can find all of the aiptasia in your tank. We recommend using Berghia for a moderate to heavy aiptasia problem only."

the ones i saw were very tiny. i guess i'll wait a bit.
does any nudibranch eat aiptasia?

 

[Shooter7]

Yeah, you're better off trying the peps than the nudibranch. Oh, and no to your question. I got a nudibranch from her before, but I had like 30 little aips in a 10 gal tank, so plenty of prey in a small area. I still ended up bringing in reinforcements in the form of a pep shrimp....and me with a syringe full of vinegar even. :smokin:

 

[Dert42]

hmm
ok.
i kinda wants some nudibranchs anyway.
i think they are neat looking and i want to tell my wife i'm going to go watch the nudies. hehe

 

[Shooter7]

The ones that Lisa sells are small and once I put mine in I almost never saw him again unless I was moving stuff around in there and happened to turn a rock or coral over that he was in. I don't think other kinds eat aips.

 

[JxMetal]

Also, make sure you're getting peppermint's! Not camel shrimp. Take a few looks at pics on the internet before you go to the store to buy them.

 

[Shooter7]

Get 'em from GWA Chad...he knows what he's got.

 

[Dert42]

hmm i will double check when i get home if i can even see it.
i got it from gateway. i am betting on chad's knowledge when i buy from there.

 

[JxMetal]

I wasn't going to put out a list of who I believe would sell you camel's.

 

[Shooter7]

well, why not? :rollface:

 

[Dert42]

hehe
well if chad sold me a camel shrimp, i'm going to have to march down there and... buy some other stuff...

 

[MadTownMax]

FWIW - peppermints might not eat them off the bat - and they're impossible to catch once in a tank - if you get one, try to pluck off a few of your aiptasia and put them in the container you're using to acclimate - hopefully that will give the shrimp a "taste" for the anemones and they'll seek and destroy once in the tank

 

[JxMetal]

I've never had a problem with peppermint's period, so I dont know what's so bad about having them in the tank anyways. :lol:

I have 2 in there right now with no aiptasia.

I think I've had a total of about 5 throughout my tanks life. The original 2 ate the 5 or 6 aiptasia's that I did have. They were small aiptasia's as well.

They mind their own in the tank and eat flake food, frozen food, or pieces of shrimp that I put in the tank.

 

[McBeck]

Dert - those spaghetti worms are cool. I had a bunch in my nano and I loved watching them pile flake food - it looked like miniature version of raked leaves.