worm i.d. (deadly or not)

[icyuod2]

i recently purchased a new macro for my tank ($5.99 big als) i bought 5 lol.

one of them has 3 or 4 of these worms.

hes abbout an inch and a half long, half inch wide. his color matches the algae i found them in (first pic) the others are much smaller
any idea's?
thanks guys

 

[icyuod2]

found a couple other hitchhiker also.

but i know what they are.

 

[reef_researcher]

I don't know anything about your worms, but what kind of crab is that in the bottom picture?
thanks

 

[icyuod2]

http://www.tbsaltwater.com/thepackage/watchout.html

gorilla crab the bad kind
i've had one in my sump for a year. doesnt cause problems in there. he was stipping my coraline and waving his arms around at the fish, just couldn't bare to part with him.
now he's got a friend.

 

[Kent E]

Yikes! I don't care if they are good, I wouldn't risk it. They are scary.

 

[Kent E]

Oh I had a crab like that with really long pinchers, that would come out at night but I havn't seen it since I intercepted my tank

 

[Sk8r]

lepidonotus clava, by the look of it...harmless scum-eater, if that's his name...search animal library invertebrates. He looks to be a scale worm, which inhabits live rock and such.

 

[icyuod2]

thats it! the scale worm.

from what i've read, some are carnivores. others scavange plant life. im assuming this is a plant scavanger. found him in the algae, and he's the same color. seems to make sence.
thanks again for all your help.

 

[LeslieH]

While it is a scale worm it's definitely not Lepidonotus clava. First off, members of the genus Lepidonotus have 12 pairs of scales while this guy has 18. Second, L. clava is from cold subarctic waters & isn't going to be found in a tropical reef tank among Halimeda or Caulerpa! It's a predator on small organisms like other worms and crustaceans. You don't have to worry about your corals.

 

[icyuod2]

thanks you, as you can tell i'm not much when it comes to i.ding critters.