Can Anyone Identify These

[regnats]

Hey, im quite new to marine aquariums, got a 90 gallon aqua medic tank, and has live Rock in it for 2-3 weeks. Over the last 2 days these strange white worms have appeared, ive tried to research them with little luck does any one know what they are and will it have a detramental afect on the fish.


Ive also noticed these growths, i think they are aiptasia but will anyone conferm this for me

 

[jen20147]

Can you take pictures? Were the white worms attached to the rock or swimming around? If they are affixed to the rock do they have plumes on the end, like a feather duster? Aiptasia is easy to spot just do a search for a picture on here or google. Pretty easy to ID.

 

[regnats]

Yeah they are attached to the rock there bodies are really segmented.
I tried to post a picture but it wouldnt work.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Sedn me the picture via PM or email, and I can try and put it up for you.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Done! The creature you thought might have been aiptasia doesnt look like that to me. Looks like a cool little polyp or zoanthid of some description. I wouldnt get rid of it yet!

 

[regnats]

cheers for that did ill try and post another picture when it gets a bit bigger
did you get a look at the worms

 

[regnats]

these are the white worms

these are the white worms

 

[Navarre]

Looks like a bristle worm to me.

It might be the arm of a brittle star however. IS the whole worm visible or does it hide the rest of its body inside the rock at all times?

 

[regnats]

no you can never seen all of the body, but they all seem to appear out of the rock at the same time, and they go back in after a couple of minutes

 

[Navarre]

Its possible that they are brittle stars.
These tiny creatures will live inthe rock and wave a single arm out in the water to catch food. They keep the body and the rest of hte arm hidden in the rocks for safety. If something takes a bite out of the arm then the starfish can simply use another arm and let the other one regenerate.

The quality of the picture is not great of course but i still think it might be bristelworms simpl,y because it looks ot me like there are feathers edges to the arms (much like the spines of a bristleworm).

 

[regnats]

yeah they have a feathery outline and a really segemted body
thanks fr your help

 

[SkiFletch]

I agree with navarre, looks more like a bristleworm than a brittle star. White bristleworms are good, and brittle stars are good, so ont worry about em

 

[regnats]

cheers for that

 

[regnats]

Made an ID today they are in fact britle stars, they look quite cool actually but theres quite a lot of them