Id Please

[carold]

I found this in my tank yesterday morning after having a thorough clean yesterday. Any ideas what it is and whether it should stay or go? I currently have a maroon clown, orchid dotty back and silver bellied yellow wrasse. Also sand sifting starfish (looks a bit like one of it's legs but it isn't), Fireshrimp, cleaner shrimp, pink spiny cucumber, red and blue legged hermits, turbo snails and trochus snails. I also have a couple of corals Any suggestions as to what this is and whether good or bad would be very useful please. It is on the substrate and is very slow moving like It also doesn't appear to have prominent "legs"
Thanks
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[Jonny967]

I found this in my tank yesterday morning after having a thorough clean yesterday. Any ideas what it is and whether it should stay or go? I currently have a maroon clown, orchid dotty back and silver bellied yellow wrasse. Also sand sifting starfish (looks a bit like one of it's legs but it isn't), Fireshrimp, cleaner shrimp, pink spiny cucumber, red and blue legged hermits, turbo snails and trochus snails. I also have a couple of corals Any suggestions as to what this is and whether good or bad would be very useful please. It is on the substrate and is very slow moving like It also doesn't appear to have prominent "legs"
Thanks
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It looks like a bristle worm to me. I have a couple in my tank but they are very rarely seen as they are nocturnal scavengers. There is debate as to whether or not these are good for the aquarium due to the possibility that they may nibble on corals but on the other hand they clean any waste food on the bottom of the aquarium.
When i first spotted one in my tank my first reaction was to remove it asap but i could not catch it, i have tries traps, tweezers etc with no success so in the end just give up hope. Since then there has not been a problem and my tank has quite a few corals and anemones but if i ever see it around the front of the tank i would probally remove it just to be on the safe side.
Do not attempt to touch it with bare hands as they can sting and produce a nasty reaction to skin.

p.s. they can also grow to approx 24" at an alarming rate but mine are around 8" i think

 

[carold]

I think actually it is a feather duster which has fled it's tube.

 

[Jonny967]

It is not very clear from the photos, but i don't think its a feather duster. keep me posted on what happens.

 

[carold]

Check this link though "http/www.reefbuilders.com/forums/reef-discussion/7865-help-my-feather-duster-left-his-tube.html"

Looks like something might have got at it now though as appears to have hole on side. Apparantly they reproduce by splitting!?!

 

[Jonny967]

The main difference is that your photo shows a worm of some sort but a feather duster would have what is called a crown. They can shed their crowns but you would also see this in the aquarium. Try using a red light in the middle of the night and see what else is lurking within the rocks. I did this to my tank and was truly taken back by the amount of weird creatures that hitchhike on live rock.

 

[chrissaysyes]

I can tell you that it is certainly not a bristleworm or a feather duster. Feather dusters do die and "leave" their tubes, and even shed their crowns. If one that small had shed it's crown then you certainly wouldnt see it laying around. You can tell that it is not the tube of a feather duster because it appears to have moved and shifted quite a bit...a feather dusters tube is calcerous and immobile. As far as bristleworms go, this worm doesnt have any bristles. That pretty much gives it away. I have a few similar worms in my tank and the name escapes me. Do they respond as bristleworms do when light or movement occurs? Aka, do they retract back into their holes or even appear to retract back into themselves? Either way nothing to worry about really.