What On Earth Are These?

[LacertaIlla]

I got a new fish tank from a co-worker. There was algae on the back of the tank and I was in the process of pulling the gravel out of the tank and I noticed these worm-like creatures.
 
Can anyone tell me what they are and how I can get rid of them?
 

 

 

[Baccus]

They look like a marine bristle worm. I am not sure if there are any fresh water bristle worms.
 
After a quick look apparently there are fresh water bristle worms, and the fresh water ones you want to avoid as much as the marine variety. I would avoid touching them since they can sting you, might pay to hunt and remove them with some long tweezers.

 

[gmc1]

Yeah defo get rid.

 

[LacertaIlla]

It didn't sting me when it (accidentally) touched me, but I'll make sure I wear gloves.
 
How exactly do I go about getting them out of the gravel? Are there any chemicals I can use? The tank isn't yet set up, I have all the fish I received from my co-worker temporarily in a small tank (which we used to transport the fish) so I won't be endangering the animals in any way, and I'll make sure I wash the gravel thoroughly if I do use any chemicals...

 

[fluttermoth]

I would put the gravel in a bucket, and wash it with boiling water, then spread it out (in the sun, if you can) and let it dry completely.
 
That should kill anything lurking in there.

 

[omega59]

Boiling water would kill them for sure. I believe they are bristle worms too. I've seen small ones before in marine tanks.

 

[Baccus]

As long as you dont plan on keeping shrimp or snails in the tank then one of the chemical snail killers should kill them. But personally I would do as Fluttermoth suggested and spread the gravel out in the sun and let it cook for a day or two, if you can do this on concrete all the better. The only thing I have found to survive such treatment is MTS but then they would survive a nuclear holocaust.
 
White vinegar might also kill them and should leave less of a dangerous residue.

 

[LacertaIlla]

For now, I only plan on putting the guppies in there, but if my mystery snails breed I would like to put some of the babies into that tank, so I'll try the boiling water and leaving it in the sun method.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Just be sure and remove the gravel to a bucket or pot - boiling water in a glass fish tank would be a disaster.

 

[LacertaIlla]

I did put the gravel in a large plastic tub before soaking it in hot water. I have to wash the tarp tomorrow and lay out the gravel to dry in the sun.

I've done a little reading and apparently the fresh water bristle worms are rare to see, is that true? And where would they have even come from? My co-worker got all of her fish and plants from the LFS...

 

[HarpyFishLover]

Those things look disgusting...

 

[Baccus]

I dont know about being rare to see, but I suspect that maybe the LFS had either a LONG established tank that they grew their plants in and never really disturbed the substrate or the LFS got in some plants that had been grown in ponds out doors and the worms hitched a ride tangled in the roots plants. They may have even come in as a parasite in a  crayfishes/ yabbies gills. Apparently not all bristleworms are detruis eaters, some are also parasitic living in the gills of crayfish.