The Reef Tank banner
Cancel

Pest or no?

961 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  random, 
V
So i bought a new favia war coral yesterday and did a bit of reading about them and found out that at night they have tentacles that come out around the eyes.

So i put on the flash light to look at it, and immediately 3-4 very small (id say about 1/4" or smaller) orange colored worms and a couple even smaller light green worms swam right up to the light.

When i say swam it was kinda crazy it looked like they were able to twirll there bodies almost like a corkscrew except extremely fast that allowed them to swim. I brought the light down to the sand and they hit the sand and very ineffectively tried burrowing in the sand, however i got a closer look and they seem almost smooth. I was looking for bristles thinking they might be baby bristle worms but im not sure.

They didnt have any legs that were noticeable at all so i assume that rules out any type of pod?

My cameras a PoS so sorry for not including any pictures i hope my description can ring a bell with anyone who knows what these are.
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
ibanez2k
I've seen a worm similar to what you are describing I think. I ended up catching it. I'm not positive if it's the same thing but I would say it's probably harmless. Most small worms in this hobby are just little detritus scavengers and such that won't harm your other livestock at all. Do you recall any specific features of the worms that may help ID them aside from their corkscrew swimming pattern?
Reply
Save
Like
V
Unfortuanately not, only thing i can say is that, when i first saw em it was minutes after my lights shut off. After going back an hour later there not coming up to the light anymore and i cant find em.
Reply
Save
Like
random
did they look anything like this?
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=69766&d=1252460818

(sorry, pic won't paste)
had a ton of these one night, and all disappeared within like an hour. Didn't see it at first, but when we got a close view of the pink ones, they did have reeeally tiny hairs/bristles along their sides.
here's the thread, just in case;)
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/what-are-these-136273.html
Reply
Save
Like
V
Hard to say for sure but yes VERY close to that.
Reply
Save
Like
V
Next time i see em ill have to look for the bristles when they hit the sand.
Reply
Save
Like
random
oops! sorry too slow :doh: edited my last post to add the thread, 'cause tdwyatt gave some links to worm articles, if you're interested.

happy hunting!
Reply
Save
Like
V
random said:
oops! sorry too slow :doh: edited my last post to add the thread, 'cause tdwyatt gave some links to worm articles, if you're interested.

happy hunting!
Click to expand...
O no problem, ill look into those thank you :thumbup:
Reply
Save
Like
Loverotties
Sounds OK.
Reply
Save
Like
tdwyatt
Random, thanks for posting the link, I was getting ready to post it as I read down through the thread.

Thanks!
Reply
Save
Like
random
Vj said:
... ill look into those thank you :thumbup:
Click to expand...
glad to pass along good info that was given to me :)
Gotta love the mystery critters!
tdwyatt said:
...Thanks!
Click to expand...
thank YOU
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
The Reef Tank
A forum community dedicated to reef aquarium owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about flora, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Reef Discussion Off Topic Margaritaville Lounge Reef Fish Nano Reefs The THINK Tank
Top