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I don’t have the foggiest idea…Tentacle monster?

post #1 of 8
11/18/11 at 8:52am
Thread Starter 

This critter was actively hunting pods on the glass of my 3 gallon the other day. It moved relativity quickly for something so delicate looking. It was just over 2 inches from tentacle tip to tip with an orange stomach 3-4mm. I have no idea what it is. This was the best picture I could take.  Any ideas?

 

20111117_080021.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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post #2 of 8
11/18/11 at 10:33am

That would be a spaghetti worm (which is a Terebellid polychaete) that has for some reason, has come out of its tube (which means it's not a happy camper for whatever reason...think of a duster out of its tube).  What you're seeing are it gills waving around, but it's not hunting pods, they may be running from it, but Terebellids are detritus feeders, and aren't predatory.  They use their tentacles to grab bits of food and haul them in.

 

Can you get any additional, more clear pix?  If so, we might like to use them in the hitchhiker guide with your permission.

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post #3 of 8
11/20/11 at 8:13pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the quick response. The tank’s only on day 7 of the cycle so I'm not surprised that he’s not happy.

Tested the water : (Temp - 80 F, SG - 1.023, Ammonia – 0, Nitrite – 0 Nitrate - 5-10 ppm) so nothing looks too off.

 

Hmmm.  I watched it for a good 20 minutes. It really looked like it was hunting them. Whenever something moving touched a tentacle it would send more tentacles in that direction and accelerate towards what it touched. Then it would surround critters on the glass with its tentacles and move the center of its body over them.  And it only responded to movement and not just particles on the glass.

 

I would gladly let the picture be used, unfortunately that was the best picture I was able to get. My camera just couldn’t focus well on it.  It has since retreated back to the rocks, but if it comes out again I’ll try to get a better pic.

 

One last question, these guys are pretty much harmless, right? I’ve heard of them irritating nearby soft polyps. Thanks again.

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post #4 of 8
11/20/11 at 8:46pm

Harmless. 

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post #5 of 8
11/20/11 at 11:24pm
That is a lucky hitchhiker keep it...
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post #6 of 8
11/21/11 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 

Cool. Thanks bigg.gif

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post #7 of 8
11/21/11 at 8:33am

It sounds like it's eating the pods, altho in a new system, there isn't much food for it, so it's likely doing what is has to, which may partially account for it being out of its tube, but I suspect water chemistry is a big contributor since your cycling.

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post #8 of 8
11/21/11 at 2:16pm

That's really interesting. Wow.

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