Goog or bad for reef tank

skortzy

skortzy

New Member
i have a brown worm in my tank it only comes out when the lights are off. does any one know what it could be! it is about 5-6" in length. Will it hurt my tank? how do i get it out if i need to. it is alway hiding in one rock! Please help!
 
hhands361

hhands361

Member
sounds like a cucumber. Does it look like it has spikes almost? If so they arent good for the tank because they chew up the gravel. Could you possible post a pic?
 
hhands361

hhands361

Member
It might be a bristle worm but i have never seen or heard or a bistle worm that big, maybe do some reasearch.
 
kpogue

kpogue

Member
Gravel?? But anyway, worms are really nothing to worry about IMO, even bristle worms unless they get really big. They help keep the sand clean and aireated and are a food source to some fish. HTH
 
hhands361

hhands361

Member
Wow that pretty cool. Yeah i have heard that cucumbers move around on the bottom and scoop the subsitrate into their mouths, crunch it up to find the food, and spit the rest out. I may br wrong. Anyways the point is skortzy don't worry.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member

Originally posted by hhands361
sounds like a cucumber. Does it look like it has spikes almost? If so they arent good for the tank because they chew up the gravel. Could you possible post a pic?
It is highly unlikely that a cuke would get in there on LR. But otherwise, sand sifting cukes are highly desirable because they take in sand (not gravel size though), and digest much of the stuff on it, pooping out clean sand. Highly desirable in larger tanks. But usually something people buy.
The description of it rolling back in itself is characteristic of peanut worms. No problem in the tank.
http://www.rshimek.com/odd_critters....eanut%20Worms.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator

Originally posted by skortzy
looks to be smooth on it sides. when I turn on the light it look like roll in to it self.
This is typical behavior and color for a Peanut Worm. If you try a search you should be able to track it down.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
I beg to differ....in my honest opinion it may very well possibly be some type of....Peanut Worm!!!!!:D :p
They are a positive member of a diverse micro fauna...:cool:
 
azonic

azonic

Active Member
When my tank crashed a while back I had all my live rock in buckets of water and the temp got down a little low causing a lot of die off on the rock...in the bottom of the bucket you would not imagine the different worms and critters that were dead...several were quite thick, kinda the size of a cheeze string if you know what they are. I wouldn't worry about it in your tank, you probably have many many more just this guy has the guts to poke his head out.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
Didn't intend to make light of your question:
Yes they are good to have in my opinion. Same as a large number of worms/pods/snails/crabs/stars....the diversity of a balanced / mature reef is one of the things that keeps our systems clean and functioning properly.The worm you've described sounds like a beneficial part of your system...nothing to be overly concerned about.:cool:
Below is a pic and info I found on a "Hitchhiker FAQ" site....hope it helps ID your critter and maybe provide additional info on it.
What you probably saw was a Sipunculan or peanut worm. It is not a polychaete, rather it is in a phylum of it's own. Sipunculans are harmless animals that bore holes in rock and are general surface moppers. For further information on these unique invertebrates, check out: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/sipuncula/sipuncula.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top