Night life in the tank??????

[omgsaltwat]

Last night I got a flash light and looked in my tank I saw a lot of worms they were half red and half black and had short pairs of hair sticking out. Also I seen tiny little things that wiggle about 3or4 inches up and down the glass it was light brown. On one of my rocks there were these little white tubes (that look like they were made of sand) that had these two clear tentacles that would come out pick up a piece of sand and go back in. I however did not see any pods. My question is what were these things I seen, and shouldn't I have seen ssome pods? :thinking:

 

[happyvac]

The worms are bristleworms...as long as they stay small and in limited numbers, they are a valued member of the clean-up crew. Caused by excess nutrients.

 

[pclown]

I agree with HappyVac

 

[fishy7]

Originally Posted by HappyVac
The worms are bristleworms...as long as they stay small and in limited numbers, they are a valued member of the clean-up crew. Caused by excess nutrients.
What happens if they get out of control? How do you keep them in control?

 

[reefrobert]

Don't over feed them

 

[hottie79]

On one of my rocks there were these little white tubes (that look like they were made of sand) that had these two clear tentacles that would come out pick up a piece of sand and go back in.
I have these too! I was wondering what they were but couldn't find anything on them. If you find out what they are, please let me know! :jumping:

 

[omgsaltwat]

bump

 

[happyvac]

Originally Posted by FISHY7
What happens if they get out of control? How do you keep them in control?
There are several commercial and DIY traps available. Also some wrasses (Six-Line) and inverts (Arrow Crab, Coral-Banded Shrimp) have been known to be helpful in bristleworm control. Be wary of the last two, as they can get territorial and "unfriendly" to corals.

 

[dieselndix]

check out the hitchiker thread on those clear things that are grabbin sand....i think they are Sioporia or something. (the pic is a bad one)
mine is clear, needle sized, and has 2 tentacles and he just reaches out, grabs a grain of sand, and as he retriets back, it deposits the sand grain at his base.....kinda funky

 

[glowplug]

have the same ones, wondered if i should try to pull them out, they make LONG sand tube that get annoying, but someone told me they are good, ARE THEY?!