spaghetti worm infestation

[sundance]

I have a problem with spaghetti worms. I think there are other names for them, they make little tubes out of sand about 1 to 1.5 mm in dia. and have two tentacles they extend for food. I have an infestation, my whole bottom is covered with them, I means covered, thousands of them. So many that when they have their tentacles out there is a white haze on the bottom, food on the bottom moves around from all the little tug-a-wars as they fight for the tidbits. I was told by my LFS that they was a population explosion most likely due to over feeding. OK, I know how they got there, any ideas on how to get the population back to normal levels? Do they have any predators I can put in a reef tank? Per. my LFS’s advice I have stopped broadcast feeding and am feeding the 5 fish with frozen food from a dropper.:help:

 

[ophiura]

I don't necessarily think it is a bad thing. And I don't necessarily think that anything put in to control them is a good thing. They will die back to more sustainable levels as available nutrients declines. But few predators are specific for these guys...they may eat a lot of critters, and it is these critters that are doing the work of eating the excess food. So I would stick to the limited feeding and see what that does.

 

[organism]

I can't recall the name, but I'm pretty sure those aren't spaghetti worms, either way slowing down feeding will cut down their population for sure

 

[promisetbg]

Vermitid snails.Get a sixline wrasse..they eat anything that movesSeriously as Ophiura said,they should decline as food supply decreases.

 

[whatsmells]

arrow crabs or sally lightfoots will munch on those critter as well.

 

[ophiura]

Actually, I think they are Spionid worms...they have two hair like tentacles that they sweep around and pick up detritus. Vermetid snails have hard tubes and secrete a mucus strand to feed, which you probably have too. But the spionids generally have a sand tube. Very good, IMO. I've got tons myself (and a sixline wrasse, I might add, who shows no interest so far as I can tell). It is nice to see the worms picking up bits of stuff off the rocks and sand.

 

[reefnut]

Sounds like a good problem to me. If those Spionid worms wasn't there eating up the food particles you may have bigger problems. I would keep them, let nature take its course on their survival.