Spirobid worm breakout!!

[monalisa]

I noticed since putting my skimmer in last week, that I'm having a spirobid worm breakout!! The whole back of my tank has hundreds of the little critters on it, not to mention the sides of the tank. I just ran my mag float across the front glass a few days ago, so that's nice and clear, but even so, there are some s

's there as well!! I realize that these things are not bad and are very common in new tanks. I was wondering if anyone has any idea how long they stick around? And are they a good thing to have?
Any responses appreciated.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[bigarn]

They're harmless filter feeders ...... you can have an explosion of them and then they dissapear. Their numbers increase and decrease on their own, or sometimes you'll never see them at all.

 

[monalisa]

Yeah, I've heard that they're harmless in other threads. I was wondering if they pretty just stick around all the time. Will the diminish as my tank ages? They're not bothering anything for sure, just wondering what I can expect. Also, when I clean my glass, it's ok to scrape them off? It just seems like such a break out all of a sudden.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[elliemaybe]

What do they look like? I have a new tank as well and noticed barely visible centipede looking things. They are clear in color and crawl in and out of the rocks and sand. I also have a tone of white/clear brine shrimp shaped things on my glass about the size of a pinhead. Any suggestions?

 

[bigarn]

Their numbers will diminish naturally, and it's fine to scrape them off the glass.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Elliemaybe
What do they look like? I have a new tank as well and noticed barely visible centipede looking things. They are clear in color and crawl in and out of the rocks and sand. I also have a tone of white/clear brine shrimp shaped things on my glass about the size of a pinhead. Any suggestions?

Ellie,
I'm not sure about the "centipede" looking things, but I'm sure someone here will be able to help you with that. The pinhead sized things on your glass, from what I've been told are pods...very good thing.
The spirobid worms that I was talking about look like bright white spots on the glass until you look closer at them and see that they are spiral shaped. They adhere pretty tight to the glass too, and I've heard they're not bad for my system. I'm not worried about them, just wondering how long they'll last.
So how big of a tank do you have? When did you start it up? There's always something exciting going on, isn't there?
Lisa :happyfish

 

[elliemaybe]

Thanks Lisa

I have a 60 gallon. We finished our first cycle and stocked it over a month ago but have had it since Christmas. Yeah, I really like the boards here so far!

 

[ophiura]

Spirorbid worms are only a nuissance if they bloom, but they should die off in awhile to more reasonable levels. You can just keep scraping them off. Even if they die the "shells" will remain so you may have to scrape those. But in time they should become more manageable. :yes: Quite normal

 

[snipe]

Yup what ophiura said. They shells will remain. They can be a big pain in the butt and I scrape them alot. I have had them for a few months now. Once you scrape them it takes them a long time to come back.