Tube Worm THingy

[brain1991]

I have these small thin whitish/clear tentacle things growing out of what looks like tubes made from my substrate. They are popping up all around the bases of my rocks. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[bang guy]

Are there quite a few tentacles or just two? How long are the tentacles?

 

[brain1991]

Seems to be just one per tube and they range from maybe 2-4 maybe 5 cm. Most just come out of the sand but I moved a rock and exposed some of the tube looking sand houses. Looks like a clear tube with pieces of sand glued around it.

 

[bang guy]

Sounds similar to a Spionid Worm.

 

[brain1991]

Spot on! I googled it and that is definitely it, at least some variant. Says they are scavengers and do not pose threat to corals or fish would you confirm that to be true assuming thats what they are? It said there are many different subspecies but very few are a threat or concern.

This is exactly what they look like although some just come directly out of the sand or rock.

 

[bang guy]

None of the Spionids are a threat. The tentacles have been know to irritiate some of the more delicate corals but not to the point of harm. I consider them beneficial.

 

[bang guy]

Just a couple comments. The picture also shows a Cirratulid sp. AKA Hair Worm. It is related to Spionids but those are two seperate animals in the picture.
Also, the tentacle is but a tiny part of the Spionid Worm. They can be quite large underneath the sand so don't be shocked.

 

[brain1991]

Cool I dont know if I will ever see a whole worm but pretty neat how intricate tanks can be. Not until I started keeping coral did I notice all of these details. I guess staring at smaller immobile objects makes you notice things more. I cant believe how long I've been keeping tanks w/o corals. I've been missing out. But anyways thanks for the help!