Ribbon worm?

[bsemantic]

The other night I left the blue lights on my reef tank a while before lights out. I glanced over to find a huge worm 18"+ going crazy all over the tank. It then preceded to start splitting. I turned off the lights after it turned into 4. I haven't had any fish deaths and all my corals look great. So I'm assuming it doesn't have a taste for my current fish or corals. However it has to be eating something to be so large. I think it may be a ribbon worm. It's shaped exactly like a shoe lace. Any ideas?

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid205/p0039e1bebb7aeb9090d5884e4585b032/ef1822c7.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid205/p39fb57032a4f36912bb06ab6a19e0bc9/ef182323.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid205/pb7876c216f532987066ee0209b8a5fdd/ef1824c5.jpg

[graveyardworm]

That worm is awesome, perhaps its an epitoke.

[bigevill]

anything that big, I would have fished out.

[graveyardworm]

bsemantic,

http://reefcentral.com/images/welcome.gif

[bsemantic]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7352702#post7352702 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bigevill
anything that big, I would have fished out.

Yeah maybe, but like I said I've had no deaths or destruction of corals. So it may be unique plus I'd like to find out what the heck it is. The only thing that bothers me about it is the way it splits. I don't want them taking over the tank. If they do it will be another reason to add to my long list of why I need night vision goggles.

[bigevill]

yeah becuase the next time they may be 4-18" worms that split into 16 while you are not lucky enough to stand there watching.

[graveyardworm]

I wouldnt worry too much about it taking over. Chances are pretty good that it wont multiply to any more individuals than the environment can support. I would be more concerned with what it is at the moment and what its requirements are.

[skippy2]

I'd have a heart attack if I saw that in my tank!!!!

[graveyardworm]

Here's a couple articles to read, ribbon worms (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/rs/index.php), and polychaete worms (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/index.php). My guess is Polychaete Eunicid, but we'll see once someone with alot more knowledge than myself comes along.

[LeslieH]

Bsemantic -- that's really an interesting observation. Do you have high res images files you could send me? In the first two shots the round body & the detail along the side suggest it's a polychaete but I need to see the body details in greater detail.

[bsemantic]

I could attach them to an email. Which will allow you to view the pictures larger. Would that work?

[LeslieH]

That would be great. I'll send you a PM with my email address, thanks.

[Gary Majchrzak]

Polychaete translates as "many bristles"= "bristleworm".
I believe the worm in the picture is a Ribbon worm. Phylum Nemertea.

I agree that a better picture (a closeup) can help ID.

[bsemantic]

He definitely didn't have any bristles. I was lucky to get the shots I did. One it was under just the actinic lights, and he moved so fast it was really hard to get a good pic. He was really going nuts all over the tank like a worm on speed. I haven't seen him since, but will definitely try to get a better shot if I notice him venture out again. If I don't get him ID'd by then.

[graveyardworm]

The bristles arent necessarily stiff and bristly, In the first pic it appears that there is a line of purple ( appendages/bristles/parapodia?) running down each side of the worm. To me that would at least be indicative of a polychaete worm.

[LeslieH]

Thanks for sending the files. I cropped & enlarged one of the images which is now posted at the url below. Bsemantic's worm is a polychaete and probably a large eunicid as David guessed. The purplish line running down the body is the blood vessel. Even before using photoshop I could see the segmentation & lateral appendages that make it a polychaete. Unfortunately the head wasn't clear enough to determine family.

Some eunicids transform the posterior region of their bodies into epitokes which split off from the main body to spawn; in others the whole body is transformed. Bsemantic - was there any sign that the pieces were shedding eggs & sperm? It would be unusual for an eunicid to split into pieces & have each piece regrow the missing parts.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=169454

[graveyardworm]

Also notice in the picture the conch in the back corner, alittle bit unusual I think. Bsemantic, do you have a sand bed? Good job LeslieH. :)

[bsemantic]

Thanks alot Leslie. The worm definitely broke off from the posterior region. It just kept losing pieces from the end. That wriggled like mad worms as well. Although I didn't notice any shedding, sperm, or eggs. Not to say that it didn't happen I didn't watch for that long. I did buy a piece of worm rock about a year ago. However, the only worms on it were bright pink with definite bristles. Which is why I ruled out a bristle worm. I didn't realize bristle worms don't necessarily have to have visible pointy bristles. Perhaps he came in on that rock. Who knows? To answer your question graveyardworm, I do have a sandbed. It's about 3-4 inches deep depending on the day. I have so many snails and such that live under there it constantly changes. It's all live sand I collected out of the Gulf of Mexico. I live about 2 miles from the coast in South Florida. Half of the sand came from the surf which was full of crushed shells. The other half came from about 20-30 feet out into the gulf. The conch, is it unusual for them to be up on the glass as opposed to the sand? I had a cyano outbreak a while back. Between him and the trochus they keep the tank clean. I know I ran a risk by collecting my own sand, but it just seemed crazy to pay the price for it when I have it right here. It constantly produces surprises. Once I was doing a water change and about 5 baby brittle stars, the white ones, appeared. Which I didn't put there. Perhaps my worm came in the sand and is a Caribbean variety. Anyhow thanks again. I'm assuming the chances of a take over are slim?

[LeslieH]

You shouldn't have to worry about a popoulation explosion. Most of the big worms are either male or female & you'd need both sexes spawning at the same time for one to happen. It sounds as if yours was breaking off the modified rear section in pieces. If it is an eunicid it probably came in as a juvenile in a burrow inside some rock.

[bsemantic]

So will the pieces that broke off die? Should I worry about an ammonia spike? I'll test the water in the morning and see. However I have a great clean up crew, so I'd reckon they'd clean them up quick. Especially the shrimp. They are some of the most sneakiest, opportunistic little suckers I've had. Right up there with most crabs. I know they do a good job cleaning up, but I don't really like them. They are pretty and all, but they are not nice.

[REMF]

bsemantic, Don't mean to hijack your thread but I also saw the same in my tank tonight right after lights out. I scooped it out to get some pix, and then put him/her in the sump.

LeslieH is this the same worm? I know the pic's aren't great but I did get some head (Glamor) shots.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=169762

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=169761&papass=&sort=1&size=medium&thecat=

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=169759&papass=&sort=1&size=medium&thecat=

[LeslieH]

The pieces that broke off have been modified to the point that they are essentially bags of skin packed with eggs or sperm. The digestive tract and most of the muscles have been re-absorbed to make way for the reproductive products. At some point the eggs/sperm are released & the skin is either eaten by a fish or it sinks to the bottom to be eaten by scavengers. You could see a spike if your clean up crew doesn't get to the bits first of if your skimmer doesn't take out the eggs/sperm fast enough.

REMF - your critter is definitely an eunicid which probably is the same family Bsematic's worm belongs to as well. In your second image, take a look at the area a little bit behind the front end. See how the color changes from dark to light? The light color is from thousands of closely packed eggs. Sperm is usually white; eggs of different species range in color from white through the spectrum all the way to black.

[bsemantic]

No sweat REMF. :) It's not exactly a hijack. IMO. As it's related to my post. I believe there is no such thing as too much information when it comes to our tank inhabitants.