Need help guys.. I've found some worms inside my tank !!!

symswrx · #1 04/27/2004, 01:21 PM

Hello guys.. I've found this last nite..

they have a lot of legs... and they only come out when the main light are off..
is that good or bad ??
do I have to take them out ??
Thanks... my wife is the one who found it.. and she is so scare and don't even walk close to the tank any more

tapper of spines · #2 04/27/2004, 01:43 PM

Worms are good for your tank. Don't worry about it.

TOS

symswrx · #3 04/27/2004, 02:18 PM

sure ???
but where they come from?? the sand ?? rocks ?
so just let them stay there ??

romunov · #4 04/27/2004, 02:37 PM

Why asking again? If he said they're ok, they're ok.
Origin is probably a long shot, but either LR or LS. But not LS from the store. The kind that you get from a reefer... Anyways, they're there, just let them be. You might want to feed them... Especially if you keep a DSB.

tapper of spines · #5 04/27/2004, 02:46 PM

They most likely came with your rock. Just leave them be. They're scavengers, and good for your tank.

TOS

koj11 · #6 04/28/2004, 03:18 AM

Those appear to be run of the mill bristleworms. They're one of the best critters in your tank for helping with cleanup.

Dwayne · #7 04/28/2004, 09:14 AM

[moved]

sahin · #8 04/28/2004, 09:36 AM

Bristleworms.

Gave me a scare when I first saw them a few years ago when I got into marines. Good for your tank. The really big ones, (like 12inches) or so can be bad guys.

I highly recommend you buy Reef Invertebrates (Volume 1 of the Natural Marine Aquarium Series) by Anthony Calfo and Robert Fenner. This book goes into the basics about reef aquariums. Contains lots of details too. The book also shows pictures of good and bad worms etc.

It looks like you are quite new to ReefKeeping etc and I suggest you buy a text book such as this one to get your knowledge up to speed as it were. No offense meant, just think that if you spend the huge amount of bucks this hobby requires, one should spend $30 or so on a very good book.

sahin · #9 04/28/2004, 09:45 AM

It also shows you got some good live rock that contains more than just a bunch of bacteria.

The worms generally feed on left over scraps/dead/decaying material. So yes they are good for your tank. Just be careful not to touch them or you will get a nasty sting/burn from MANY bristles.

Here is a picture of a bad guy (at least from the pictures I seen it looks like). It was a massive beast as well, and didnt look like the normal bristleworms in my tank so I caught it and took it out.

Now dont have nightmares!

jeffclown · #10 04/28/2004, 10:09 AM

how big was this one? I have a couple in my tank...look like this one more than the first pic but i would say less than 2 inches long

sahin · #11 04/28/2004, 10:50 AM

This fire worm was about 7inches long. It looks the same as a bad one pictured in the book I mention above. So I decided to take it out. Its mouth was very large, able to open rather like a snakes mouth and it gulped down a piece of shrimp slowly. The "normal" bristleworms are more skinny and coloured pinkish red all the way. This one had a bluey metallic sheen halfway its body from the head onwards.

cuongvynguyen · #12 04/28/2004, 11:26 AM

There are virous kinds of brittleworms, the small ones you have there don't harm your fish and are just scavengers. Definitely worth keeping and not worrying about.