Grantp611 Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 Hey everyone, I have these worms that have their mouth sticking out of my zoa rocks that I need help with an id. They move where they have their tentacles out and seem to disturb the zoas when the tentacles touch them. They don't seem to be picking on the zoos but I would assume being bothered all the time hinders growth. There is also one in the sand, and I see them every once in a while at night coming out of the holes in the zoa rock. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks Quote Link to comment
Oldsalt01 Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 Think ya got some aptasia there, not worms. Pest anemonies which will irritate your zoas and can become a significant problem if left unchecked. Various methods to eliminate: aptasia x, filefish, lemon juice injection, boiling water injections, Peppermint Shrimp (I personally do not advocate Peppermint’s as I had two that were model citizens for over a year, but the day after I introduced two multi-head acans , found them dining on the centers. Lost the Acans and banned the shrimp from my system, forever). Lots of control solutions on this forum, so look around. Btw, upping your whites for pics will help us better ID things for you. Sometimes true colors help us have a better idea what we’re looking at. High blues blow that out. Quote Link to comment
Grantp611 Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 12 minutes ago, Oldsalt01 said: Think ya got some aptasia there, not worms. Pest anemonies which will irritate your zoas and can become a significant problem if left unchecked. Various methods to eliminate: aptasia x, filefish, lemon juice injection, boiling water injections, Peppermint Shrimp (I personally do not advocate Peppermint’s as I had two that were model citizens for over a year, but the day after I introduced two multi-head acans , found them dining on the centers. Lost the Acans and banned the shrimp from my system, forever). Lots of control solutions on this forum, so look around. Btw, upping your whites for pics will help us better ID things for you. Sometimes true colors help us have a better idea what we’re looking at. High blues blow that out. Thanks for the quick reply! I thought aptasia at first, but at night they come out about 2 inches and reveal their long bodies looking for either food or a new rock, and they will change spots hourly. For example I have 2 of them in the rock with the nuclear death palys and the spots that the mouth/tentacles stick out will change as if they have a tunnel network In the rock. Also forgot to mention that it seemed that one of those things were actually popping out of the stall of one of my zoos which I thought was strange. Here are some no blue light pics for a little better of a look. Quote Link to comment
Mitch's Fishes Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 Not sure, but maybe some type of Medusa worm (which I think is a type of sea cucumber)? I found this guy swimming around my tank and the "tentacles" look somewhat similar to yours. Seems like they are beneficial detritus eaters but can cause issues if they die in the tank. Quote Link to comment
Grantp611 Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Mitch's Fishes said: Not sure, but maybe some type of Medusa worm (which I think is a type of sea cucumber)? I found this guy swimming around my tank and the "tentacles" look somewhat similar to yours. Seems like they are beneficial detritus eaters but can cause issues if they die in the tank. That definitely is what it looks like when it comes out at night! Do they burrow inside rocks? If not it may have taken a previously dug tunnel and used it as home. Also would they be reproducing? Some of the heads are small but there is one in the sand with a larger head/mouth. I actually got a video of a large one that came out at night that I found in my library, but it’s too large to post on here Quote Link to comment
Oldsalt01 Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 If they move around to different spots, then they’re not aptasia. And medusa will inhabit holes in the rock. They are often found in the substrate but if the tank is fairly new there may not be enough detritus to support them there yet. Quote Link to comment
Grantp611 Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 5 hours ago, Oldsalt01 said: If they move around to different spots, then they’re not aptasia. And medusa will inhabit holes in the rock. They are often found in the substrate but if the tank is fairly new there may not be enough detritus to support them there yet. Ok cool, hopefully they’re all Medusa’s, and yes it is a fairly new tank so it would make sense that they’re not. Thanks again for the info Quote Link to comment
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