free swimming worm

[Jade5051]

Alright guys I need an ID. Well, not actually I really just need to know about others experiences. Late tonight when the tank lights were off I was watching pods run up and down the glass. I then saw a worm, about half or three quarters of an inch, jump off the rock and start swimming much like an eel or a snake would. It skimmed the surface and I quickly gabbed the turkey baster and sucked him up to put him into a cup. After closer inspection it looks to be a bristleworm or some sort of fireworm because of the bristles it has. But it is not as orange as many of the bristleworms I have seen it is more of tan. Is it tan because it is a smaller juvenile? Has anyone witnessed bristleworms swimming like eels? The worm is more than likely not harmful to the tank but I removed it anyways. If its a bristleworm oh well; like most people I got more of those than I need.

[MiniReefin]

when i see them bristle worms gettin brave, i pluck them out. if they just chill, im OK.

if that makes any sence.?

when i see somethin that i see that i think is mockin me,,? hes gone. you know like swimmin around, findin new spots.

[reef hugger]

I have witnessed this in my 55gal. I thought that it a clownfish fry at first but, when I got closer to the tank, I saw that it was a bristleworm. There wasn't just one, there were a bunch of little red and blue ones that swam very fast all over the tank. When I shined a flashlight at them, they would swim for the bottom and hide.

 

The worm that you caught was probably just a harmless bristleworm. It is tan because it is a baby, it just wasn't full of food and sand.

[jenniebutterfly]

i saw a whitish more clear i guess worm doing this yesterday in my tank, i tried to get the baster to get it out but the powerhead got a hold of it and blew it around and i lost track of the little sucker. i hate worms in my tank, whenever i see one i get it out asap. except spaghetti worms that is. i leave them alone, but bristle worms have to go

[reef hugger]

Bristle worms are very benefical to your tank and they should be left in there. They eat detritus and food scraps.

[MiniReefin]

Jen,

could be a Peanut worm? ive got a few in the new tank.

 

And like i said, if the bristle worms, or anything at that matter, gets brave, out they go, down the sink. Everything stays, if they behaive.

[Jade5051]

I love this talk about how hitchhiker must have "tank manners", its funny. I understand that bristleworms are beneficial but an excees of them could do more harm than good. Too many bristleworms can add an unwanted bio-load and may cause the tank to get out of wack. I have found that these things multiply so fast and are so abundant in many tanks that they are nearly impossible to eradicate. So, I feel that removing a couple here and there is not the big of a problem, especially if it make me feel better about the situation

[reef hugger]

IMO, the reason there that would be too many is because of over feeding. They will multiply to a point, then the population will start declining when there is not enough food to sustain them all. Eventually the population will reach an equalibrium. The problem that most people have with bristleworms is that they have some kind of fear of them. Most are harmless and do a benefit to the tank, while others that are harmful are rarely seen in an aquarium.

[Jade5051]

I agree with the food supply versus population growth theory and it is extremely real. But the fact of the matter is that ALL SPECIES WILL OVER POPULATE. They must be controlled by another facter wether it be me plucking them, lack of food, or another species eating them thats just the cycle of life. Speaking of over populated species. Just look at us humans. There are more than 6 billion of us around the world. We are far over populated and the population is expected to increase!!!

[jenniebutterfly]

i take them out because i do not like them, i see them getting up close and personal with my corals. i do not overfeed. but i still get them, i always notice them after i buy new corals. as for mine being a peanut worm, i am not sure yet, it is only about 1/2" long. i guess i will find out when it grows or when i can catch it.

[BKtomodachi]

If they are whitish and swim after dark in a spiral fashion, they are reproducing mini-dusters. I like them.

[paultyrer]

I saw a similar worm smimming this morning. I have never seen anything free swimming before and so i too freaked > grabbed the turkey baster and sucked it up. I have taken a photo too in case anyone may differ in it being a bristle worm.

 

Thanks in advance if anyone can id this and advise me accordingly if i need to take action.

 

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[Jade5051]

Looks like bristleworms to me but its kind of hard to tell with out actually seeing them. They also look green in the picture. Most of the bristleworms I've seen are orange or tanish with darker black sections. Perhaps, its a sub-species.

[Jade5051]

If they are actually green. It could also be just another morph or color phase. Similar to what you see in reptiles. Some snakes are the exact same species but because of the geographic area they live in they are a different shade or color.

[MiniReefin]

Hmmm????

[invertaman]

if you dont feel comfterable w/ the juevinile brisstle worm than you can remove it . it really dosent matter.

[mrabolli]

burn them.

[genuck]

i had a funky worm in my tank. it looked like a black rubber toggle swith encased in extra long clear plastic pantyhose. i watched it for a few minutes then it took off swimming. and the clown ate it.