Hitchiker ID

[Boo]

I finally got a good pic of this critter so here it is. It is about 5" long and 1/4" in diameter. Has tons of legs. It has two or three pair of antenna on its head and two feelers on its rear. It is very fast! This is the first time I have seen it out of the LR completely. It only comes out at night and seems to be feeding on algae. I have seen some pics of bristleworms but none of them look like this guy. If anybody knows what this is, please let me know.

[Hazenwolf]

I have a few of those two.

They haven't bothered anything just eat alg.

[appstateguy]

Dear Lord.

 

if i ever see one of those in my tank im quitting. that thing is scary.

[tgrupert]

I think that is the thing that DJM has been telling everyone about.

 

from my VAST experiance as a reef keeper:rolleyes: I think it may be a Phyllodocidae. they have "large fleshy paddle-like limbs"

 

http://www.aquarium.net/0198/0198_2.shtml

 

these guys sound REALLY bad. they get rid of all the good things that come on live rock. the person says they can be kept in well balenced reefs i tyhink they might upset the ballence of a small reef.

 

[Boo]

Thanks for the link tgrupert. I don't see what I have exactly, but I do believe it is of the same family. I think I will just keep an eye on him. So far he hasn't done any damage.

[tgrupert]

the one in the picture is a "Phyllodoce novaehollandiae". They also mention a "Eteone or Eulalia." they also say it's common.

[Scribe]

I think it is a Eunicidae worm. I had one in my tank before my last move and it was a monster. I had seen it from time to time, and when I finally got it out it was about two feet long. It really looks like something from Alien. Mine ate hermit crabs and snails like they were going out of style. If you think it is what you have I would advise getting it out.

[sjpresley]

Ther resolution in the picture isn't very good, but what it is, couple with your remark that those do appear to be paired antennae on a "head", seems to indicate a good degree of cephalization. Which worms do not have.

 

Are the legs, small though they may be, jointed? Or do they appear setaform (= bristle-like)?

 

Does it use the antennae for tactile sensation when moving?

 

To me, it doesn't look like a worm at all, but an arthropod. A long skinny one, but an arthropod nonetheless.

[Boo]

Hey Steve...Thanks for the reply. I don't remember if the legs are jointed or not. I will have to keep an eye on that. I do know that it definately uses it's antennae for sensation when moving. It has moved all over the tank to different rocks. It has now been in one rock for about two weeks. I have some small bits of LR and some empty snail/crab shells laying on the bottom of my tank. It moved these to the hole in the rock that it is currently in and stuck them all to it with what looks like cobwebs. I pulled all of it away from the hole and it was all back there the next day. It hasn't messed with anything else in the tank, ie. coral, fish, crabs, shrimp, snails. I kind of have a problem though. I told my wife that if it keeps moving things around I would have to get rid of it. She said "You can't get rid of Peedy". That's what she named it. So I hope it's not too bad of a critter because I think I am stuck with it.

[sjpresley]

If you haven't all ready, post it on reef central in the "Ask Dr. Ron" forum. Ron Shimek is a coral reef ecologist and as such has a pretty broad base of knowledge and should at the least be able to tell you which family it is in and whether or not to worry about it. Just make sure to include as much info in your description as you can and the best pics you've got. Post any reply back here when you get a response.