Help ID Worm

Vezos · Dec 10, 2023

This worm like critter is burrowing under the sand and and creating mound like structures.

exnisstech · Dec 10, 2023

Interesting. At first I thought bristle worm but I've never seen them build mounds like that and I have no shortage of those guys. Sorry not much help but maybe a bump will get someone with more knowledge to help out.

Vezos · Dec 10, 2023

exnisstech said:
Interesting. At first I thought bristle worm but I've never seen them build mounds like that and I have no shortage of those guys. Sorry not much help but maybe a bump will get someone with more knowledge to help out.

Thanks, I ll try fishing it out. Hope it's not a deterrent to the tank.

exnisstech · Dec 10, 2023

Vezos said:
Thanks, I ll try fishing it out. Hope it's not a deterrent to the tank.

Most worms are harmless (bobbit excluded) but some people get creeped out by them. I welcome them as they are good scavengers. You may be able to grab it with some forceps or similar. If you do place it in a container of water and snap a pic. It will make getting an ID easier.

kevgib67 · Dec 10, 2023

@WheatToast

Zakary2003 · Dec 10, 2023

My parents had a bobbit worm in our old 120 gallon tank about 7 years ago. The body looked just like that and it even had a similar mound of sand above it, but I'm not totally sure that is one without looking at the head. I'd remove it from the tank and take a better picture then. Going from the top didn't work for us. We had to use tweezers and approach from the side at the very bottom of the glass. That bobbit worm killed quite a few small fish, including a mandarin goby and a clownfish, so I would definitely remove it ASAP if you think there's even a chance it's a bobbit worm.

WheatToast · Dec 10, 2023

kevgib67 said:
@WheatToast

This does look like a bristle worm, though I agree that fishing the worm out will allow for a better ID.

Vezos · Dec 11, 2023

R

exnisstech said:
Most worms are harmless (bobbit excluded) but some people get creeped out by them. I welcome them as they are good scavengers. You may be able to grab it with some forceps or similar. If you do place it in a container of water and snap a pic. It will make getting an ID easier.

Thank you

Vezos · Dec 11, 2023

Zakary2003 said:
My parents had a bobbit worm in our old 120 gallon tank about 7 years ago. The body looked just like that and it even had a similar mound of sand above it, but I'm not totally sure that is one without looking at the head. I'd remove it from the tank and take a better picture then. Going from the top didn't work for us. We had to use tweezers and approach from the side at the very bottom of the glass. That bobbit worm killed quite a few small fish, including a mandarin goby and a clownfish, so I would definitely remove it ASAP if you think there's even a chance it's a bobbit worm.

Thanks for the info