I need a worm eater!

[EvanDeVita]

Hello all,
I just did a water change and after vacuuming my sand bed I found a a bajillion of these work things. They’re black and coat themselves in sand.
I know Halichores wrasses are good, but can anyone recommend me specific species? The smaller the better :). Idk if they count, but I wouldn’t say no to a six line if they can help.

 

[dhnguyen]

a pic would help but from your description I am guessing they're spaghetti worms? If so I wouldn't mess with them as they're beneficial to the tank as a cleanup crew.

 

[EvanDeVita]

a pic would help but from your description I am guessing they're spaghetti worms? If so I wouldn't mess with them as they're beneficial to the tank as a cleanup crew.

These are my attempts to take one out of the sand. Let me be clear and say THEY ARE EVERYWHERE

 

[dhnguyen]

Looks like spaghetti worms to me. I'd leave them be. They're good for the tank as they eat detritus.

 

[EvanDeVita]

Looks like spaghetti worms to me. I'd leave them be. They're good for the tank as they eat detritus.

Is it possible to have too many?

 

[EvanDeVita]

Looks like spaghetti worms to me. I'd leave them be. They're good for the tank as they eat detritus.

just to be clear - it’s not one of these.

 

[EvanDeVita]

^ to my knowledge. I have not seen any of those white tentacles, although with a white substrate it may be hard to tell

 

[dhnguyen]

this is a spag worm as well

 

[EvanDeVita]

this is a spag worm as well

That looks like what I got lol. Is it possible to have too many?

 

[dhnguyen]

If you are worried about them just feed the tank less. A copperband butterfly fish has been known to eat them as well but I wouldn't recommend that fish unless you're an experienced reefer and have a large tank to support one.

Spaghetti worms are good for the tank so if it were my tank I would just leave them be.

 

[dhnguyen]

You could try a yellow coris wrasse too. I had a flatworm problem in my old tank once and when I added a coris it gobbled them all up and all the bristle worms as well.

 

[OrionN]

These worms live harmless in the sand and eat leftover food and organics. They spawn and result in laves and eggs that feed other organism. Don't worry about them. They live just right under the sand and send their tentacles around and drag pieces of sand and other things to their mouth, resulting is a small mount of sand. Leave them be. They are good for your sand bed. If you have a lot of these worms, you can easily keep a Leopard wrasse or Copper-band Butterfly. These worms and other fauna provide food for difficult species until they can eat captive food, as they decimated and eliminate these fauna from the sand bed.

 

[EvanDeVita]

These worms live harmless in the sand and eat leftover food and organics. They spawn and result in laves and eggs that feed other organism. Don't worry about them. They live just right under the sand and send their tentacles around and drag pieces of sand and other things to their mouth, resulting is a small mount of sand. Leave them be. They are good for your sand bed. If you have a lot of these worms, you can easily keep a Leopard wrasse or Copper-band Butterfly. These worms and other fauna provide food for difficult species until they can eat captive food, as they decimated and eliminate these fauna from the sand bed.

I had already have a little leopard wrasse! Haven’t seen her pick at the works - only at pods

 

[fragglerocks]

i’ve had an infestation of spaghetti worms before, and while for the most part they’re harmless...
if you get too many, their tentacles are bound to start touching things....

in my case, they irritated some zoas to the point that some of them started losing/hiding skirts.
i had the same type you do, yellow tentacles with brown bands
just an fyi