ID? Spaghetti worm or Vermatid Snail

[lsween89]

Can anyone help me ID this and tell me if it’s friend or foe? I was initially thinking spaghetti worm as it’s wiggling around constantly but I did see a long string coming out of it so not sure if maybe vermatid? Attaching video but if it doesn’t work I’ll add a YouTube link

 

[Channas]

Neither, looks to me as a mini zoa that has been hurt and what you are seeing is the flow moving it arround? Its what it looks like to me though

This is just a guess and dont take my Word for it

 

[lsween89]

Neither, looks to me as a mini zoa that has been hurt and what you are seeing is the flow moving it arround? Its what it looks like to me though

This is just a guess and dont take my Word for it

If uploaded a video of it in the blue light when the thread is fully extended now

 

[Channas]

If uploaded a video of it in the blue light when the thread is fully extended now

Yeah okay that is some kind of Worm, i belive that one is harmless but could possibly disturb the zoas a bit. Its not a Vermetid. Does it have a small tube thats white possibly made out of sand?

 

[Channas]

If it has a small tube usually made of sand i would guess it’s a Spionid and those are good guys, detrivores

 

[penfold2]

That's a digitate hydroid. They look thicker and shorter when retracted like in your first video, and longer and skinnier when extended like in the second video. They can sting corals and cause them to recede over time, but don't do extensive damage like the sweeper tentacles of an aggressive coral. There are supposedly some animals that may eat them in some cases, or they may disappear over time as the tank matures.

 

[lsween89]

That's a digitate hydroid. They look thicker and shorter when retracted like in your first video, and longer and skinnier when extended like in the second video. They can sting corals and cause them to recede over time, but don't do extensive damage like the sweeper tentacles of an aggressive coral. There are supposedly some animals that may eat them in some cases, or they may disappear over time as the tank matures.

Eek! Any idea how best to remove it?

 

[penfold2]

Eek! Any idea how best to remove it?

If it's just the one, cover it with superglue. If it's more, you can do a search for predators. I added a couple halloween hermits and pitho crabs, after which my hydroids seemed to decrease by around half, but I don't know if the crabs were the cause, or if it was just a natural population fluctuation. My hydroid population is now at a point where they don't seem to be doing too much harm, so I don't worry about them too much.