Live Rock and Hitchhicker/critter

AngelOfDeath

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 25, 2026
Messages
18
Reaction score
26
Location
United States
What state or country do you live in
Arkansas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello everyone... so I bought 25 lbs of live rocks and notice this worm crawling in the rocks!!! Is it beneficial or harmful for my reef tank? If it is harmful how do i get rid of it? Im on the 3rd day of cycling my tank. Any help/info will be greatly appreciated.
 
7df3dda9-bc57-44f4-81f8-bd32bc79f08c.jpg
 
Looks like a harmless Bristleworm type. It would not give me cause for concern.
 
To add some people like them as part of the clean up crew, others hate them. It’ll be near impossible to have a tank without them being somewhere (most people don’t bother with them in my experience).

With that said, if you do want to pluck them, be aware…use gloves. Those bristles stick into skin and can be quite irritating. Also, they easily “rip” and my understanding is they grow back if given the chance. Hope this helps!
 
To add some people like them as part of the clean up crew, others hate them. It’ll be near impossible to have a tank without them being somewhere (most people don’t bother with them in my experience).

With that said, if you do want to pluck them, be aware…use gloves. Those bristles stick into skin and can be quite irritating. Also, they easily “rip” and my understanding is they grow back if given the chance. Hope this helps!
I appreciate your info. Glad to know they be part of my clean up crew.
 
Check your tank sometime a few hours after dark with a flashlight and then you'll see all the creepy crawlies on your new rock.😆
 
Check your tank sometime a few hours after dark with a flashlight and then you'll see all the creepy crawlies on your new rock.😆
Oh yeah i know, i just found a tiny brittle starfish and a asterina starfish. Yesterday found a bumblebee snail amd a blueleg hermit crab.
 
Oh yeah i know, i just found a tiny brittle starfish and a asterina starfish. Yesterday found a bumblebee snail amd a blueleg hermit crab.
Sounds like you are getting a load of beneficial hitchhikers!
 

WHICH PART OF YOUR SETUP IS HARDEST TO REACH OR REMOVE FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE?

  • Glass behind or beside the tank

    Votes: 8 23.5%
  • Powerheads or wavemakers

    Votes: 3 8.8%
  • Sump or rear filtration chambers

    Votes: 5 14.7%
  • Skimmer or other filtration equipment

    Votes: 2 5.9%
  • Overflow or plumbing

    Votes: 7 20.6%
  • Lights or lids

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mine is pretty easy to access!

    Votes: 8 23.5%
  • Other—tell us what I missed

    Votes: 1 2.9%
Back
Top
Home
Post thread…
Market
What's new