Need help with ID.

Devlin · Dec 20, 2015

What type of worm is this? And is it harmful. I caught a big one today in my zoas. Was lucky enough to catch him out of the rock.

Devlin · Dec 20, 2015

Devlin said:
What type of worm is this? And is it harmful. I caught a big one today in my zoas. Was lucky enough to catch him out of the rock.

It's been irritating my eagle eye zoas and causing them not to open fully. Hopefully it will help them out notlw that he is gone. I know I have a few more to get out. Just wondering how fast the reproduce. And general info on them.

Lionfish Lair · Dec 20, 2015

It's either a spaghetti worm or a hair worm.

Lionfish Lair · Dec 20, 2015

I just looked at it on a bigger screen, it's a hair worm, Cirratulid.

They can irritate corals by touching them too much.

BUT, do you think it could be a spaghetti worm and not what is in that picture? Spaghetti worms tend to stay in a single place as they build tube homes. Their long term presence is what irritates.

Lionfish Lair · Dec 20, 2015

You know what, that was a stupid question I asked. Your saying that picture looks like what you saw in your tank. That picture is indeed a hairworm, but you probably didn't realize there was another worm that looks just like it, the spaghetti worm (Terebellid) . I believe you have a spaghetti, because if it looks like the picture and is stationary enough to bother your coral, it sounds like a spaghetti.

Devlin · Dec 21, 2015

I pulled one out today. Exactly like the picture. It was living in the live rock in-between my zoas. I know I have more. But without catching the body out it's impossible to remove them. Have one in the sand bed I'm going to catch tomorrow. I'll post a pic of it.

Lionfish Lair · Dec 21, 2015

If it's living in the rock, that points again to a spaghetti worm. Spaghetti worms can live that way because they have a bush of gills that are outside of the tube/hole, so they can breath. Sometimes you cannot see the gills. The rest of the little tentacles are feeding palps and they originate from the top of the worm only.

Hair worms have gills along it's entire body that look like the feeding palps of the spaghetti worm. They can't live in tubes and holes, because they don't have gills that are sitting in a bush outside of the tube.

Take a peek at these two links...
http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/terebellid.shtml

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/cirratulid.shtml

I can't wait to see some pics :-)

Devlin · Dec 21, 2015

Lionfish Lair said:
If it's living in the rock, that points again to a spaghetti worm. Spaghetti worms can live that way because they have a bush of gills that are outside of the tube/hole, so they can breath. Sometimes you cannot see the gills. The rest of the little tentacles are feeding palps and they originate from the top of the worm only.

Hair worms have gills along it's entire body that look like the feeding palps of the spaghetti worm. They can't live in tubes and holes, because they don't have gills that are sitting in a bush outside of the tube.

Take a peek at these two links...
http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/terebellid.shtml

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/cirratulid.shtml

I can't wait to see some pics :)

Definitely a spaghetti worm. It was red and had red tentacles like the pic I posted. But in the water it looks just like the spaghetti Worm. I have about 10 of them in the rock work and one in the sand. Are they harmful?

Lionfish Lair · Dec 21, 2015

Some people find they irritate corals with their constant picking for food around them. Other then that, they are wonderful critters.

Devlin · Dec 21, 2015

Lionfish Lair said:
Some people find they irritate corals with their constant picking for food around them. Other then that, they are wonderful critters.

I have a decent clean up crew. So I really don't care to have them in my zoas. My pod population is crazy. Looking to purchase a dragonet to keep them in check.

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 21, 2015

dragonets wont eat them. best option is to move them. Beneficial to the sand bed, deep, and on the surface by eating detritus.
By Irritating I dont believe they sting, just poke em.

Lionfish Lair said:
Some people find they irritate corals with their constant picking for food around them. Other then that, they are wonderful critters.

Renee am I wrong?
Wrasses will eat em. Other sand sifters will mung em too... Me, I like em.

Devlin · Dec 21, 2015

Getting the Mandarin to eat the pods. I'm just removing the worms by hand.

Lionfish Lair · Dec 21, 2015

saltyfilmfolks said:
dragonets wont eat them. best option is to move them. Beneficial to the sand bed, deep, and on the surface by eating detritus.
By Irritating I dont believe they sting, just poke em.

Ya, what's a better way to say that than I did.... They irritate like your little sister, when you're trapped in the back seat with her on a long drive. Hah!

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 21, 2015

Devlin said:
Getting the Mandarin to eat the pods. I'm just removing the worms by hand.

Happy happy Mandarin.

And Ive never punched a worm

Devlin · Dec 21, 2015

I ordered twice from algea barn . my pod population is significant. One Mandarin won't wipe them out. But he will be fat and happy and my pods can reproduced and not overpopulate my tank.

Devlin · Dec 21, 2015

I have 2 seahorses in my 40g. They eat pods all day between feedings. They are big and fat. And the pods are still ridiculous in #s . A couple more zoas and a Mandarin. And I'm done purchasing for a while. Going to let everything grow and frag.

Lionfish Lair · Dec 21, 2015

Teach your mandarin to eat frozen and you'll never have to worry about it. My mandarin was very interactive, as he knew I was there to feed him and came up to the top like the rest. When I had 2 other mandarins that didn't eat frozen, they weren't interested in me at all...... not that I need all my fish to brandish me with attention, but it's nice.