New Emerald Crab Weird Worm Looking thing. Need help

[GeorgeFromDallas]

New Emerald Crab Weird Worm Looking thing. Need help

I’m a noob and just got some emerald crabs from LFS. I just finished acclimating them, but I noticed something on one of them.

This one guy has something on his back.

Should I be concerned?

I tried picking it off with tweezer but seems kinda hard.

It’s going in an established nano tank with few fish and some coral

Is this guy ok to go in with them or should I keep isolated return to store ?

Thanks for any and all help

 

[Maritimer]

It's the calcerious tube of a feather-duster worm; harmless filter-feeder, and sometimes decorative as a bonus. (I can't tell whether the worm is there and alive, but retracted, or whether the worm has died and only the tube remains.)

When the emerald moults its shell, the worm and tube will be left behind.

~B.

 

[GeorgeFromDallas]

It's the calcerious tube of a feather-duster worm; harmless filter-feeder, and sometimes decorative as a bonus. (I can't tell whether the worm is there and alive, but retracted, or whether the worm has died and only the tube remains.)

When the emerald moults its shell, the worm and tube will be left behind.

~B.

Thanks for your reply.

I had also sent an email to the LFS and they responded in the morning and offered a replacement.

Good to know it was probably not anything harmful. Those feather-dusters look interesting.

-G