Shrimp making brown mucus tunnels, ID.

[mojo8427]

So I've had these guys pretty much take over my display and frag systems. They create these intricate tunnel systems on everything; rock, glass, zoas. The tunnel pictured is small, maybe an inch but they can span the entire glass pane when interconnected.

Any thoughts as to what this guy is and a way to eradicate them? I can turkey blast them off rocks and coral but it takes a lot of force and have ripped the flesh off more fragile coral. Once blasted off, they can be picked off by fish but that is a temporary solution as they keep breeding and making more tunnels.

Thoughts?

 

[HomebroodExotics]

This is interesting

 

[Shon]

Possibly a tube building amphipod?
Here in Florida we have Jassa species.

Maybe Monocorophium insidiosum?

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Also look up ghost shrimp.

 

[taricha]

tanaid (like a shrimp)
Odd Pods, Tanaids in Reef Aquaria
one of my fave sandbed critters.

 

[mojo8427]

Possibly a tube building amphipod?
Here in Florida we have Jassa species.

Maybe Monocorophium insidiosum?

That certainly looks similar!

File:Monocorophium acherusicum.jpg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Know of any natural predators?

 

[mojo8427]

The article and you make them sound desirable lol. They have become my sworn enemy. Although the one I have seems more a rock dwelling species whereas yours is happy in the sand.

 

[mojo8427]

Any thoughts on a biota mandarin taking them out? Are they able to hunt something in this hardened mucus tube? I was attempting to build up my pop population prior to purchase but these tube shrimp seem to be their natural predator. So the more pods, the more of these guys it seems, win/lose...

 

[Shon]

Not sure. I don't think a mandarin can do so.

Here in the wild, young mangrove snappers will rip them off oyster shells and docks. They spit out the tube and chew it multiple times.

I'm used to seeing the tubes bunched together like townhouses. I don't think they venture far from the tube and are more of a wait and grab opportunistic feeder.

 

[Conj02]

This is exactly what I have in my tank, except mine have a black stripe through their backs.
They do the same cocoon building behaviors as well and I can usually see hundreds of them in the sand.