Unidentified larva or eel like create?

[BrunoL]

Hey all,

I heard the clicking again last night, after lights out and got ready to snap a shot of the mystery shrimp in my tank. Instead of a shrimp, I found this thing swimming around. It's white-ish, about 1/2 an inch long and free-swimming. It swims like an eel or a snake or something.

I'm sorry for the bad video quality, this is the best I could do with a flashlight and my phone. I've uploaded it here, and on YouTube.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

That's an epitoke. A worms reproductive organ essentially. Someone more educated on them will expand on my post I'm sure. It's nothing bad. It will die or be fish food.

 

[BrunoL]

Could a bristle worm spawn this?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Could a bristle worm spawn this?

Bristle worm most likely did spawn it

 

[reefsaver]

Me learning.

Great thread btw lol. Great video showing the animal and clear simple explanations that can be researched by my own accord. Excellent :)

 

[BrunoL]

Must be the season, the bristle worm is looking to reproduce and my snails' laying eggs as well.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

There may be and probably are exceptions to this. But as I understand it, white epitokes are the males reproductive sac. Where colored epitokes are the females and filled with her eggs.

During a spawing even the epitoke will be released from the parent worm in to the water column. Mostly simultaneously, the epitokes will burst and allow reproduction/fertilization to occur.


Someone please correct me if I am wrong.