What is that!! A R2R guide to common new tank hitchhikers.

[OutsideBrian]

Looked it up, thanks!

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Looked it up, thanks!

You're welcome

 

[dbq5anlxj]

hey guys .Can you help me id this? I'm need to reef aqurium and this is the first frag I got. It's more like few yellow orange colores string. The tip of the string moves and sometime crow on the sand. When I move it out the water, it hides back in to a small hole on the rock. Is this something harmful? I check few post but can id this. is this Hydroids ? thanks

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

hey guys .Can you help me id this? I'm need to reef aqurium and this is the first frag I got. It's more like few yellow orange colores string. The tip of the string moves and sometime crow on the sand. When I move it out the water, it hides back in to a small hole on the rock. Is this something harmful? I check few post but can id this. is this Hydroids ? thanks

I would say it's a spaghetti worm. Good cuc

 

[MERKEY]

I would say it's a spaghetti worm. Good cuc

2nd this...good to have

 

[dbq5anlxj]

I would say it's a spaghetti worm. Good cuc

2nd this...good to have

you guys are awesome. Thanks so much.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

you guys are awesome. Thanks so much.

You're welcome

 

[User]

Hey guys

Cleaning out a bunch of stuff from the bottom of the coral QT (I’m running a Uber right now for a bacterial bloom so this is likely dead abd broken up bacterial mulm) and found a few more big bristleworms.

Also found a bunch of small 1/4” hair thin black worms. A lot of them.

Just wondering what they are! Thanks

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

From what I've researched the little black worms are scavengers and are usually found in newer tanks and go away on their own.

 

[User]

From what I've researched the little black worms are scavengers and are usually found in newer tanks and go away on their own.

Thanks! Coral QT is 4 months old. I tend to break it down between batches of coral though. I’m thinking of putting some substrate in there and running it full time though

 

[jaxteller007]

Replacing some rock that was slightly overrun with large bristles and possibly leaching phosphates. Had the rock outside for a few days and saw lots of dead very large bristle worms and this. No idea what it is but I saw smaller look alikes dead in other areas of the rock and other rock as well.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Replacing some rock that was slightly overrun with large bristles and possibly leaching phosphates. Had the rock outside for a few days and saw lots of dead very large bristle worms and this. No idea what it is but I saw smaller look alikes dead in other areas of the rock and other rock as well.

looks like it was a eunicid worm.

 

[jaxteller007]

looks like it was a eunicid worm.

Never heard of that. Here's a snap of some of the bristles that came out of the rock.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Never heard of that. Here's a snap of some of the bristles that came out of the rock.

Those look like normal bristle worms. Eunicid worms can be fish and coral eaters.

 

[jaxteller007]

Those look like normal bristle worms. Eunicid worms can be fish and coral eaters.

Yea I knew those were regular bristle. Just probably far too many and too many large ones for a tank as young and small as ours. Don't want to carry too many of them over to the big tank we are setting up lol.

 

[KJ]

Those look like normal bristle worms. Eunicid worms can be fish and coral eaters.

Agree!

 

[GradientHurdle]

One of the greatest things about starting a reef tank is getting your live rock in and admiring all the diversity within it. The rock comes to life different creatures. This is a guide that I, along with a very well known critter identifier @KJ , have put together for the new reefer on what these hitchhikers are and whether they're a keeper or to pull them out.

Bristleworm -

Very common good hitchhiker. The jury is out on whether they're beneficial or not. Most consider them a vital part of your clean up crew. The hide within your live rock, coming out to pick up scraps of food and other detritus. Their numbers can become overwhelming based off how much food is available in the tank. If you overfeed, and they have access to an abundance of food, their numbers will increase dramatically. Be careful not to touch as the bristles on the sides of their bodies can be very irritating and cause an allergic reaction in some.


Fireworm -

Bad hitchhiker. Similar to the bristle worm, however if stung by the bristles on this little guy, its 10 times worse. DO NOT TOUCH UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! If found it is best to remove with a trap.

Pineapple Sponges -

Very common good hitchhiker. These little guys are a type of sponge. They are most commonly found in overflows and in high flow areas of the sump. However, they can sometimes bee seen in shaded areas of your rockwork.

Asterina Starfish -

Another common neutral hitchhiker. Jury is out on these guys as to good or bad. Some people love them, some hate them. They've been rumored to munch on coralline algae. They are also known to multiply very rapidly. Manual removal when seen is best to control their numbers.


Aiptasia -

Bad hitchhiker. This is a type of anemone that multiplies very quickly, and stings and kills anything that gets near it. Depended on how many you have, they're best removed by manually scraping them off the rock, and then using epoxy/superglue/kalk paste over where they were to prevent them coming back. A few predators that you can get for them include the peppermint shrimp, berghia nudibranch, and with a large enough tank, copperband butterflyfish.

Majano -

Bad Hitchhiker. This is another pest anemone that multiplies quickly and stings anything near it. Best removed by manual scraping off and super glue/epoxy/kalk past over its spot. Peppermint shrimp will reportedly consume them as well.

Vermedit Snail -

Very common neutral hitchhiker. They are generally harmless, but can multiply quickly based off nutrients in the tank, and can irritate corals. Manual removal or starving them out by putting a dab of superglue on the end of the tube is best to keep their numbers in check, as well as nutrient control.

Spirorbid Worm -

Very common neutral hitchhiker. These guys are most commonly found in overflows, and high flow areas of your sump. Can multiply very quickly and have been rumored to disrupt equipment such as pumps. Nutrient control keeps their numbers in check.

Ball Anemone -

Common neutral hitchhiker. They are found in shaded areas of live rock, and tend to not bother anything and numbers are kept in check with nutrient control. Are removed by the same means as the aiptasia and majano.

Stomatella Snail -

Very good hitchhiker. These guys are a great clean up crew member. They can be very elusive and most commonly found after lights out and are very fast moving. They feed off different algae in the tank.


Copepod/Isopod/Amphipod -

Very good hitchhikers. Often referred to as simply "pods" These little guys live within your rock work and make great food for your fish and corals. They can be the primary diet of certain mandarins.

Spaghetti Worm -

Good hitchhiker. Commonly found in the sand bed or live rock. They extend out multiple tentacles to catch floating detritus. Good member of your clean up crew.

Hydroids -

Bad hitchhikers. Good news is that they don't tend to live very long and die off on their own as the tank progresses.

Sponges -

Good hitchhiker. Very common filter feeders. Found in shaded areas of live rock

Serpent And Brittle Starfish -

Good hitchhikers. Are most commonly found by the arms extending out from cracks and holes in rock work. Feed off leftover food and detritus in the tank.

Bobbit Worm -

Very bad hitchhiker. These guys can grow to be very large and can kill fish. Most common means of removal is to remove the entire rock where the worm is housed. Be careful of the pincer teeth at the head of the worm.

Tunicate -

Good hitchhiker. Harmless filter feeder. At first glance looks like a sponge, except it pulses as it takes in and expels water, and reacts to touching it.

Limpet -

Good hitchhiker. Consumes algae. Don't seem to bother anything.

Chiton -

Good hitchhiker. Consumes algae. Does not appear to bother anything.

Peanut Worm -

Good hitchhiker. Lives in live rock and feeds off of extra food and detritus.

Gorilla Crab -

Bad hitchhiker. Can be found in live rock cracks, caves and holes. They are predatory and will hunt your shrimp and inverts. They can also grow rather large.

I did not cover Nudibranch, Snails, or Flatworms in this thread as there are far to many variations to cover. If you have an unknown, please create a thread or post it in this thread and we'll try our best to ID it for you. If you have any additions to the list please PM me and I'll review it and add to the list.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Looks like Cinachyrella alloclada (yellow ball sponge)

 

[pwilliaml]

This used to be limited to one little patch on a rock, but has since started to pop up on other rocks in my tank? Any ideas? Appear to be little tubes that are soft and not hard with little flower like heads. Almost look like mini aptaisia but they grow out of tubes in patches. Good or bad and ID please?

 

[KJ]

Colonial hydroids bad.