Hi everyone,
I’m still very new to the saltwater hobby and would really appreciate some help identifying something in my tank.
I have a 15-gallon nano reef tank that has been running for about 6 months. Current livestock includes two clownfish, a cleanup crew of snails and hermit crabs, and a cleaner shrimp. I started adding coral about a month ago.
Last week, I noticed some hair algae growing around the base of my Xenia, and now I’m seeing it around the base of my GSP frag plug as well. Yesterday, while feeding the fish, I noticed what looked like small worms or worm-like movement around the hair algae at the base of the GSP frag plug.
I took a video and uploaded it to YouTube to make it easier to view:
Because I’m so new to the hobby, I’m having trouble figuring out what this might be. I reviewed the pinned post in this form, but I cannot ID this pest. Any help identifying it would be greatly appreciated. I’d also appreciate advice on whether it is harmful, whether I should remove it, and what steps I should take to safely manage it without stressing the coral or the tank.
Thanks in advance for any guidance!
I’m still very new to the saltwater hobby and would really appreciate some help identifying something in my tank.
I have a 15-gallon nano reef tank that has been running for about 6 months. Current livestock includes two clownfish, a cleanup crew of snails and hermit crabs, and a cleaner shrimp. I started adding coral about a month ago.
Last week, I noticed some hair algae growing around the base of my Xenia, and now I’m seeing it around the base of my GSP frag plug as well. Yesterday, while feeding the fish, I noticed what looked like small worms or worm-like movement around the hair algae at the base of the GSP frag plug.
I took a video and uploaded it to YouTube to make it easier to view:
Because I’m so new to the hobby, I’m having trouble figuring out what this might be. I reviewed the pinned post in this form, but I cannot ID this pest. Any help identifying it would be greatly appreciated. I’d also appreciate advice on whether it is harmful, whether I should remove it, and what steps I should take to safely manage it without stressing the coral or the tank.
Thanks in advance for any guidance!

they are harmless and actually beneficial