Strange creatures in my tank

[bubbles07]

My wife and i are starting our first salt water tank. its a ten gallon we have 7 pounds of live rock in it and a black and white clown fish.

My question is is that today i found 2 little centipied lookin things. they kinda look like this


Also i have noticed a few feather dusters growing A red mushroom, and 2 other transparent looking feather duster things. ( what are those?)

Im just learning so any info would be helpfull. will this worn lookin thing be a threat?

 

[DTECH07]

Bristle Worm "BAD" Remove ASAP, Feather Dusters, Red Mushroom, "GOOD", have to see Pictures of others to know IMHO (In My Humble Opinion).

 

[returnofsid]

Despite bristle worms being bad, if you touch them, they're one of the most beneficial creatures we can have in our tanks.

 

[Scampy]

I agree. They might not be the prettiest things to look at but are one of the hardest working janitors in a tank. If you over feed you will see them multiply like crazy. I have hundreds in my nano and have never seen them bother anything. (Other than my fingers). There are also worms that are less than desireable to have in a reef. I'm going on the assumption that what you have is a common bristleworm. To be sure is it possible to get a good pic of the worms in question?

 

[Krish]

:welcome: On the bristle worms, they have gotten a bad rap, but they are good tank janitors and can be very beneficial to your aquarium. Just don't touch them.

 

[Chichas01]

bristle worms are one of your best friends.

 

[bubbles07]

ill try and take some pictures tonight after work. there are 2 and about 3/4 in long, i read that they can eventually kill coral? is this true? and is there any secret way of getting these ugly things out?

 

[LeslieH]

What reefers call bristle worms is what the rest of the world calls fireworms. A couple of the species will eat corals; one is a specialist predator on gorgonians in fact. However, these species very rarely show up in aquariums. They're big & conspicuous since they don't hide. 99% of the fireworms in tanks are harmless. For the most part they eat detritus & algae. If there's something dead or injured they will be attracted to the rotting flesh which is why they got a reputation for killing fish. They don't, they're just taking advantage of a hunk of dead meat.

Some tanks have hundreds of these. That's because there's some heavy feeding going on. When feeding is controlled so are the worms. If you have some specific trouble makers bait them out by putting the bait in a long tube with a string attached. Put it in at night when the worms are active & drape the string over the top of the tank. When the worm enters the tube to feed use the string to pull it out.

Check out RF's hitchhiker post http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f124/hitchhikers-part-1-2-a-17834/? and of course our coral/invert gallery. that will help you identify your new pets. Otherwise post the best pics you can get of them in the Invert Id forum.

 

[bubbles07]

hey thanks for all the input. i think ill leave them in there since they help with the algie and stuff. and take them out when they get to big to look at. lol. i gonna go out this weekend and pick up another buddy, was thinking of a shrimp. what kind would take care of the worms in the mean time?

 

[tat2z_21]

I talk to my bristle worms at night and read them little bristle worm story books. Just kidding. I think if you can get past their horrifying appearance, and their veracious appetite for "POO" I think they are kind of awesome, and cuddly.

 

[bubbles07]

cuddly huh? lol. not sure if thats the right term. lol.

 

[LeslieH]

Oh they're very cuddly, trust me! ;-))

 

[bubbles07]

lol. i think ill pass on the cuddling part.

 

[DTECH07]

Here is a GOOD read on the issue of worms that come from Fiji LR Oregonreef.com You won't believe this thing!!! Enjoy

 

[trido]

Here is a GOOD read on the issue of worms that come from Fiji LR Oregonreef.com You won't believe this thing!!! Enjoy

LOL!!! Steve Weast's worm was a special breed of worm. I doubt we will find many like it in our hobby.

 

[REEFER JOHN]

Here is a GOOD read on the issue of worms that come from Fiji LR Oregonreef.com You won't believe this thing!!! Enjoy

Dang that Suckafoo is huge....I thought the one I killed the other day was big at 12"...LOL...WOW!!!

 

[DTECH07]

IT would be cool to find one like that thou. I come out at 2-3am to look for mine like Bigfoot:loco:

 

[bubbles07]

WOW thank god the worms i have are not that big! That is gross!

 

[Faciosity]

I've learned to love my bristleworms since they do such a good job cleaning my tank, but they are not so kind to me. I have some huge ones, much larger than a pencil both in length and width. I've been stung quite a few times, and I've learned exactly how to treat it with no lasting effects if you feel the wrath of the bristleworm:

1. DO NOT TOUCH THE SPINE LIKE HAIRS! You will end up pushing them in further, and that can cause severe reaction or long lasting pain. (I've had bristleworm spines cause swelling and pain for over a week)
2. Pour a generous amount of vinegar over the affected area. (From what I understand, this causes the spear-like hairs to release somewhat like the reaction of jellyfish nematocysts and vinegar.)
3. Run really hot water over the affected area, and you will notice most of the hairs are gone. If there are any large ones remaining, they can carefully be pulled out with tweezers (don't break them off!), or you can use duct tape to try and remove any that have been pushed in or broken off.

I had a bad sting with dozens of hairs in my pinky finger a couple weeks ago, and 5 minutes later I couldn't even tell it had happened after using these steps.

 

[Scampy]

Here is a couple pics of my bristles.

Just gotta make sure you wear gloves..lol