I'm throwing my whole house away because of what I just found in my tank...If I have to see it, so do you!

[AlyciaMarie]

Okay, maybe that's dramatic, but I now have a severe case of the heebie-jeebies.

I have Hidden Cup Coral hitchhiker in my 40-oz pico tank. I was trying to get some pictures of it, so I turned the flow off and fed the coral. I regret that decision because almost as soon as I did, these creatures emerged out of the dark for the first time. There isn't just one...There aren't just two...There are THREE of these in my 40-oz pico tank (the display is only 20-oz). One of them even seemed to try to bite my Hidden Cup Coral??

My guess is some little Euclid or Dorvilleidae worms. Either way, I don't want to turn my back on my tiny reef for fear that one is going to come out of the water and suck my brains.

Look on in disgust with me!

Here is the first mini-monster...



Here is the second that seems to try to take a bite of my coral (second 48)...

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Weird

 

[edsbeaker]

Sometimes I think it’s better not to look so closely at our tanks.

 

[AmateurAlchemist]

Stuff like this is why I wear gloves for tank maintenance!

 

[winxp_man]

În a weird way its why I like my salt water…. All the creatures that can end up in a tank! Haha!

 

[Mark Goode]

Eeek! Bitey things!!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I was in the middle of rock climbing today when I got a text: "Look at this". I thought something bad had happened (cat in trouble, tank crash, something burning). No, it was two videos of those worms in our pico. Personally I think they are pretty cool but she says otherwise, haha.

 

[T-winReef]

I saw one in my cousins tank over a year ago and he didn’t believe me saying I probably saw his shrimp and thought I saw something else.
A year later he sends me these pics. This thing has to be at least a foot by now!

 

[exnisstech]

I think the worms look pretty cool and interesting.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

I was in the middle of rock climbing today when I got a text: "Look at this". I thought something bad had happened (cat in trouble, tank crash, something burning). No, it was two videos of those worms in our pico. Personally I think they are pretty cool but she says otherwise, haha.

good, I'll make sure to let you deal with the little devils by yourself!

 

[T-winReef]

I think the worms look pretty cool and interesting.

I agree, they do look cool until they have one of your fish in its mandibles!

 

[AlyciaMarie]

I saw one in my cousins tank over a year ago and he didn’t believe me saying I probably saw his shrimp and thought I saw something else.
A year later he sends me these pics. This thing has to be at least a foot by now!

Petition to get @revhtree to add a vomiting reaction.

 

[rgulrich]

Hmm. Yep. Interesting "little" critters, but I wasn't willing to devote a system to a single specimen. This one was in a 40 breeder frag system, and I just happened to spot it between the filter and the side glass when I walked by a few weeks ago. It's gone now...

Cheers,
Ray

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Hmm. Yep. Interesting "little" critters, but I wasn't willing to devote a system to a single specimen. This one was in a 40 breeder frag system, and I just happened to spot it between the filter and the side glass when I walked by a few weeks ago. It's gone now...

Cheers,
Ray

I fear that this looks exactly like what I have.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hmm. Yep. Interesting "little" critters, but I wasn't willing to devote a system to a single specimen. This one was in a 40 breeder frag system, and I just happened to spot it between the filter and the side glass when I walked by a few weeks ago. It's gone now...

Cheers,
Ray

"what if it comes out of the tank and eats our cat"- @AlyciaMarie

 

[corosato]

 

[rgulrich]

A bristle worm of the Eunice aphroditois variety or a close relative. While I don't trust Wiki for a lot of info, for this I'm hoping it's moderately benign if in error. Enlightening at least:

Eunice aphroditois - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Yes, a full size one is the stuff of nightmares. Some videos out there of them dining on passing fish that make for interesting viewing.

Cheers,
Ray

 

[Bruttall]

Those are just a variation of a bristle-worm are they not? Some of the most beneficial clean up crew you can have in a reef tank I always thought.

 

[T-winReef]

Those are just a variation of a bristle-worm are they not? Some of the most beneficial clean up crew you can have in a reef tank I always thought.

Some of these worms can and will catch your fish and eat them. My cousin has one in his tank and it got his hippo tang

 

[rgulrich]

Those are just a variation of a bristle-worm are they not? Some of the most beneficial clean up crew you can have in a reef tank I always thought.

A "basic" bristle worm is no big deal. A ten foot (yes, ten foot) ambush predator that eats everything, well...to each their own. They can get that large.
The one from my frag system I suspect disposed of a half dozen peppermint shrimp and the (former resident) blenny. Either that or they simply disappeared without a trace.

Cheers,
Ray