Unidentified sandbed worm - 2/20/04
It's been about 4 months since I've had my 72g up and running. <So sorry for the delay in answering your question, Brian. We have been busy of late and the other three times you asked this question are just sitting in others email box. Upon noticing this I decided you shouldn't have to wait for your reply. Again, my apologies for the delay> 90 lbs live rock, 6 inch DSB, 2 green Chromis, Oce. clown and turbo snails are the only inhabitants. Water parameters are great as well as the health of the livestock. <Great to hear> I was looking at the sand bed the other day and I noticed there seemed to be tunnels in the sand, about 2 inches deep and 4 inches across, in one corner of the tank. Upon closer inspection with a flashlight, there was a clear looking worm-like organism about an inch long residing within these tunnels. It seemed to dislike the light very much, and moved like a snake through the tunnels. It has 2 little black eyes and what seems like a dark insides and a clear outer layer. After a enough of being bothered, it slunk into a hole where I could no longer see it. Do you have any idea what this is? <Not from the description. Is it or would it be possible for a digital macro shot? The most common sandbed worms are the annelid, and polychaete. Could be any of these. Here are a few links with varying degrees of helpfulness: http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm
http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/hitchhikerworms.html
http://www.petsforum.com/cis-fishnet/seascope/00SS1708.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/worms.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/wormidfaqs.htm Try to glean some names form the articles and search your favorite search engine for possible pictures for positive ID> I've looked through the FAQ's and found no such description. <I am sure you might find something in the above links. I really hope they will help. Either way I don't think you have much to worry about. Worms in the sandbed are a good thing in almost all applications.> Is there a website that has an archive of pictures I may be able to look through to identify this thing? <Well, I am sure they are out there. Will have to refine your search in terms of genus and species as you learn them. I gave you some names above, try them in your favorite search engine> Thanks for your help. <Thanks for being part of it all ~Paul>

Mystery Worms?
Howzit Scott
<Great! And you?>
All is well with my tank so far , I currently have one yellow damsel, 2 clowns and a butterfly.
All parameters are fine in the tank in terms of ammonia and nitrates etc. My skimmer is a rather cheap one called a Jebo but I must say the thing works quite well, its a skimmer driven by a 2000l/hour pump. Whether its venturi or not ,I have no clue but it sure is turning out the brown stuff.
<That's all that counts!>
Last night I got quite freaked out  when I arrived home and the lights in the tank had already gone out, I had a peak at the tank and I saw this thing that I first thought was fish pooh. A long stringy white thing about 15-20cm long dangling in the tank when I looked closer I saw there was more than one and that they are actually some type of a worm , long thin and white with a kind of broad portion that resembles a head. They dangle around the entire tank looking rather happy. I don't have a pic but do u have any ideas what in the world these guys might be.
R they good, bad normal out of space?
Please advise. Thanks Again for your help. Regards
Ziad Limbada
<Well, Ziad- they sound to me like they might be harmless Sipunculid or other worms, which are essentially harmless scavengers. They are commonly imported with live rock. If you don't notice any other problems, I would not be overly concerned. You can probably sleep soundly now. Hope this helps! Regards, Scott F>

- That's 'Todes, not Toads -
I have just noticed about 7-9 extremely small parasitic trematodes (or flukes) in my salt water reef tank. <Are they on your fish or around and about?> What can I do? <Not all 'todes are necessarily parasitic. Unless these are directly on your fish or you corals, I wouldn't be too concerned.> I just put my black percula into the tank yesterday after treating him with formaldehyde and malachite green for a week.  I just put the fish in the tank last night before I saw any of the trematodes.  I know they will begin to multiple and ruin my fish tank if left alone. <Not necessarily.> Although I do not have a lot of corals in there currently, what I do have is precious and currently I have no where else to place the corals to allow me to treat the tank with any solution. <Perhaps it's time to obtain such equipment.> It is a 29 gallon saltwater tank with an anemone, black percula, royal Gramma, 10 blue legs and scarlet reef hermits, one serpent star, and a couple corals (none of which have been purchased in the last 6 months).  The ammonia = 0, nitrite = 0, pH = 8.3, alkalinity = 8-10, calcium = 400ppm.
How can I prevent the spread and overgrowth of these unwanted parasites? <Again, I'm not convinced these are parasitic - there are only a couple of treatments that work against the 'todes and if you must treat, you'll have to remove all the invertebrate livestock from the tank. Fenbendazole, Piperazine, and Praziquantel are the most common treatments for nematodes and cestodes, but are typically administered in baths for the affected fish. I'd keep a very close eye on things for the mean while, looking for problems with the fish, not necessarily just crawling around.>
Jennifer
<Cheers, J -- >

Tiny New Ones
>I am curious about small creatures emerging from my live rock.  They appear to be similar to a feather duster in appearance.  Their casing (1mm diam) is white and is growing about 2mm weekly.  The filter is slightly purple in coloration and is almost jellyfish-like and when extended is about 7mm diameter.  The 75 gal marine tank with about 100 lbs live rock has been set up since Sept 03 but these critters have just started to appear.  Any thoughts?  Bill (cafacman)
>>Hhmm.. I would guess (without any pictures to help with identification - NOT that I'd necessarily be able to identify with a picture anyway)  that they are a worm of some sort.  Beyond that, I couldn't begin to venture a proper guess.  However, as to the relatively recent population boom, I would surmise that it is one of two scenarios, or a combination of both, those being that A: tank conditions are only just now "right" for them to repopulate (remember, you wouldn't get them if there weren't at least a few to begin with), which would make some sense as the tank's only now just beginning to mature; or B: they've been there in small numbers, and population density has now hit levels at which they're more noticeable (think "real estate").  Know that this sort of thing is entirely common.  Marina

Alien Worm Thing: worm ID 1/7/03 
Hey Gang, Happy New Year! Anthony, I finally got a picture, do you know what this Alien might be? It is stretched across the sand & can stretch at least 3/4 across the tank. I've seen it deep within the clove polyps & others in my tank & the corals don't look like they mind! This critter retracts very fast to the spot it is anchored at when the lights are turned on. 
<cheers, Scott... sorry I missed you in Colorado this week (Becky e-mailed or called you?). I just got back tonight :) Alas, nothing can be gleaned from the pics my friend... the subject is such a small/distant part of the image (literally a single digit percent of the image). Catch the organism and photograph in a dish/bowl if possible... else please try to get a better close up of part of it (the interesting end <G>). Arghhh! Wish I could be of more help here. Anthony> 

What kind of worm? 1/8/04
Anthony, sorry I couldn't have lunch with y'all, she did email me, but, alas, I had plans for that day. On the worm, found out it's a Sausage worm, one of the R.M.R.C. members found the info & posted on the "Sir Anthony, what the heck is this" thread At Reef Central, Reef club forum! Maybe next time I'll be able to meet y'all for lunch! Happy New year, Scott
<no worries mate... will try to catch you next time. Regarding the worm, the common names are...ahh... meaningless if used alone. Did they give you a genus at least? Is this a Lissomyema species? If so, did you have Atlantic rock? (A common gulf worm). Sausage worm... cool, I think. Neat name at any rate. I'm thinking of renaming myself sausage man, in fact... or "King Sausage". Ya... that one sounds much better to me <G>. Peace bro... Anthony>

Alien Worm Thing III Sausage Worm - Bonellia 1/8/04
Hi Anthony a.k.a *Sausage Man* (LOL) I'm gonna cut & paste the info we found about this critter....its in the Modern Coral Reef Aquarium Volume 3 by Svein and Fossa on pg 154, 155
<sweet... much appreciation for the reference. Duly noted and will be posted here for all as always>
it is a sausage worm...phylum Echiurida according to the authors these guys are excellent detritivores, and are highly suitable for the reef aquarium, however are quite rare.... a description: a T shaped, several meter long proboscis extends from a tube where the mass of the animal resides and the proboscis which houses head/brain/mouth, etc moves in and out of crevices in search of food. this is the visible part of a sausage worm, and the trunk of the body remains well hidden in a crevice among live rock....... the t-shaped proboscis excretes a mucus to which food (detritus) adheres..
the worm is most likely Bonellia sp.!!!!.......And so this describes to a "T" this thing, that has been doin' it's thing in my reef. Catch ya next time around & on the boards Suasa...er...Anthony, Peace & Incense, Stormbringer
<thanks again! :) Rock on my salty brother... Antoine>

- Worm ID -
I am sorry if this is a redundant question, but I have read the worm archives and still can't ID what I've got.  I found a worm on my live rock.  It's whitish almost translucent, with  many many legs, like a centipede, or silverfish. <Probably a bristleworm, but could also be an amphipod or copepod. Hard to be certain without a photograph.>
It's only about an inch or so long, and moves very quickly.  Any idea what this sounds like, and is it harmful to a nano-tank? <Doubt it's anything to worry about - mostly harmless.>
Thanks in advance for your response!
Regards,
Elita
<Cheers, J -- >

Worms (12/24/2003)
Hello, sorry to bother you with this question. <No problem, that's why we're here. Steve Allen tonight.> I have had a problem with little white coiled worms.  They get onto the rock and glass, but do not seem to bother the fish.  To me, it just looks bad. <This is purely a cosmetic problem.> My QT now is infested.  I had taken a piece of live rock to the pet store, where I get my marine fish, and they said they look like anchor worms. (Anchor worms are freshwater parasitic worms, not marine.>  They told me to treat with Clout, which seemed to work. <Never put medication in your display tank--anything that kills bad things kills good things as well.> 
They are back now.  The problem I have is:  I have two inverts (Sea Anemone, and Chocolate chip star) I know they cannot handle treatments well. <Again, NO meds in the display tank.>  On the picture you can see a pod and some of the worms on the plastic plant. I am assuming that the pod is from these worms.  I don't know what to do. If I treat the QT tank then move the fish to treat my 55 gallon, I don't know what to do about the sea anemone rock.  I am afraid of hurting his disc, and the worms are attached to his rock, so the problem would only return.  Thank you for taking the time to read my long letter.  The picture is not that great, but I tried. <I know how hard it is to get a good picture of tiny things.>
Thank You, Patti
<Patti, the first thing to do is not to worry. Such worms are harmless. If you don't like them on the glass, just scrape them off with an algae scraper. Just leave them on the rocks and be grateful for the diversity of marine live. As for the plants, If I were you, I'd ditch them--they just get old and dirty anyway. If you want to keep them, you'll just have to pull the plants out & wipe them off when you feel the need. There is noting you can do to "get rid of" these worms that won't kill a lot of other good creatures too.>

You've Got Worms! (12/07/03)
Hey Guys, great website.  I had a question concerning new life in my tank.  I have a 12 gallon sw tank that I've had for one year now, and its been a happy year (knock on wood).  I have good purple algae coloration on much of my live rock, but lately a few new things have popped up.  There are small red bubbles, many with yellow tips forming on the purple algae, and some small red spot forming on other parts of the rocks. <Ooh. Sounds like a rash is saw on a kid in clinic last week. JK! It's a little hard to say without being able to see them. Could you send a good picture?> A darker, almost oily looking, purple spot has grown over some of the rock. <Could this be slime algae? Check pix in a good aquarium book or on WWM for comparison.> There are also some very skinny, brittle white tubes with strings coming out of them, that can reel in the strings at times. <These are certainly harmless mini featherduster worms. Fun to have/observe.> Lastly, there is a see thru tube shaped item, that looks like a long tube filled balloon, that is emersed in the rock, could this be an air bubble?  <If it is, it'll pop if jostled or touched. Again, hard to say much without looking.> Its almost metallic, very strange.  Anyway, I was wondering if any of these new "friends" were bad for my tank.  <If your water parameters are good and nothing appears to be damaged, I would not worry.> I do 1/4 water changes weekly.  Thanks a lot, Sincerely Jon

Bristleworm Good evening! <Steve> Please see attached photos (sorry about poor focus). This creepy-looking 4-inch bristle worm just crawled out of my 5-month old LR (80G reef) this evening. It gave me the willies at first, but now I think it's kinda cool. (I find the plethora of small organisms on LR to be every bit as fascinating as the fish in my tanks.)  Should I worry about this worm and remove it, or "can I keep him, Mommy?" Steve Allen <Same ole SOP reply... I would leave it be if it doesn't reproduce (not likely) or start chomping on (more) desirable invertebrates. Bob Fenner, sheesh>

Re: Bristleworm
Bob:
Thanks for looking at the bristle worm picture. Sorry for the panicked, silly question. I wasn't quite certain it was of the harmless variety and was a bit spooked by the size
<Actually, there are no "harmless varieties">
I know the crew gets a lot of questions about these worms. Perhaps posting a brief "good worm/bad worm" topic with "criteria for removing worms" and pix of the nasty kind. One could even be more thorough with "LR Hitchhikers--the good, the bad, the ugly." If you would like, I could try to put something together using NMA-RI and "Reef Secrets" (among others) as references.
Steve Allen.
<Will we have to rub elbows with Clint Eastwood in a series of Italian/Spaghettios westerns? Bob F>

Friends or Fiends? (Creature ID)
The first photo is of a worm that looks like a bristleworm, but has some differences.  Have seen this 3" worm on the glass of my 42 gal reef a few times during the day. Doesn't look like a bristleworm because of the "mop" head, and BWs don't usually come out in broad daylight. Photo taken at 4:30 pm, just around feeding time.  There appears to be no damage to corals or fish in the reef this worm is in.
<I believe it is one of the many harmless Polychaetous Annelids that live in our aquariums, and, of course, in nature. There are many different species out there, so I'd be hard-pressed to get an exact IQ. Since the worm appears to be errantiate (i.e.; it moves around), just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't cause any problems...Sounds like just another part of the diversity that we find in reef tanks!>
The last three photos are of three bugs we sucked out of a well
established 72g reef in which had recently lost all our new fish, mostly dwarf and larger angels.  Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the tank at the time of the last fish death were 0 ppm.  Had the flashlights out the other night and these bugs were swimming about near the front glass, though some were walking on the sandbed at times. Looks like some kind of isopod, but I cannot say for sure from all the research I've done if they are parasitic or not.  The bugs were about 1/8th of an inch in length when first caught. Have since set up a 5g tank with LR, sandbed and macroalgae from reefs that do not contain these bugs and have added a green Chromis to determine if the bugs will infest the fish.
<Yuck...not nice for the Chromis. Maybe better to try some frozen peeled shrimp or something...>
Over the week the fish has been in the 5g, the bugs have grown twice their original size, have been seen on the glass and sandbed, and the Chromis remains healthy.  Currently in the 72 gal, at night, there are pinhead sized bugs on the glass that look like the young of the three bugs now in the 5g.
<Well, from the picture, it does not look to me to be one of the parasitic isopods that I've seen. I was even leaning towards the animal being some kind of Ostracod, but I'd need a more clear picture to confirm/eliminate this. It's hard to generalize, but I'd place my money on this creature being a harmless scavenger, too. I'd encourage you to do an internet search on one of the larger search engines under "isopods", "copepods", and "Ostracods' to see if you can find a more positive ID...>
Can you please ID the worm?  
Also, can you tell from the photos of the bugs if they are parasitic?
<As above...I can't be sure>
If they are, I imagine a long period of time, say 2-4 months, without fish would eliminate these bugs if they are parasitic and have no hosts.
<That could work, but you'd need a much longer fallow period, like 4-6 months, and you'd avoid adding any meaty foods into the system during this time that could provide nourishment for these guys.>
It has been 3 weeks since the last fish died.  During the fallow period I am continuing to feed the tank daily to maintain high levels of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria until the time we will stock the 72g with fish again. TIA for your time and consideration. Beverly Edmonton AB Canada
<If you're ultimately convinced that these are of the parasitic variety (I'm not, as of yet), then more radical methods of control (such as breaking down the tank) may prove more effective. Your little Chromis experiment seems to be bearing out my thoughts at this point, so I'm hopeful that all will work out fine! Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

- Id? No Id-ea -
I have found a worm --- approximately 1/2 in long, white, with a red spot on head, can you tell me what it is?
not in water <You mean the worm is not aquatic in origin? Really can't tell you what type of worm this is... worms are one of the most diverse groups of organisms, and it's very hard to know them all unless it is your specialty.
Cheers, J -- >

Worms!
guys...
<hello>
what is this I found on my flower pot.
<The picture was not to great, but it is a bristle worm. Nothing to worry about Mike H>

- What is This? -
I don't have a digital camera, but I 'll see what I can do to get a picture. <Perhaps you have a friend with one...> You said it might be a worm.  Can worms in the sea be round? <Sure, flatworms often take on this shape - look like disks.> This one looks like a small jelly fish, not transparent though. Also just a note:  the white strip on his back, is no longer there.  It only started appearing when I tried to move him.  But since I have not been bothering him as of late, he no longer has it.  I am assuming it is some kind of defense mechanism, when he feels threatened.  The two times I tried to move him, his back opened and a white line appeared.  Let me know if you find out anything. <No clue - a picture would be most helpful.> Thanks Debbie
<Cheers, J -- >

Worm ID 11/4/03 
I have a new reef tank which has been set up 8 weeks now. I have found your site to be of great help to me over the weeks. 
<good to hear... please tell a friend> 
I have hundreds of pods, I was concerned at first but now know them to be beneficial. My question is, while I was looking at my tank in the dark with a flash light I came across a worm about 2 inches in length, it is black with white circles going along the length of it. I have tried to identify it on the web to no avail. Is it harmful? Should I take it out, if I can find it again! It really is a wonderful facility that you offer.  Regards, Kate 
<its tough to say what kind of worm you have from just this very basic description. Before asking you a barrage of questions to help with the ID, let me make an educated guess and ask you to look up pics o the Net of Sipunculid peanut worms. Focus on shape and not color foremost. I suspect that may be your man... er, worm. If so, it is a harmless detritivore. Anthony> 

Mystery worms? 11/5/03 
Hi Crew! I am very frustrated, I cannot identify something in my reef system that is causing me to lose sleep as I invest in soft corals for my new system. On some of the live rocks if not all, Caribbean based, at night these verrrrry long tentacles come out from what I am assuming are tubes and drag themselves all over the gravel, glass, and now soft coral. Some are transparent with white strips, some semi transparent and pink. Most of the tentacles seem to reach lengths of around 14" when stretched out. They do not "float" they actually "feel" around dragging what appears to be 
sediment back to where they originate from. 
<they sound characteristically like spaghetti or hair worms... excellent detritivores> 
I am very concerned that these things could possibly sting my corals. 
<not at all... they are helpful> 
I have a metallic green star polyp coral that I don't think is bothered by them, but today I added a pulsating Xenia colony on a rock, and I really would like to make sure it does well as it really adds to my barren little reef. 
<no worries> 
My LFS said they are called "star light" anemones and said they really shouldn't hurt anything, have you ever heard of such a thing because I can't find anything online. I can't find any pictures that resemble them, and even though I haven't observed any serious side effects of them I am concerned. Any information is appreciated. Thanks for all you do! John 
<anemones do not search and feel/forage the rocks... this is clearly a worm and almost certainly harmless. Best regards, Anthony>

Re: Black and White Worm II 11/5/03 
Hi Anthony 
<cheers> 
Thank you very much for your reply. I did as you suggested and low and behold I found my worm! I said it was 2 inches in length but I did not see it all. It is about 5 inches and is a peanut worm so it will be left in my tank. 
<yes... quite harmless/helpful> 
I have quite a lot of Neomeris annulata algae in my tank. Am I right in thinking this is not a bad thing or am I completely wrong? 
<correct... harmless if not desirable and attractive IMO> 
Thank you again for a wonderful helpful site.  Regards Kate 
<our great pleasure... best regards, Anthony> 

The Worm From Another World?
Hi folks. I have a 20 gallon fishless refugium attached to my 105 gal reef. The former is full of copepods, amphipods, and numerous varieties of worms. However the 'weird' thing that's appeared as of late is a dozen or so intensely bright 'wormlike' arms that radiate from a single point of the oolitic substrate. The 'arms' are thinner than a human hair (think spider silk). . . are up to about an in inch from the 'center'. . . and twist/undulate in no discernable pattern, although they're 90% on the substrate as opposed to 'waving in the breeze'. The whole thing would
probably have gone unnoticed except for the bright color. Any ideas what in the world I've got in there?
<Well, it's hard to be 100% certain without a picture, but I'll bet that you're looking at a Terebellid worm ("Spaghetti Worm") of some sort...There are many different species. They are essentially harmless animals. They  may even provide your fishes and corals with a supplemental "food" source when they reproduce and release pelagic larvae into the tank! Hope this helps...Regards, Scott F>
Chuck

Mama Mia! It Is A Spaghetti Worm!
Thanks Scott. Am guessing your thought on my 'mystery worm' is likely a spaghetti worm. That tank has some macroalgae from Inland Aquatics. . . and I know they have spaghetti worms as an invert available to be ordered. . . so I probably picked up a beneficial hitchhiker. Thanks again to you and all
the crew. Chuck
<A pleasure, Chuck! Glad we could be of service! Just don't start heating up the pasta sauce, okay? Regards, Scott F.>

-Bristle worm-
I have this centipede looking worm that is pink in color I would like to know what it is because if it is a bristleworm I don't know how to get rid of them if it is please well me how to make them be gone to.  I think he's after one of my fish or corals!  Just hoping its not a bristleworm (I don't even know what they look like that's the scary part).  I tried searching the site to see if this question was already answered but if I missed one I'm sorry about that but I don't think there is another question similar to mine. <How 'bout a whole page of bristle worm questions like this one! http://www.wetwebmedia.com/morefaqsiibristlews.htm (there's also another 2) In short, they're usually nothing to worry about and will certainly not go after your fish (?!). Good luck! -Kevin> Thanks, Chris

-Atlantic live rock hitch-hiker-
I recently purchased a 10lb live rock (Atlantic aqua cultured) which seemed to relatively sparse of life. As with all live rock, there are some things that weren't present at first now showing themselves. I have a question about this one because I have not seen anything in my two months of reading that indicates what this might be. So my best to describe it to you since I don't think I can get a decent picture. <ok>
It appears to have very long tentacles, which stretch out from a central point at the base of the rock. These tentacles are a pink/salmon color, and have no visible cilia. The tentacles are thinner at their outward ends, and slightly thicker at the base. They seem to move around, expand and contract, and are responsive to light. These tentacles are very thin in comparison to their length, some appear to be 8 inches or more in length with no more than 1/10th an inch in diameter at the base. <I'd wager that it's a polychaete commonly called a spaghetti worm. You'd notice that it can reach out for a small piece of food, then reel it in with one or more of its arms>
I understand that in the future I should quarantine any life form to be introduced into my tank, but I am at a very early stage (started just over a month ago) and have been just placing the rocks into a bare tank. I have no fish, only one coral and three crabs, all of which were additions made with live rock. I am concerned with this particular item because it is able to
reach out so far. If it is a stinging celled animal, I am not sure what kind, or what to do to eliminate it if that is the best course of action. <No need to worry, completely harmless and beneficial> As always any information you can provide is very much appreciated! John <Good luck! -Kevin>

ID this worm
I found this little bugger crawling around the other day and I couldn't get a good shot of him in the tank so I pulled him out. Extended he is about 6 inches long. When he moves he actually pulls his body into himself then pushes it back out. What is this and is it good or bad? I know the PIC isn't real clear. I got a new camera and still haven't figured what settings are the ones to use. He has small black line encircling his entire body. At first it looked segmented but looking closer they are just markings. Help me. Oh yeah by the way you guys rock!!!
<Thanks. Looks like a Peanut Worm (Sipunculid) to me. You can see a few of these on WWM or use your Net search tools with these terms for much more. Bob Fenner>

Tiny white worms?
Hi....
<Hi Luke, Don here>
my tank is about 4 weeks old. I've noticed today that suddenly a huge number of little tiny white 'lines' appeared on the sides of my tank. They were moving and quite fast actually. They seem everywhere and there's tons of them. About 1mm in length I would say. What are those? Are they bad for inverts or fish?
<These are worms that appear as a part of the natural progression a new tank goes through. Not to worry. If they are on a viewing pane, you can scrape them off very easily.>
Thank you,  Luke