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ggoodrich

Reefer
I noticed some "worms" swimming around in my tank last night. The tank is in the process of cycling, and has 90lbs of LR from Gulf-View (I believe it is Carribean?). Anyhow, they are about 1" long, and have two distinct parts, one part stays mostly straight when they swim, and is whitish/clear. The other part is more transparent, seems smaller, and maybe flatish. This other part curls up and spins like mad, which is how they swim. I saw 5-10 of these intermittently swimming around. It seems they like the current coming from my sump, and from a powerhead. They would swim up under the powerhead and then up into the current where they would get blasted to the other side of the tank (75g). They would then proceed back towards the powerhead and do it all over again. Would like an ID so that I know whether or not these are beneficial/harmful. I can try to get a photo, but as they seem nocturnal and move pretty quickly, I don't know how much luck I'll have. TIA
 

liquid

Advanced Reefer
Try using a flash with your camera and don't take the pics head on. Take the pics from an angle so that the flash doesn't bounce back on you. I'd love to see a pic.

Shane
 

ggoodrich

Reefer
As soon as I see them again, I will. I fear that most of them went over the overflow on my pre-drilled All-Glass aquarium. I may be able to suck one out of the filter in the sump with a turkey baster and drop it in my tank. I looked tonight after lights out, and I didn't see any of them swimming. I will try to get a pic and post.

Unfortunately, I've spent about the last 2 hours chasing what I believe are a couple of isopods. One was in the filter in my sump, the other (fortunately) was in my overflow where it couldn't seem to find a way out (using all-glass kit for overflow with foam cylindrical filter on standpipe). I had to shut down my return pump and siphon most of the water out, and was able to get him out with the turkey baster. I may try to take a pic of these also and post.
 

nicksreef

Reefer
Try using a blacklight bulb (incandescent) to see them. This light doesn't seem to bother nocturnal things too much, and you will be able to get a picture maybe. Put a piece of thranslucent plastic, like a milk container jug over the flash to diffuse the light. If your camers has a flash sensor it will expose properly...put the lens directly on the glass..to avoid flashback.
 

ggoodrich

Reefer
I don't currently have a black light, but I will try to get a pic somehow. I've not seen any of these worms the last two nights, and I fear they all committed suicide through my overflow/sump/return pump. Hopefully there are some left, and they are just biding their time.

I'm pretty novice at shooting pics through glass, so it will be a bit of a learning experience. I've done some pretty cool things with a piece of red celophane over my flashlight. I can set my white balance according to this red light and the pics look like they have been illuminated by natural light :) I should try this with my flash, as it would be much brighter. I love my Canon EOS 10D!!! Hopefully, as this tank gets up and running, be looking for some good pics as I learn "underwater" photography.
 

nicksreef

Reefer
The blacklight bulbs are in Walmart, some grocerystores. They usually are in the "party bulbs" section with the colored bulbes. They are about $5, and work in any regular screw-in socket like on a table lamp. It will also set some things glowing in your tank you didn't see before!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I just saw one of these in my tank, and it must be a similar creature. It has a body about 1-1.5" long, the front third of which is completely transparent. The last two thirds is tan with a darker brown stripe running down each side of the body. It moves by spiralling its body and appears to be attracted to the light at the surface. Mine came out of Fiji rock that has been in the tank about two weeks now. I managed to catch mine in a bottle cap, but I split its body in two while catching it. It has a very fragile body, but both ends are still rapidly spiralling. I will take a picture in the morning when I have my digicam.

Later....
Ok, it stopped moving so I can look more closely at it. The darker brown stripes were an illusion I guess. The front transparent end is more flattened than the rest of the body, which is segmented and completely smooth. My first guess is that this is some sort of annelid or annelid larva.
 

nicksreef

Reefer
Could be a defense mechanism..the splitting.
Anoles (lizards improperly called cameleons in Florida) will eject their tail when cornered or attacked. It lays wiggling on the ground and atracts the attacker while the body gets away...
 

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