Help, What is this?

[kvelting]

At first I thought these guys were cool. They are small like tube worms and thier shell is very hard. If you scrape your hand on them they will cut you. So thier skeleton is made of very hard calcium. You can't see anything coming out of the ends until you stir up the substrate and then you see a fine string that collects food. They are very interesting.

But lately these guys are taking over all my live rock! They seem to be out of control.

First of all what are they? And next is there a natrual preditor that can keep them in check?

 

[Anonymous]

I can't tell from the picture but they are of the Family: Sabellidae ( Tube Worms), harmless filter feeders, they could in extreme cases grow to plague like numbers and clog overflows and filters. I wouldn't worry about them.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[John_Brandt]

Serpulid worms create hard calcareous tubes whereas Sabellid worms create soft tubes.

 

[ZooKeeper1]

Those are vermetid snails.

 

[John_Brandt]

I thought vermetids use mucous nets to gather particles rather than single tentacles.

...then you see a fine string that collects food.

Kvelting, would you be able to describe the 'fine string' as a tentacle or a mucous strand?

 

[kvelting]

It appers like one string from each tube but when they all ar out it does look like a tangled cob web.

Is there something that will keep them in check? Or should I just keep breaking them off?

 

[John_Brandt]

It appers like one string from each tube but when they all ar out it does look like a tangled cob web.

Is there something that will keep them in check? Or should I just keep breaking them off?

Sounds like they are vermatid gastropods. Why do you want to eradicate them? They obviously are effective particulate feeders.

 

[kvelting]

I don't want to necessarily eradicate them but just keep them under control. They are covering ALL of my live rock. They even start growing on larger chunks of rock below the sand. I suddenly will see those small tubes poking right out of the sand. It's becoming a nuisance.

I was wondering if I could add something that would feed on them. Maybe a urchin???

 

[ZooKeeper1]

Since they are filter feeders lowering the ammount of available food should help to keep them in check. Cutting back on feedings, and stronger skimming should help

 

[drbrokaw]

:? I have very small what look like arrowheads slithering on my glass in one of my tanks. They are about the size of the head of a pin.

 

[mjfillen]

I would LOVE to have something like that in my tank! It would complement my bristleworm collection.

 

[Leloo]

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