Polychaete Worm??

[Aldente P.]

Are these worms dangerous to a reef tank?

 

[Ashlar]

That's a huge class or worms comprising over 10,000 species. There are some dangerous ones out there, but the majority of the ones we see aren't actually harmful- maybe painful if you get poked by one.

 

[Aldente P.]

After researching more..it is acrocirrus validus..Small worm about 3 inches long. Has several speggeti looking things coming out of one end. Looks like the same thing i see sticking up out of the sand in several places in my tank. But i never knew that was on the other end. I am assuming since it lives in the sand that its not dangerous to the reef?
TIA

 

[DaveJ]

Sounds like a speghetti worm..... they are beneficial.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/rs/index.php

Is that what it looks like?

 

[Ashlar]

Okay.. that particular species is native to japan, so might not be right..

Sounds like a regular spaghetti worm (terebellid or cirratulid).

 

[Aldente P.]

yes dave that was it.Thanks guys i feel better knowing its not harmful. Are there any worms that would need to be removed ASAP when spoted?
And after bristle worms get a certain size are they harmful at that point, and if so what is that size. At this time i have a couple getting pretty long!

 

[DalaiTom]

@Aldente P. wrote:

I would say from my experience that the large ones are also safe. Except perhaps with certain delicate species.

There are several members (including myself) that have bristleworms that are 12" and even larger.

 

[Ashlar]

Honestly? There are only one or two dangerous species that show up with any regularity in our tanks. And I use the term 'regularity' very loosely.

I don't remove bristleworms no matter how big they get. I do wear gloves when I have to move large rocks that might have one of these bigguns under it.

 

[DaveJ]

@Aldente P. wrote:

Very few... as was mentioned. I am a big worm fan.. personally I think you can never have enough of them. That said, as was mentioned, some delicate species can have problems with them. I have seen examples of worms causing issues with open mouth corals injesting them. I have seen photos of fish, like a Hippo Tang and Maroon clown with a face full of bristles from a brush with them and zoos that get irritated by them and close up for a time. That said... none of them are fatal, just irritating experiences.

The introduction of a problem worm is rare but it does happen. One guy recently found one in his tank, if you do a search on worm, he posted a photo not too long ago of it. If it has a face (head) like a centipede with antennae or a mouth with jaws that you can readily see, I would pull him out and QT him until you can get an ID.

I have also heard of reports of worm blooms, where the populations explode and they get out of hand. This is generally caused by other factors like overfeeding etc. The introduction of a predator at that point usually clears things up though.

 

[Michael_Wamsley]

It is so great to hear post like this one!!! Even two years ago when a post came up with "bristle worm" in it there were just tons of people giving misinformation.

I have one in my room divider at night time that streches down the length of the tank (6 feet), across the sdie (2 feet) and then back the other length (about 3-4 feet) and he still is not out all the way! I would estimate that he is somewhere around 12 feet. He eats loads of detritus, but what I have noticed the most is his appitite for macroalgae. I would say he out eats my Achilies Tang by four times over!!!

The three worms I would keep a look out for are the "bobbit" worm (Eunice aphroditois which I have only seen one live one in a captive tank in 15 years) the fire worm Hermodice carunculata (slightly less rare as it is mostly from the Caribbean but their is a rare chance one may make it from other areas), and the last is known as Scale worms (VERY rare and little is know about this group as a whole).

Search for the scientific names to get reliable pictures and more information. If you would like to borrow my old college Invert Zoology book to identify and learn more, just let me know and I will bring it to the next meeting.