Hitch hiker Help

[AC273]

I have had a FOWLR tank for 12+ years, but am new (6months) to the reef tank experience. I have some new critters in my reef that I have not see in my fish only tank. I believe these came in on my corals, but am not sure if they are harmful or not. If they are, there are a low enough number of these that I can easily do a manual removal when I see them. If they are not harmful, then I plan to leave them alone.

First, I have heard Asterina Starfish can become a problem if they are the coral eating type. The type I have came in on a trumpet coral I believe, and have had way more interest in eating the algae from my rocks than anything else in the tank. Are these going to be a problem in the future?

The second hitch hiker I have is a small snail species. I have read that some snails can pose a risk to zoos, but I am having a hard time identifying these. Any help would be appreciated.

The last hitch hiker is the one that concerns me the most. They look like very small centipedes, complete with the legs and antennae. I have also seen these swim when the lights go off in a leach like manner. I am concerned they will be an issue as their population seems to be growing quite quickly and nothing seems to eat them. (that is in my tank currently anyway) I have reviewed pictures of the current worms that inhabit reef aquariums, but can't seem to place this one positively.

Any input, advice, or help would be greatly appreciated. Some of the differences between FOWLR and Reef systems are still throwing me for a loop, so some veteran advice would be great. lsmile:

 

[PSU4ME]

Looks like black asterinas in the first, and i'm not sure of the snails in the second but they don't look like the bad kind to me. The third is a bristle worm and is harmless to the tank in small numbers. They are correlated to the amount of food in your tank so if your tank is dirty, you get a bunch.....cut back the food, worms reduce.

 

[ReefApprentice]

1 asterna like already said. The second picture those snails are harmless. they are the young of turbo snails. Me and my dad have them in our tanks. They will eat algae and are endearing to watch. the 3 is a young bristle worm. some people like them some people hate them.

 

[DianaKay]

I think all the ID's are correct.
I like to browse this link that I keep bookmarked:
LionfishLair.com - Hitchhiker Guide to your Aquarium
Re-looking through it from time to time helps me be on lookout for the bad hitchhikers.
Check out the link cause you never know what you might see next.
ALSO: I've learned to use a good coral dip before putting new bought coral into your DT. (I use Coral RX)
BEST WISHES :biker

 

[frisbee]

I think those are Collonista snails in the second picture. (harmless grazers)

 

[AC273]

Thank you all for the replies. I am glad the snails won't be an issue. However, I have had FOWLR tank for 11+ years and am very familiar with bristle worms. These are not bristle worms I am afraid. I know it is hard to tell scale in that picture, I have magnified it quite a bit so that the 'centipedes' were visible. These have actual legs they use to move around with, rather than the bristles of fireworms that are for protection. They also have antennae, and I have never seen a bristleworm have antennae. My biggest concern is that they let go from the glass at night and free swim like a leach. Would additional pictures be helpful?

Again, thanks for the responses.

 

[PSU4ME]

Yeah if it isn't a bristle works try to get one out of the tank and get the pic

 

[AC273]

Having a hard time getting a good pic when they are out of the tank. Snapped one more with the frogspawn in the background so you can judge size.

 

[theplantman]

If the bristleworms do get out of control and you find yourself not appreciating them. Coral banded shrimp love to munch on them. At least mine did.