Worm id
- Thread starter ssagar
- Start date
bit hard to see details, but looks like a common bristle worm - great members of the cuc (clean up crew) can get back in the rocks & eat debris where snails and other members of the cuc can't reach - like earth worms of the sea...
also check out pics here...
http://chucksaddiction.thefishestate.net/hitchworms.html
http://chucksaddiction.thefishestate.net/hitchworms.html
I think Sue would will know with these pics @Oxylebius (she was a marine biologist)
still looks like a Polychaeta (bristleworm) to me, but thats just a guess, lots of kinds of them , some 168 different species
see what Sue thinks with the better pics
and go with her opinion 
still looks like a Polychaeta (bristleworm) to me, but thats just a guess, lots of kinds of them , some 168 different species
see what Sue thinks with the better pics
and go with her opinion 
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
Some more pics, but these are hardly better than the last one.unlike bristleworm they do not have bristle and appear rather smooth bodied. By any chance can they be baby bristle worms??.
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Looks like two different worms here and both are different from the first one you posted. It is not uncommon to have several different species polychaete worms in our tanks, especially if you started your tank with live rock. Most polychaete worms are harmless. The link that Glenn posted to an ID site has a list of the most common worms found in our tanks, take a look for yourself. Most worms are identified not only by having bristles or non-bristles, but by the head and tail, as well as body (segmented or not segmented). Take a look at all of these as you try to ID them.
The second pic looks more like a fireworm. Similar to a couple that I have, and have had for 6 years. I've found no harm from these, most of the time they scavenge the sand bed as you can see in my pics here: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/oxys-rsm250.88190/page-25#post-1327827
Also keep in mind that worms can be hard to identify beyond family level, so don't expect to be able to identify down to genus or species unless you have an expert to studies these worms to ID them for you. But being able to identify to the family, as the hitchhicker link provides, helps you determine if it is a worm to keep or try to catch and get rid of.
If you find snails missing, it might be predatory worms. You can pick up a worm trap fairly cheaply and they work. I've used the tube type traps before. Just make sure the hole at the end is the size of the worm you want to trap, too big or too small a hole will not catch the worms that can't fit in them. I suggest going for small ones first, then make the hole bigger for larger worms. And I suggest checking the trap every hour after to set it, as these worms will target the food fairly fast, especially if they are hungry.
The little purple/pink birstle worms are best kept. They are great detritivores and do you a service in keeping the inside of rocks and crevices cleaned up.
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
More on this fireworm: Don't touch the fire worm's bristles. I'd suggest wearing gloves the next time you handle any rock - protection just in case you brush any bristles. If you do get bristles stuck in you, use duct tape to help to grab the bristles to pull them out of your skin.
There are two very common fireworms found in our tanks. One is the Hermodice carunculata and the other is the Eurythoe complanata. You don't want the Hermodice carunculata in your tank. It eats corals and gorgonians. If you haven't had any issues so far with your corals. Your worm is likely not the Hermodice species.
Although it is really hard to tell what you have w/o seeing the head, I believe you most likely have the Eurythoe complanata fireworm, a worm you don't have to worry about. This species has no jaws, papillae, or teeth. I have a couple of these in my tank also. But, if you want to double check: based on this article - http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/ The easiest way to tell the Hermodice from the Eurythoe is the caruncle. See figures: 1 and 3. This is what you have to look for on the front of the worm: http://www.ronshimek.com/images/animals/annelida/polychaeta/Hermodice_carunculata_r.jpg In figure 1: Eurythoe, the caruncle is smooth. In figure 3: Hermodice caruncle has fringe-like tentacles.
For more info, here are a couple of articles written by folks who know their worms:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/5/short
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php
http://www.ronshimek.com/annelids.html
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The worm I was talking about it's just next to the mushroom(the transparent tube like thing) and is the same worm that I have in all the other pic. The one in the top is the common bristle worm(have a lot of then and the are never a problem) probably is the red led that's making them look like fire worms.
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