crazy little things

[travis127]

so my tank has been going for like a week now and I am always finding new little critters ..... I keep turning the light on when it was dark to see what I would catch and I kept seeing these legs coming out of diff holes on a rock so Today I put a little piece of shrimp on the hole and sure enough the legs came out it sure looked like starfish legs well then I see this red worm/centipede thing come out and then dissapear and then one that looked just like it but more dark and then it crapped something out of its mouth ... WEIRD

[goldenmean]

Sounds like bristle worms.
Generally they are a beneficial part of a clean up crew although there are some that can be a menace as they get really big.

For late night viewing of your tank a red light is awesome. You can see what is going on and the creatures that you want to discover and watch are not scared off by the light.

Its amazing how much life can be discovered from our Rocks from the ocean.

[rlcline76]

I have those little stars in my tank, too. They will probably stay small and multiply here and there.

[travis127]

Yea this red one was big I mean he came out a good inch and a half before he shot back in.... will gobies or hawkfish eat those guys?

[rlcline76]

Hmmm, I never heard of anyone trying to get rid of them...regular brittlestars...yeah, I know people who have had to remove those, but not so much mini stars. Population might decrease/increase with food availability.

[rlcline76]

Red, eh? Well, in the event you see it moving around where you can catch it, you could always toss it in the sump if you are not feeling at ease with it.

[travis127]

the worm was red not the starfish, sorry! so will gobies or hawkfish eat the bristle worms

[rlcline76]

I've never seen my gobies eat worms...don't know about a hawkfish. Really, I tend not to worry so much about the worms. Most of the time we are talking detritus eaters. Maybe if it was something over a couple of inches and it was where I could safely remove it, I'd go for it. Sometimes biological controls for what ails ya can be more of a PITA than doing the job yourself. I've seen worm trap bags sold at a local LFS, couldn't tell you how effective they are.

[Triggerjay]

I hear arrow crabs will. I have hundreds of them, and just leave em alone, unless they reach gigantic porportions..

Jason

[cracker]

My Koran Angel munches on bristle worms like popcorn. Any other fish I've had that tried one spit it it out "real quick"!

[travis127]

i seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee cool stuff