Strange white things that come out at night

[salt newbie01]

This may be nothing but I wanted to make sure. After my main lights go off these thin white string like things come out of the rock. They seem to be attached to the rock and move around with the current. They are from 1/4 to 1 inch or so in length. I would assume they are some type of worm that gets small particles of food from the water column. I wasn't sure if they would sting corals or if they would bother the mandarin I just got, as he cruised around over the rocks looking for pods. Has anyone seen these things in their tank?

 

[minireefer]

Might be a spaghetti worm.They are harmless detris eaters and fliter feeders.
They doing a google search on spaghetti worm for pictures

 

[salt newbie01]

I checked google and those are not it. the spaghetti worms put out multiple "tentacles" What I have only puts out one "tentacle". They seem to be everywhere. I bet I have 30-40 of these things. And they only come out at night. Any other suggestions?

 

[cntm]

If you can post a pic of them it would help us out to try and Identify what they might be. Keep us posted on what happens I will try to do some research also for you thanks

 

[bkv1997]

http://melevsreef.com/id/dualpalps.html

Maybe this will help.

If not try www.melevsreef.com/id and let us know if you see a picture of the worm you are looking for on his site.

Brandon

 

[salt newbie01]

Thanks for trying to help guys. None of the pics on melevs site loked the same. I'll try to get a pic tonight.

 

[bkv1997]

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/photocontests/l/blpicinvkekisw1.htm

That it?

 

[salt newbie01]

those don't look like it either. It figures I would get some weird thing in my tank that noone else has. Thats just my luck!!

 

[bkv1997]

Just buy a horseshoe crab, sandsifting star, and a yellow headed goby.

You won't have any strange worms in your sand in a couple weeks.

Oh then throw in a harliquin just to make sure you don't have any strange starfish.

Then throw in a nice mystery wrasse to finish off any strange worms, shrimp(including the harliquin), etc that are on the rocks.

HEHE JK.

 

[d.french]

i've got worms from first pics that make tubes out of sand, but i know which worms you our talking about i got them in my tank they seem to be harmless to me if a fish see it is gone they will eat things moving around. i have watch this one damsel i haven't been able to catch eat coepods of the glass seeing them moving around. Which leads to my a quick question is too many coepods bad to have cause those little suckers are everywhere had a few now there are multiplying.

 

[salt newbie01]

Well just my luck - lights went out and the little suckers started coming out - /i got my camera and got ready to take some picks...batteries died. :frustrat: Just the way things go for me - well I will try again tonight.

d.french - no I do not believe that copepods can be bad. But if you have an abundance of them get a mandarin or wrasse that will eat them. both are pretty fish.

 

[salt newbie01]

Well I went back through melev's id page and found the culprit - It's a Digitate hydroid. They seem to be filter feeders but there is confusion as to weather they are bad or not. Some say they are harmless and some say they will sting fish. Now that there is an id - any thoughts from anyone??

 

[bkv1997]

So what your saying is that my first post pointed you directly to the information you needed?

HEHE

Glad that you figured it out. "Reef-Safe-ish"...:grumble: humm i would get a wrasse.

Brandon

 

[salt newbie01]

Yeh smart a** you pointed me in the right direction in the beginning. :Cheers: This is why you need to be president again!! Your just such a smart a** oops!! I mean your just soo smart!!
Would a wrasse eat something like that?? And if so which one would be best?? The down side to a wrasse is they are all jumpers aren't they? Would a wrasse also eat the pods that the mandarin depends on?? Sorry for all the questions :bowdown:

"Reef-safe-ish" just doesn't give me the warm fuzzy feeling I was looing for.:grumble:

 

[bkv1997]

Most fish will eat the pods.... tasty little treats they are.

Hard to say if a wrasse will eat that specific type of worm, but in general wrasses eat lots of things such as bad worms, bristle and flat. However they will sometimes turn on ornamental shrimp as well.

Brandon

 

[margaritaville]

Maybe try a sixline wrasse, they are great for controlling midellid snails and commensal flatworms. I also had a bunch of worms in my tank when I first set it up and after the wrasse they have dissapeared.

 

[2008pollyanna]

Are wrasse jumpers? I just bought one, but the temps are so high, I have the tank cover off...HMMM>>>>>>>>>

 

[yote]

Any fish can be a jumper.Just are more apt to do it.
But basically it depends on the wrasse.

 

[reeffreak]

Wrasses are considered jumpers.

This must be ''dig up old thread month''.

 

[Bifferwine]

Wrasses commonly jump.