baby worm or shrimp?

[MrWolf]

Hi,

I have thousand of these little thing in my thank, I put them Under the microscope and this is what I got:

can anyone tell me if it's safe or not?
if it's not, can you tell me how can I get rid of them?

Regards,

MrWolf

 

[ThunderGoose]

Wow. Interesting. I don't know but I can anticipate the real experts will want to know what kinds of shrimp you have.

Let's see if @Maritimer or @Lionfish Lair have any ideas.

 

[Maritimer]

Looks like the larva of a polychaete worm, similar to a bristle worm. Many (most?) are safe, but there are a few that are nightmarish, such as the aptly named "Bobbit" worm.

~Bruce

 

[MrWolf]

I think this is an adult:

it's 1"-1½" long.
does it match for a polychaete worm.
how do I know if this kind is safe or not?
some of the long one are kamikaze and swim through my Gyre and are cutted in multiple piece... but every piece are still moving and swimming... it's a bit scary.

 

[Maritimer]

That's a polychaete.

The only ones I'd worry about would be fire worms (fairly painful bristly sting) and bobbit worms. Bobbits (Eunicid) are carnivorous and grow to something like ten feet long. Those are relatively uncommon though. Most are excellent cleanup crew, getting into crevices where snails and crabs can't reach.

~Bruce

 

[MrWolf]

Excellent, Thank you very much for the information