Boring worms on my hammer

[metzer]

About a month ago i noticed a flatworm running around one of my hammer corals. I removed all my hammers and dipped them in coral rx. I only found one flat worm that came off and no eggs. I did this about two weeks later on all my hammers and no signs of any worms. I also did a regiment of flatworm exit about a month after the first find and zero signs of any types of worms floating around or trying to escape.

I am working in my tank today and wanted to move some of the corals around. I dipped two of my hammers just to see if anything would come off and nothing. I got to my third hammer and about five minutes into the coral rx bath i noticed what looked like the outer hard part of the hammer was alive. There were like 20 to 30 little round worms about 1/8" to 1/4" long and about 1/32" wide coming out of holes that i never noticed. i attached a picture of the base of hammer so you can see the little holes I am looking at. That hammer is about 1 -1/2" wide for a perspective. I let the coral soak for about 15 minutes and no flat worms but had a bunch of those little worms collected. i unfortunately did not take any pictures of the worms in question ( i was panicking a little while trying to turkey baste the little buggers from all those holes). I dipped the remaining hammers and my torches, no other corals had any pests.

Any insight as to what is boring into my coral and is bad, will it spread, should i discard the coral?

 

[therootcause]

Did the worms look like small bristle worms? Do your other hammers also have those holes in the skeleton?

Some polychaete worms will bore into coral skeleton. "Coral boring polychaetes"

 

[metzer]

little round cylinder like worm, not very big and not big enough to identify any key distinguishing traits/features

 

[therootcause]

Find someone with a microscope!

 

[KJ]

Spirorbid worms.

 

[therootcause]

Spirorbid worms.

I don’t think they bore into the skeletons of coral

 

[metzer]

Spirorbid worms.

I think the white items are the spiroribs worm (note by the white shell). The critter i am trying to identify was the worm that came out of the little bored holes (little black dots) on the side of the coral.

 

[therootcause]

I think the white items are the spiroribs worm (note by the white shell). The critter i am trying to identify was the worm that came out of the little bored holes (little black dots) on the side of the coral.

the thought of worms boring into the hammer skeleton gives me the creeps

 

[Iudicello1080]

the thought of worms boring into the hammer skeleton gives me the creeps

Definitely creeps!

 

[Iudicello1080]

I have a hammer with bore holes in it ! I got it for free when I ordered a splatter hammer and some zoas from online purchase! Thought I was lucky and someone messed up the order. Till I dipped the next day and flatworms came off everything! And some little black bugs of zoas ! After bear dip! Zoas eaten in first week! Have dipped three times in last month and zero bugs so far! But fingers crossed hope they make it!

 

[jy808]

I think the white items are the spiroribs worm (note by the white shell). The critter i am trying to identify was the worm that came out of the little bored holes (little black dots) on the side of the coral.

Any updates to your situation? I am having a similar situation noticing all these small holes in my torch. I will probably do a dip tomorrow! I do hope your torch is ok!

 

[metzer]

They come out at night, almost like a long antenna looking thing that pops out but they seem to not spread and live on the more shadowy side of the coral. Some of the holes have slowly healed but they are still around.

 

[cpsrqfl]

Does this look like them?

 

[metzer]

No, but cool photos.