Bright yellowish/green worm

[Nymz]

I found some of these in my tank after adding Tampa Bay Saltwater rock and sand. They’re kind of bright yellow/slightly greenish and about 1 inch long. The closest thing I can find is Phyllodoce groenlandica or Phyllodoce citrina. This is the underside of the worm btw. The top side has some dark red speckling.

Reef safe? Keep/remove? I typically see them crawling on the glass. Also saw one messing with a snail but may have been a coincidence.

 

[blaxsun]

Offhand I'm thinking this coloration is nothing good...

 

[Nymz]

Offhand I'm thinking this coloration is nothing good...

That’s what I’m thinking as well, I’m gonna set up a trap just in case.

 

[IKD]

@LiverockRocks

maybe they can help ID

 

[Mushroomsyo]

oenone fulgida worm?

 

[Mushroomsyo]

Definitely remove it from the tank

 

[Mushroomsyo]

oenone fulgida worm?

Oenone Fulgida - A predatory worm | Melev's Reef

www.melevsreef.com

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I found some of these in my tank after adding Tampa Bay Saltwater rock and sand. They’re kind of bright yellow/slightly greenish and about 1 inch long. The closest thing I can find is Phyllodoce groenlandica or Phyllodoce citrina. This is the underside of the worm btw. The top side has some dark red speckling.

Reef safe? Keep/remove? I typically see them crawling on the glass. Also saw one messing with a snail but may have been a coincidence.

The only other worm I know outside of the Phyllodoce genus is Eulalia viridis (typically green, but it is apparently seen in yellow sometimes too). Based on the tail this guy shows, however, I'm inclined to agree that it is likely a Phyllodoce sp. and not E. Viridis. Some Phyllodoce spp. are harmless detritivores (CUC), but others are thought to be carnivorous - typically preying on other worms or snails from what I've seen. I am fairly confident it's not Oenone fulgida - the head on that worm lacks the prominent tentacles displayed by this specimen.

Pages 228-232 of the link below discusses the known feeding habits of various Phyllodocidae species, including a few Phyllodoce spp. - generally, it seems these guys would probably be safe for fish and inverts except for snails and other worms (tube building worms specifically). For the sake of not needing to replace CUC, I'd probably say to pull it as a precaution, especially since you've already seen one interacting with a snail.

Diet of Worms Emended: An Update of Polychaete Feeding Guilds

Diet of Worms Emended: An Update of Polychaete Feeding Guilds

www.academia.edu

 

[LiverockRocks Verified Sponsor]

I found some of these in my tank after adding Tampa Bay Saltwater rock and sand. They’re kind of bright yellow/slightly greenish and about 1 inch long. The closest thing I can find is Phyllodoce groenlandica or Phyllodoce citrina. This is the underside of the worm btw. The top side has some dark red speckling.

Reef safe? Keep/remove? I typically see them crawling on the glass. Also saw one messing with a snail but may have been a coincidence.

Howdy @Nymz,

We have not seen this worm and will look into identifying it.
Great pic! Would you send a photo or 2 to us to add to the hitchhiker section on the website?
We have identified 65 total hitchhikers and slowly adding them.

In the meantime, when in doubt, take it out.

 

[Nymz]

Howdy @Nymz,

We have not seen this worm and will look into identifying it.
Great pic! Would you send a photo or 2 to us to add to the hitchhiker section on the website?
We have identified 65 total hitchhikers and slowly adding them.

In the meantime, when in doubt, take it out.

Sure, I picked up a bunch of stuff on this batch that I didn’t see on the website (mostly bad so far unfortunately) but as I get photos of things I can send them your way!

 

[Nymz]

The only other worm I know outside of the Phyllodoce genus is Eulalia viridis (typically green, but it is apparently seen in yellow sometimes too). Based on the tail this guy shows, however, I'm inclined to agree that it is likely a Phyllodoce sp. and not E. Viridis. Some Phyllodoce spp. are harmless detritivores (CUC), but others are thought to be carnivorous - typically preying on other worms or snails from what I've seen. I am fairly confident it's not Oenone fulgida - the head on that worm lacks the prominent tentacles displayed by this specimen.

Pages 228-232 of the link below discusses the known feeding habits of various Phyllodocidae species, including a few Phyllodoce spp. - generally, it seems these guys would probably be safe for fish and inverts except for snails and other worms (tube building worms specifically). For the sake of not needing to replace CUC, I'd probably say to pull it as a precaution, especially since you've already seen one interacting with a snail.

Diet of Worms Emended: An Update of Polychaete Feeding Guilds

Diet of Worms Emended: An Update of Polychaete Feeding Guilds

www.academia.edu

Thank you for that reply, that confirms my suspicions then. I have a worm trap in there now, curious to see what I’ll catch tonight with the lights out. I’ve already seen a horrific Bobbit worm that lives in the rock so I put the trap directly over it. Hoping I get it and more, fingers crossed.

 

[IKD]

Thank you for that reply, that confirms my suspicions then. I have a worm trap in there now, curious to see what I’ll catch tonight with the lights out. I’ve already seen a horrific Bobbit worm that lives in the rock so I put the trap directly over it. Hoping I get it and more, fingers crossed.

Good luck! Just fyi that not all Eunice (Bobbit) worms are the nightmares you read about. I had/have a couple from a different vendor (similar harvest location) and they stayed small, didn’t harm anything and were good cleanup members.

 

[Nymz]

Good luck! Just fyi that not all Eunice (Bobbit) worms are the nightmares you read about. I had/have a couple from a different vendor (similar harvest location) and they stayed small, didn’t harm anything and were good cleanup members.

I’d like to think mine would be a model citizen but I found the exact one in another post. If I remember right, the guy said it ate everything including his zoas.

This is him (not my photo)

 

[IKD]

I’d like to think mine would be a model citizen but I found the exact one in another post. If I remember right, the guy said it ate everything including his zoas.

This is him (not my photo)

Funny, that’s the exact one I have/had and it left my corals alone. LOL

 

[Nymz]

Funny, that’s the exact one I have/had and it left my corals alone. LOL

Wow, it didn't bother your fish or CUC?

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Please share with us/community also

 

[Tired]

That's not a bobbit worm- rock isn't collected from bobbit habitat anymore. Eunicids range from detritivores to coral-eaters, depending on species and also food availability. They don't go after prey that can escape very well.

If you catch it alive, try to re-home it. Some people like them for sumps or whatnot.

 

[Nymz]

That's not a bobbit worm- rock isn't collected from bobbit habitat anymore. Eunicids range from detritivores to coral-eaters, depending on species and also food availability. They don't go after prey that can escape very well.

If you catch it alive, try to re-home it. Some people like them for sumps or whatnot.

I watched it grazing on the rock right outside of the rock crevice it lives in. I love biodiversity so if he can be trusted I would be more than happy to leave him in there!

 

[Tired]

Honestly? I say leave him in, and just don't put any corals right next to him in case he takes it as an opportunity. Maybe feed him some fish food now and then. If he does ever go after coral, it'll be chew marks at first, and you can take him out. And he may very well ignore corals forever, if he gets enough food otherwise and isn't a particularly meat-hungry species anyway.

 

[IKD]

Wow, it didn't bother your fish or CUC?

Not that I can tell. I had two, removed one and never caught the other. Tanks been running over a year without seeing it. Maybe I’ll get my red flashlight out this week and do some snooping. He must be pretty large by now if he’s lived this long.