Can you please help Identify these little critters

[Reef2317]

Hi Everyone,

I have a population boom of these little critters all through my tank. My nems have been upset of late and i am wondering if the two things were related.

Happy to keep these as part of CUC but only if they are not hurting any livestock.

I have done some googling and found they may be Vayssierea felis. I am looking for confirmation and reassurance that these aren't aggressive to livestock.

Thanks in advance

 

[Sean_B]

I don't have much to contribute, but if they are indeed Vayssierea felis (and they appear to be), do you happen to have an over abundance of their food source - spirobis tube worms to maybe justify their presence?

borrowed image

 

[Reef2317]

I don't have much to contribute, but if they are indeed Vayssierea felis (and they appear to be), do you happen to have an over abundance of their food source - spirobis tube worms to maybe justify their presence?

borrowed image

Yeah um i do have a few hundred lol they like my tank. Heavily populate my back wall frequently. I scrubbed them off a few weeks ago but still have a healthy population on my rocks

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hi Everyone,

I have a population boom of these little critters all through my tank. My nems have been upset of late and i am wondering if the two things were related.

Happy to keep these as part of CUC but only if they are not hurting any livestock.

I have done some googling and found they may be Vayssierea felis. I am looking for confirmation and reassurance that these aren't aggressive to livestock.

Thanks in advance

Idk what they are but they're cute!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@ISpeakForTheSeas
(Please let me know if I tag you too often )

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

@ISpeakForTheSeas
(Please let me know if I tag you too often )

Haha, I don't mind the tags.

In this case, I'm inclined to agree with V. felis or another species from the genus (depending on where it was collected from; some species in the genus are only distinguishable from V. felis by their radulae) - though closer up pics of one specimen from the side and top could help with confirming that.

 

[Reef2317]

Haha, I don't mind the tags.

In this case, I'm inclined to agree with V. felis or another species from the genus (depending on where it was collected from; some species in the genus are only distinguishable from V. felis by their radulae) - though closer up pics of one specimen from the side and top could help with confirming that.

Top i can help with but side and underneath are harder they are tiny! I think I'd have more luck photographing an ant.

Here are some pictures from the top and I'll try to get some side and underneath pictures later.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Top i can help with but side and underneath are harder they are tiny! I think I'd have more luck photographing an ant.

Here are some pictures from the top and I'll try to get some side and underneath pictures later.

Yeah, looks like V. felis to me - for comparison:

The Sea Slug Forum - Vayssierea felis

 

[Reef2317]

Yeah, looks like V. felis to me - for comparison:

The Sea Slug Forum - Vayssierea felis

Thanks heaps I appreciate the help and I'll still try and get more photos for you and also general information for people. I have a healthy population of them.

 

[kjkszpj9]

yeah i have those in my 13.5g tank aswell, they eat the spirorbis worms but the population of my spirorbis worms never die out so they arent very fast at killing them so i think they are good at just culling the population of the fan worms.