Caught the wily yellow worm

MixedFruitBasket

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About two months ago, I caught sight of this very, very, very long yellow, bright yellow worm in my tank. It was long, I am talking easily 12 inches, but about as big around as a spaghetti noodle. Anyhow, first time I saw it it was checking out a shrimp that had just died. Or at least that's what I thought. But I spooked the worm and it ran, and I do mean it ran fast. I've never seen an aquarium worm move that quick.
Later on that night I was checking out stuff in the dark with my flash light. (I like to look at my tank at night cause you see different stuff or see stuff differently) anyhow, I spotted that yellow worm again. I watched it slither over the rocks, head up now like a snake, as it eased out into the open where a couple of nassarius snails were doing their thing.
The worm attacked one of the snails. And it became a thrash fest. Now before this happened I had noticed a lot of empty nassarius snail shells, but really couldn't figure out why they died. Now I think I know.
Any how, while the snail thrashed and the worm kinda curled it close to its body, it came off the ground a little. I got my large tweezers and snagged it. It took a minute to leg go of the snail, then it became a waiting game cause I didn't want to break the dang thing. Slowly but surely it tired out hanging onto the rocks and slid free. It was roughly 9-10 inches long not extended. Apparently they can really stretch.
Thought my problem was solved, till I saw a second one. And this one was smarter than the first one. You could not trick it into coming out, it would see you and vanish. I mean fish fast, like a rubber band snapping.
After many failed attempts to catch the other one (it was slightly shorter too) I had debated moving rocks and hunting it. Today when the tank broke and I pulled out the rocks, guess what I found, yes, the worm. I was able to catch it and this time I put it in a bottle. I managed to break the worm so it's in pieces but at least the front half is alive. I didn't take pictures of the first one, but this one I will. In the bottle it seems really small, as in short, but I have seen this thing stretch out like a rubber band. The other really weird thing, it spins a web. Like a tunnel spider web. I would find these long silk tunnels attached to rocks here and there. I was able to salvage part of one and put it in the bottle too. Looks like a bit of really thick silk worm nest. The worm went right into it. This one is also as bright yellow as the first.
Has anyone ever seen a worm that's bright yellow and will move like a snake. I picks its "head" up almost like it's looking around. It's kinda creepy. But it's definitely a worm. Even has protrusions at each segment kinda like a bristle worm but these are much smaller and more stubby.
Anyhow. When I recover from the tank fiasco (five hours of rapidly moving stuff and digging fish out of the substrate) I'll take photos.
 
I live stuff like this! ocean is an amazing place, so many new things for us to see

PICS PICS PICS
 
Here are some photos. The spikes at each segment are apparently appendages. They move like little legs. And it has eyes or what looks like eyes, at its head. Can go forwards or backward very fast. There are two in this jar and the end of a broken one. Probably the remnants of first one I caught about a week ago. It starts out short looking but then the more it crawls the longer it gets. Only looked like three inches when I poured it out of the bottle but had stretched to about 9 by the time I finished pictures and was still extending.

256DE13D-13CF-4050-918F-8B7C31E5ABC7.jpeg CAD3C412-69C9-4B37-B3D7-ECB703701C55.jpeg FB89AB00-02D2-4BFA-A77F-15DF857739C7.jpeg 656C3E2A-E48F-4703-A9B4-4BEFB4C93419.jpeg
 
Here are some photos. The spikes at each segment are apparently appendages. They move like little legs. And it has eyes or what looks like eyes, at its head. Can go forwards or backward very fast. There are two in this jar and the end of a broken one. Probably the remnants of first one I caught about a week ago. It starts out short looking but then the more it crawls the longer it gets. Only looked like three inches when I poured it out of the bottle but had stretched to about 9 by the time I finished pictures and was still extending.

256DE13D-13CF-4050-918F-8B7C31E5ABC7.jpeg CAD3C412-69C9-4B37-B3D7-ECB703701C55.jpeg FB89AB00-02D2-4BFA-A77F-15DF857739C7.jpeg 656C3E2A-E48F-4703-A9B4-4BEFB4C93419.jpeg
The little eyes makes it kinda cute though.
 
Check out this thread. I think you guys have the same worm.

 
Check out this thread. I think you guys have the same worm.



Yeah, I put that up on the critter ID forum to see if anyone knew what it was ;)
 

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