Freaky looking worm thing found under rock!!!!

[M-anemone]

Moving some live rock doing some tank re arranging.

lift up one piece and find this freaky looking worm. Bought tank used.

so far the only thing dirstubing about this hobby I’ve discovered.

anyone know what it is and how it got in/ negative affects?
See attached.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It's a common bristleworm. Surprised you have not encountered them before.

 

[Bucs20fan]

100% bristle worm, Harmless cuc member.

"Where the is one.....There is more"

DO NOT TOUCH IT BARE HANDED.

 

[M-anemone]

I used net to take out.
Upsetting that they’re are probably more because they’re ugly and gross.

do I leave in tank? Any negative side effects? Should I try and remove? How do they get in?

 

[Bucs20fan]

They get in as a hitchhiker, they don’t hurt anything they eat detritus and uneaten food. Just don’t touch em

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I used net to take out.
Upsetting that they’re are probably more because they’re ugly and gross.

do I leave in tank? Any negative side effects? Should I try and remove? How do they get in?

They benefit your tank by eating excess food. If you start to see a lot, you know you're feeding too much. I know some people remove them at all costs, but we're trying to create a little piece of the ocean... You really can't do that and be successful without having members of all parts of the ecosystem

 

[M-anemone]

Thanks for the reply,
I’m a reef noob still so it just caught me off guard. Definitely not a lot of them don’t mind it at all.
But I may have been feeding too much aswell good advice.

 

[bnord]

they are indeed nasty to touch, I get them in my chaeto mass and you will feel it for days.
tweeze them out if you wish, but there are certainly more. to take their place
have heard that arrow crabs eat the babies, but I don't like arrow crabs. Put one in my sump, and its growing, but don't know if it is eating the worms
Have a melanurus which will tear one apart if I tweeze it out, but thee are still plenty there
and indeed they are a impactful CUC member