Hatch?!?

[CastAway]

So I come home to a small leak, swap out a hose and some water sprays from under my thumb onto a plug I didn't have safely tucked away. The GFCI outlet trips and its lights out. (Subject of another thread)

While fumbling around my flashlight crosses the tank and I notice this...
What in the world is this?!?

 

[CastAway]

....from end to end, five feet of this. Thousands of eggs free falling. Several different shapes, sizes and colors of critters. With my luck, probably bristle worms!

 

[kromar]

Looks like they are swimming. Possibly pods. They seem attracted to the light but they are moving fast.

 

[Pete polyp]

....from end to end, five feet of this. Thousands of eggs free falling. Several different shapes, sizes and colors of critters. With my luck, probably bristle worms!

Check out bristleworm epitoke

 

[CastAway]

That's it @Pete polyp! Thanks!

Wow! I hope this does not mean I'm in for a bristle worm epidemic, nor that it's an indication of poor feeding practices.

Both red and white epitokes, egg release from surface, 100% sure.

 

[Pete polyp]

I had witnessed the same thing a few weeks back. I never knew bristleworms could swim like that! I'm 100% sure I have poor feeding habits,I feed way more than necessary. I do feel detritus is a good thing to a certain extent. There's lots of life in our tanks that feed on detritus that are very beneficial to our yanks. I don't mind the bristleworms at all really. If you want to control the population look into getting an arrow crab.

 

[Naiad]

a swarmer swarm! Most of it will end up as food depending on what you have in your tank

 

[CastAway]

...If you want to control the population look into getting an arrow crab.

I've considered that Pete, but have heard that they might pick on corals.

Ever heard that?

 

[Steve Dillon]

And will kill fish. Get a wrasse or certain dottybacks eat them too.. I wouldn't do an arrow crab.. everyone I have had became a problem

 

[Naiad]

Wrasse will keep them in check. My yellow loved snacking on them.

 

[Reefrookie220]

The main thing you'll have to worry about with an arrow crab would be the decimation of your clean up crew lol

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

DId you by chance get new live rock or in the past use aquacultued florida rock. Curious.
Im a hitchhiker pod micro-fauna fan. Pretty much all of those will likely be fine in your tank if its just pods worms etc. (also did you know trunicates actually swim in thier planktonic stage.)
And Ive never seen a bristleworm swim like that. Usually juveniles are found neatly tucked Under rocks n stuff.
So assuming they are all Good worker Hikers the only problem youll have is a cleaner tank, fatter fish and cleaner healthier sand bed long term.
Member Lionfishlair it seems has been the best at ID's lately. maybe PM to look at the video.
BTW Id pretty much kill for this in my tank. My first Mysis shrimp bloom clouded the tank. I wanted to wake the neighbors.

 

[CastAway]

Hey @Lionfishlair, do you mind checking this out?

 

[CastAway]

Oops. Typo.
@Lionfish Lair

 

[Lionfish Lair]

It's epitokes.

What is this @ business? How did you do that? Nice feature!

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Oh wait. It was already answered..... I better go back and read.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I'm going to look at it on a real computer. That spinning motion is typically epitokes, but I really should look and not assume.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Ya, that's epitokes with a couple other critters here and there.

 

[CastAway]

Thanks for the confirmation.
Panic averted I guess.

Thanks.

 

[Pete polyp]

Thanks for the confirmation.
Panic averted I guess.

Thanks.

We can pretend you have been invaded by alien hitchhikers if you prefer [emoji14]