Is This A Torch Eating Worm?

[ssunthar]

Hi Experts,

Bought this torch (pastle green with orange tip) about a month ago. After a few days, it looked like it was recovering from the dip.. but it didnt fully opened till date.

So, I decided to dip it again and I noticed a worm case on the skeleton. I noticed it earlier but i was not paying much attention as it looked empty. But today it looked like it got a little bigger.. so decided to brake it open.

Noticed a dark grey worm like tinggy.. and a few holes that panaterated through the skeleton near the top of the tube.

So it looked like the worm was eating or iritating the torch.. wanted to know if anyone encountered anything like this? Is there a torch eating worm like this?

The torch is all cleaned up.. hopefully it will recover fully...

Will keep all posted.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Wouldn’t say torch eating but a very unwelcomed worm which I’d pull and discard

 

[ssunthar]

Wouldn’t say torch eating but a very unwelcomed worm which I’d pull and discard

@vetteguy53081, is there an id to this worm? Thanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

May be dendridoris

 

[Tchung23]

possible polyclad worm?? The killed 3 of my torches

 

[MaxTremors]

I’m thinking just a large vermetid, but could be wrong. What color was the shell before you broke it off?

 

[ssunthar]

May be dendridoris

Mmmm... but the one I found doesn't look like a nudi and it was in a tube.

 

[ssunthar]

I’m thinking just a large vermetid, but could be wrong. What color was the shell before you broke it off?

It was white but much bigger than a typical vermetid tube... and it looked like (to me) it grew a little since i first saw it when I dipped the coral initially. Thanks.

 

[MaxTremors]

It was white but much bigger than a typical vermetid tube... and it looked like (to me) it grew a little since i first saw it when I dipped the coral initially. Thanks.

There are some truly massive species, some that are even free standing colonies that are branching almost like coral (I saw one on Gallery Aquatica that was like two feet long). That it was white makes think maybe it wasn’t a vermetid, but they’re really the only calcareous tube type worm/snail that I know of that it could be (but I’m not an expert and there are all kinds of oddities that come in on live corals).

 

[ssunthar]

Just to keep all updated (and to close the thread). The torch is recovering well... here is the latest pic.

Thanks all for the help.