TheReefDiary
Valuable Member
I think this is a Medusa Worm but I'm not 100% sure.
Medusa Worm?
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EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Can't see anything in the pics... except dinos
OP
OP
TheReefDiary
Valuable Member
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Medusa worms are sea cucumbers... I don't see anything like that in your pics
OP
OP
TheReefDiary
Valuable Member
here's a much better picture.
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Yeah Medusa Worm is a term generally used to refer to specific kinds of Apodid (taxonomic order Apodida) sea cucumbers (though the term is also applied to Loimia medusa, a type of Spaghetti Worm, and is sometimes generalized to mean any kind of Spaghetti Worm - spaghetti worms are from the taxonomic family Terebellidae).
OP, does your worm move around the tank, or does it live in a tube? It looks like it has some oral tentacles in a couple of those photos - can you get a clearer picture of them or could you describe them? (For example, are they thin, spaghetti like tentacles? Are they thick all the way from one end to the other? Are they thick at the base and tapered to be thin at the tip? Are they feathery/do the tentacles have "branches" coming off of them?) Would you describe your worm as transparent (totally see-through), translucent (kind of see-through), or opaque (not at all see-through)? If it lives in a tube, would you describe its tube as transparent, translucent, or opaque?
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Yeah, sea cucumbers (as long as your tank is cuke-safe and you're prepared for any potential toxin issues) are neutral/beneficial (sand-sifting cukes are good CUC, filter feeding cukes are neutral). Spaghetti worms sometimes look freaky, but they're neutral/beneficial too.
For info on sea cucumber toxins:
www.reef2reef.com
For info on sea cucumber toxins:
What to do with Medusa worm?
I found about 3-4 Medusa Worms in my tank, I have read that they can be beneficial to help the CUC. But also have heard if stressed they can kill all life in tank. Right now they are only about 1/2” long. My question is leave them or somehow try to remove them. more info 75 gallon DT 25 gallon...
www.reef2reef.com
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Actually spaghetti worms (Terebellidae) are relatively rare in reef tanks. Hair worms (Cirratulidae) we're misidentified a number of years ago as spaghetti worms, and the name has stuck despite the fact that the worms that we see in our tanks are almost always hair worms...Yeah, sea cucumbers (as long as your tank is cuke-safe and you're prepared for any potential toxin issues) are neutral/beneficial (sand-sifting cukes are good CUC, filter feeding cukes are neutral). Spaghetti worms sometimes look freaky, but they're neutral/beneficial too.
For info on sea cucumber toxins:
What to do with Medusa worm?
I found about 3-4 Medusa Worms in my tank, I have read that they can be beneficial to help the CUC. But also have heard if stressed they can kill all life in tank. Right now they are only about 1/2” long. My question is leave them or somehow try to remove them. more info 75 gallon DT 25 gallon...
Last edited:
OP
OP
TheReefDiary
Valuable Member
there were at least 10 meaning there must be a ton more. I got a lot of them last night. I'm transferring tanks at the end of the month. won't be using any of the existing rock and I'm going to dip all the corals again. don't feel like dealing with toxic critters.Yeah, sea cucumbers (as long as your tank is cuke-safe and you're prepared for any potential toxin issues) are neutral/beneficial (sand-sifting cukes are good CUC, filter feeding cukes are neutral). Spaghetti worms sometimes look freaky, but they're neutral/beneficial too.
For info on sea cucumber toxins:
What to do with Medusa worm?
I found about 3-4 Medusa Worms in my tank, I have read that they can be beneficial to help the CUC. But also have heard if stressed they can kill all life in tank. Right now they are only about 1/2” long. My question is leave them or somehow try to remove them. more info 75 gallon DT 25 gallon...
