New Trachyphyllia.. what is this worm???

[mycograham]

Good morning reefers! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there! I just received a new Trachyphyllia yesterday and popped them in the QT last night. The delivery showed up 5 hours late (thanks UPS) so it was pretty dark when they made in in the QT. Anyway I noticed a tube worm attached around it’s base. It’s quite large tube probably a 1/4” wide and wraps 2/3 around the base of the Trachy. It is very rough looking in texture. It has a cylindrical very tough cap that it can close very quickly if it senses movement. It has a slightly pink or reddish frill that is very small that it puts out the bottom of the tube. I guess I have two questions: is it going to harm the coral by constricting it? Also if not is it something I can keep? I kinda like it haha. Also note the clam??? Is it a burrowing clam? Thanks in advance!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like you have housing of a vermetid snail. With a pliers, break it off at its base and discard

 

[Bfragale]

My guess would be a tube worm or some kind of feather duster. If so, then it’s a harmless filter feeder. I actually like them lol.

does it have a little “feather” or “fan” looking part that comes out and will shoot back in when disturbed? If so then feather duster.

vermited snails generally have a dark tube shell, usually coiled more then your photo. My first guess would be feather duster.

 

[mycograham]

My guess would be a tube worm or some kind of feather duster. If so, then it’s a harmless filter feeder. I actually like them lol.

does it have a little “feather” or “fan” looking part that comes out and will shoot back in when disturbed? If so then feather duster.

vermited snails generally have a dark tube shell, usually coiled more then your photo. My first guess would be feather duster.

It does have a little feather at the top that is brown and a kind of red frill around the bottom like an eyelash. I think you are right that it is a feather duster worm and not a snail. I do see some small spiral like shells on it with little feathers coming out of them on the side of the coral skeleton too.

 

[mycograham]

Looks like you have housing of a vermetid snail. With a pliers, break it off at its base and discard

Thanks for the info. How would I tell if it is indeed a vermetid snail as opposed to a worm?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for the info. How would I tell if it is indeed a vermetid snail as opposed to a worm?

There shouldn’t be any worm. The housing indicates vermetid

 

[Bfragale]

Personally still think tube worm:

vermited snail:

They both have a hard tube. Generally tube worms have a white tube with a feather like Thing hanging out the end.

vermited usually have a dark purple/ brown tube shell, I dont ever see anything coming out except a “slime” string they use For feeding.

but just my two sense

 

[Dw79]

Spirorbid worm

 

[mycograham]

Spirorbid worm

Most def the small ones are spirorbid worms. The larger one still has be stumped tbh. Is it just a really big spirorbid worm? If so holy crap it’s huge!

 

[mycograham]

Personally still think tube worm:

vermited snail:

They both have a hard tube. Generally tube worms have a white tube with a feather like Thing hanging out the end.

vermited usually have a dark purple/ brown tube shell, I dont ever see anything coming out except a “slime” string they use For feeding.

but just my two sense

I agree that from everything I can find the snails use slime to catch prey and that the worms are more of a filter feeder which it seems to be doing. DW79 was saying it could be a spirorbid worm?

 

[Dw79]

Good morning reefers! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there! I just received a new Trachyphyllia yesterday and popped them in the QT last night. The delivery showed up 5 hours late (thanks UPS) so it was pretty dark when they made in in the QT. Anyway I noticed a tube worm attached around it’s base. It’s quite large tube probably a 1/4” wide and wraps 2/3 around the base of the Trachy. It is very rough looking in texture. It has a cylindrical very tough cap that it can close very quickly if it senses movement. It has a slightly pink or reddish frill that is very small that it puts out the bottom of the tube. I guess I have two questions: is it going to harm the coral by constricting it? Also if not is it something I can keep? I kinda like it haha. Also note the clam??? Is it a burrowing clam? Thanks in advance!

Some can get a good size. Here are a few in my tank

 

[Dw79]

Ok, for some reason I only noticed the one on the left, its been a long day. Lol
I agree the larger one is a tube worm

 

[mycograham]

Ok, for some reason I only noticed the one on the left, its been a long day. Lol
I agree the larger one is a tube worm

Serpula vermicularis possibly? Or at least something very similar seeming haha. Do you think that it would matter if it was left on the coral? It is definitely scraping the coral off of its skeleton with it’s operculum. I kinda feel bad killing it but if it is going to damage to coral a lot I guess I’ll have to take off.

 

[mycograham]

Some can get a good size. Here are a few in my tank

That looks very similar! If not the same thing! Serpula vermicularis is as close as I can get with the key online.