Please help- critters growing in my sump

[omnihat]

Hi all, I was moving the bio media in my sump to sit my skimmer on top and found various critters. I’ve never had these before as far as I know, and the media and transferred from my old tank which was several years old. So I don’t know what to do about them, some advice would be much appreciated

First one- is this a bristle worm?? I haven’t seen any more but judging by its size I assume there are.
Second are these sponge things? One big one in the picture above and more below.

Lastly my sump is covered in what I believe is spirorbid worms. You can see them on the media but they’re also all over the glass. Am I correct in my understanding that they’re harmless and fine to leave? Or should I scrape them off?

All the biomedia has been removed.
Thanks heaps in advance!

 

[Idoc]

I'd put them all back in and let them thrive...good biodiversity in your system. I see in the pictures, bristle worms, possible, pineapple sponges, spirinoid worms, other sponges, etc... I don't see any bad.

 

[omnihat]

I'd put them all back in and let them thrive...good biodiversity in your system. I see in the pictures, bristle worms, possible, pineapple sponges, spirinoid worms, other sponges, etc... I don't see any bad.

Good to know there’s nothing bad! Thank you

 

[blaxsun]

I'd put them all back in and let them thrive...good biodiversity in your system. I see in the pictures, bristle worms, possible, pineapple sponges, spirinoid worms, other sponges, etc... I don't see any bad.

With the exception of the worm, I have all the same things in my sump as well (particularly those tiny little white sponges dotting the glass). I've been told "it's a sign of a mature and healthy system".

 

[PeterEde]

Just dont touch the bristleworms without gloves and if you do get stung you can use a piece of adhesive tape to remove the bristles. Been there, done that

 

[besskurz]

I support keeping the worms.
I was taught to hate them but they really make a good job cleaning and eating leftovers.
Some companies are even selling them to add biodiversity.

I got a big fat bristleworm in my tank and everything its all fine. Don't bother corals, keeps eating some food that falls into the rocks and is always hiding. I see only benefits if they do not overgrow or became an infestation.

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

ipsf.com

 

[PeterEde]

My small QT has a number of bristleworms which I feed daily.
They are great at keeping the tank detritus free.

 

[SlugSnorter]

Hi all, I was moving the bio media in my sump to sit my skimmer on top and found various critters. I’ve never had these before as far as I know, and the media and transferred from my old tank which was several years old. So I don’t know what to do about them, some advice would be much appreciated

First one- is this a bristle worm?? I haven’t seen any more but judging by its size I assume there are.
Second are these sponge things? One big one in the picture above and more below.

Lastly my sump is covered in what I believe is spirorbid worms. You can see them on the media but they’re also all over the glass. Am I correct in my understanding that they’re harmless and fine to leave? Or should I scrape them off?

All the biomedia has been removed.
Thanks heaps in advance!

some harmless sponges and worms. can look pretty ugly to some, but they are helping your tank stay clean.

 

[bobnicaragua]

Corals really need an ecosystem and biodiversity to thrive, that used to be common knowledge/accepted methodology.

This current “pest- free” ideology isn’t doing anyone any favors, except for the people selling dead rock and bacteria.

 

[SlugSnorter]

Corals really need an ecosystem and biodiversity to thrive, that used to be common knowledge/accepted methodology.

This current “pest- free” ideology isn’t doing anyone any favors, except for the people selling dead rock and bacteria.

While I think biodiversity is important, I think screening rock, and quarantining animals is a very important part of having a healthy tank

 

[cdnco2004]

All that bio diversity looks great to me. Put them all back.

 

[cdnco2004]

While I think biodiversity is important, I think screening rock, and quarantining animals is a very important part of having a healthy tank

There are negative pests and positive ones. All the ones he has shown here are eye sores but not harmful to your tank. No one said don't do dips don't do QT. No one said all pests are good. But the ones he is worrying about are not an issue. They are in the sump for crying out loud. Not like you need to look at them. Let them thrive where they will do your entire tank some good.

 

[SlugSnorter]

There are negative pests and positive ones. All the ones he has shown here are eye sores but not harmful to your tank. No one said don't do dips don't do QT. No one said all pests are good. But the ones he is worrying about are not an issue. They are in the sump for crying out loud. Not like you need to look at them. Let them thrive where they will do your entire tank some good.

oh, I wasn't saying to remove them. I meant that its good that OP was screening his stuff and asking about things that he wasn't sure about.

 

[omnihat]

I was always lead to believe bristle worms are bad, and that was the main one I was worried about. If that’s wrong and they’re fine, then that’s great and I’m happy to have him, I’ve popped everything back in! I don’t care if they’re ugly, I won’t be looking at them. Thank you everyone for your advice

 

[blaxsun]

I was always lead to believe bristle worms are bad, and that was the main one I was worried about. If that’s wrong and they’re fine, then that’s great and I’m happy to have him, I’ve popped everything back in! I don’t care if they’re ugly, I won’t be looking at them. Thank you everyone for your advice

Here's an assortment of creepy crawlies for your viewing enjoyment (all beneficial cleanup crew).

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

What is that!! A R2R guide to common new tank hitchhikers.

One of the greatest things about starting a reef tank is getting your live rock in and admiring all the diversity within it. The rock comes to life different creatures. This is a guide that I, along with a very well known critter identifier @KJ , have put together for the new reefer on what...

www.reef2reef.com