Small worms in tank

[Azzaman160]

Hi all, ive just upgraded from a canister to a new sump, I used the bio balls and ceramic balls out of my canister an put them in the sump but not I have all these small worms in my display tank, can anyone tell me what they are and if I need to do something please, some are free swimming and loads on the glass?

 

[saltybees]

Baby bristleworms

 

[duberii]

Looks like some type of polychaete- maybe a dorvillidae but I'm not certain- regardless, they're probably detrivores

 

[Azzaman160]

Looks like some type of polychaete- maybe a dorvillidae but I'm not certain- regardless, they're probably detrivores

Sorry but im still getting in to this happy hence just upgrading to a sump, is that good or bad, do I need to get rid of them??
Thanks

 

[Azzaman160]

Baby bristleworms

They are clean up crew aren't they?

 

[duberii]

Sorry but im still getting in to this happy hence just upgrading to a sump, is that good or bad, do I need to get rid of them??
Thanks

No they're good! They essentially eat any leftover food or fish waste- helps keep that food from just rotting

 

[Azzaman160]

No they're good! They essentially eat any leftover food or fish waste- helps keep that food from just rotting

OK great, i was starting to panic, will they find hiding places once settled so they aren't all over my glass?

 

[duberii]

OK great, i was starting to panic, will they find hiding places once settled so they aren't all over my glass?

Maybe yes maybe no- if they bother you you can use a magnetic scraper to get them off the glass. I personally think it's cool to see all the critters on the glass so I only use my scraper when algae builds up, but I get how it interferes with the image of a crystal clear reef.

 

[saltybees]

They are clean up crew aren't they?

Ya they’re fine, there’s fish you can get that’ll eat them if they get out of control

 

[mvbrandt]

Don't fret them. Their populations are self limiting, so if you have so many they're annoying you, there's that much detritus in the system that would be causing far more unsightly annoyances if they weren't there.

 

[Azzaman160]

Don't fret them. Their populations are self limiting, so if you have so many they're annoying you, there's that much detritus in the system that would be causing far more unsightly annoyances if they weren't there.

I've had no issues up till now, except a battle with high phosphates, ive been dosing and using rowaphos, but everyone advised that cannisters are phosphate traps, so I've upgraded to the sump, I must have had a colony of them in the cannister and putting the bio and ceramic balls in the sump has released them

 

[king aiptasia]

free swimming usually means an epitoke which is the reproductive adult of the worms, they will only show up when they want to mate then the rest the time the worms are usually in the sand and rocks out of sight