Some type of Eunice worm?

[BrunoL]

Hello, I'm copy pasting a bit from my tank log:

My Damsel cleared a little tunnel under the rock work, he likes to scoot in and out, under and over the rocks. I thought it was funny and the Wrasse and Clown from time to time did the same. That said, two nights ago after lights out I saw something weird I couldn't identify on the sand bed in the tunnel. It looked like a feather duster or some sort of anemone or something but it was really hard to see, as soon as I took my torch it disappeared. Now I'm not supposed to have anything like that in the sand and the only thing I can think of that makes a star shaped form on the sand bed at night ... is a bobbit worm. It didn't come back after I had put some light on it, so I went to bed and called it a night.

Last night ... I checked again and it was there again. This time I didn't want to leave it hanging and got out the big guns. I got on my gloves and took out the rock under which that tunnel passes. I got a little plastic rake out and shifted through the sand bed, but I couldn't find anything. I pretty much turned over half of the tank's sand without any trace of a worm. I called it a night after 5-10 minutes and decided it was time to put the rock (and corals) back in the tank.

After yesterday's nightly adventure, I checked again this night, and sure as well, it's there again. This time I tried to make a picture instead. My apologies for the quality, it's hard making a picture without flash at night, using just a flashlight.

When I looked closer, I'm counting 10ish tentacles but they don't seem to be hook shaped, like a bobbit worm.

I'm very curious to find out what this is!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Hello, I'm copy pasting a bit from my tank log:

My Damsel cleared a little tunnel under the rock work, he likes to scoot in and out, under and over the rocks. I thought it was funny and the Wrasse and Clown from time to time did the same. That said, two nights ago after lights out I saw something weird I couldn't identify on the sand bed in the tunnel. It looked like a feather duster or some sort of anemone or something but it was really hard to see, as soon as I took my torch it disappeared. Now I'm not supposed to have anything like that in the sand and the only thing I can think of that makes a star shaped form on the sand bed at night ... is a bobbit worm. It didn't come back after I had put some light on it, so I went to bed and called it a night.

Last night ... I checked again and it was there again. This time I didn't want to leave it hanging and got out the big guns. I got on my gloves and took out the rock under which that tunnel passes. I got a little plastic rake out and shifted through the sand bed, but I couldn't find anything. I pretty much turned over half of the tank's sand without any trace of a worm. I called it a night after 5-10 minutes and decided it was time to put the rock (and corals) back in the tank.

After yesterday's nightly adventure, I checked again this night, and sure as well, it's there again. This time I tried to make a picture instead. My apologies for the quality, it's hard making a picture without flash at night, using just a flashlight.

When I looked closer, I'm counting 10ish tentacles but they don't seem to be hook shaped, like a bobbit worm.

I'm very curious to find out what this is!

That's most likely just a feather duster worm of some variety; there's a very small chance it could be a sea cucumber, but it's unlikely.

 

[BrunoL]

Would explain why I couldn't find anything in the sand bed, although I'm gutted I took apart half the tank for a feather duster lol. Thanks for the response @ISpeakForTheSeas !!

 

[jabberwock]

That does not look like a feather duster. I don't know what it is, but I don't think a feather duster.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Would explain why I couldn't find anything in the sand bed, although I'm gutted I took apart half the tank for a feather duster lol. Thanks for the response @ISpeakForTheSeas !!

Ah, wait, I see what you're saying now - sorry, there seems to be a 10-tentacled feather duster on the rock above the critter; I totally missed the critter the first time.

 

[jabberwock]

Ah, wait, I see what you're saying now - sorry, there seems to be a 10-tentacled feather duster on the rock above the critter; I totally missed the critter the first time.

Sea Spider???

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

That does not look like a feather duster. I don't know what it is, but I don't think a feather duster.

Yeah, just noticed *facepalm* - don't know how I missed that the first time.

That's probably an anemone (again, though, I can't totally rule out a sea cucumber).

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Sea Spider???

Not likely - sea spiders tend to be pretty angular (think blocky or sharp when a thicker bodied species, and needle-like when thinner). [Edit: to add, the critter pictured seems to be pretty smooth rather than angular.]

OP, any chance you can get a pic of the center of the critter from the top.

 

[jabberwock]

Not likely - sea spiders tend to be pretty angular (think blocky or sharp when a thicker bodied species, and needle-like when thinner). [Edit: to add, the critter pictured seems to be pretty smooth rather than angular.]

OP, any chance you can get a pic of the center of the critter from the top.

Snorkeling in the tank! I always wanted to stick my GoPro in the tank to see how I look to the fish.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Snorkeling in the tank! I always wanted to stick my GoPro in the tank to see how I look to the fish.

Do it

 

[vetteguy53081]

Going to need better pics as it can be head of sea cucumber, peanut worm, anything.

 

[BristleWormHater]

It's cuthlu

 

[BrunoL]

It's difficult, it's under some overhang and I'm not too keen on moving the rock again. My conch also decided to plow that area of the sand bed while I'm trying to get a shot, what a prima donna... All the movement made it harder to spot, I'll try and get another shot in a little while, once the crowd goes away.

 

[BrunoL]

Not sure if this helps?

 

[BrunoL]

Also, hard to tell size, but it's between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Also, hard to tell size, but it's between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch.

Yeah, it looks like an anemone of some kind to me, but I can't narrow it down much beyond that from the pics. If you can pull it out in a container of tank water, give it a little to adapt and open up again, then get pics of it in the container, that would probably be the easiest way to get some clear pics of it and get a better ID.

 

[MoshJosh]

My vote is nem of some kind. . . Possibly the dreaded aptasia. . . But does look a bit different than that. . ?

 

[BrunoL]

Don't think it's an Aiptasia, doesn't look like it. Different color and different tentacles / polyps.

 

[JoJosReef]

Looks like a facehugger to me. Freaky. I got nothing, but definitely not like any Eunice worm I've ever seen (and I've come across a few).

 

[BrunoL]

None of these comments are very reassuring!!