Spoinid wormsworms

[Hennie]

Good evening fellow reefers...

I've got what seems to be spionid worms in my tank.

They have over a period of about 12 months mulitplied to the point where they are everywhere.

I am looking for a nutural predator to keep them to a point where they do not bother my zoas and blue clove polyps.

The only information I am able to find regarding a predator for these guys is either a coral banded shrimp and possibly a copperband butterly fish.

Are there any other fish or scavengers that will munch on them?

The image is not from my tank as my lights are currently off. The image is off the net, however, these are the citters.

Tank you in advance...

Display Tank is 70 gallons...

 

[Big G]

Vayssierea sp.

(Sea Slug)

Suitability: Score! Unless you love tubeworms!
Diet: Spirorbid & Serpulid worms.

 

[DSC reef]

Can you post a picture of the worms in your tank. I've never seen spionid worms bother zoas, even when growing them on the sand bed.

 

[Hennie]

Can you post a picture of the worms in your tank. I've never seen spionid worms bother zoas, even when growing them on the sand bed.

Hey, will do nce I get home.

 

[Hennie]

Hey, will do nce I get home.

Hi, as requested.

Here are the pics of my tank.

Difficult to spot them. I have made circles around the critters.

The second picture of the one that's inbetween the zoas is what is happening to all my zoas. They move away from them and then the worms just follow them.

I please do not want another answer from people saying they are harmless. This I know already. My question is.... what fish or invert will eat them?

Thanks guys/girls

 

[DSC reef]

Hard to tell, resembles digitate hydroids and not spionid. Sorry you don't want to hear spionid are harmless but maybe they aren't in your case. Not sure of a fish that eats them, you've been given an invert that eats them on this thread. Good luck and happy reefing.

 

[Triggreef]

Any halichoerus wrasse will eat them. Copperband will also and may add the benefit of eating aptasia. But it will also eat clams which a wrasse may or may not. Toby puffers may add well. Also heard bumblebee snails will consume them but who knows.

 

[Triggreef]

Aka spaghetti worms

 

[Hennie]

Hard to tell, resembles digitate hydroids and not spionid. Sorry you don't want to hear spionid are harmless but maybe they aren't in your case. Not sure of a fish that eats them, you've been given an invert that eats them on this thread. Good luck and happy reefing.

Thank you for your input, much appreciated.

I googled images of the sea slug diet that BiG G posted and most definately its neither of them.

Happy reefing ...

 

[Hennie]

Any halichoerus wrasse will eat them. Copperband will also and may add the benefit of eating aptasia. But it will also eat clams which a wrasse may or may not. Toby puffers may add well. Also heard bumblebee snails will consume them but who knows.

Hi there.

Do the above mentioned fish hunt spionid worms?

Because most definately they are not spagetti worms.

From what I can see and all the information I can find on them, they are definately spionid worms...

It seems the spionid worm is overlooked when it comes to being an irritant to certain corals and that's the reason its hard to get any information as to what fish/invert preys on them.

 

[flsalty]

I would go with manual removal on the ones you think are irritating zoa's.

 

[Rcpilot]

I've heard bumblebee snails will eat them. Never tried it though. I don't know of any fish that will eat them.

I know you said there are thousands of them. Any chance you might try manual removal? You can smash them near the base with a rock or hemostats. You can also glue the hole in their tubes shut with super glue.

Good luck!!

 

[Hennie]

I would go with manual removal on the ones you think are irritating zoa's.

I have attemted it a couple of times.

Its difficult since their bodies are hidden in tiny holes in the rock. The white parts are only their tencticles, they retrack at lightning speed the moment I touch them...

I feel like adding maybe two bumblebee snails and a copperband butterfly fish...

Before I do that though, ill wait for possibly more options to choose from.

 

[Triggreef]

Hi there.

Do the above mentioned fish hunt spionid worms?

Because most definately they are not spagetti worms.

From what I can see and all the information I can find on them, they are definately spionid worms...

It seems the spionid worm is overlooked when it comes to being an irritant to certain corals and that's the reason its hard to get any information as to what fish/invert preys on them.

You might have more than one thing there. But the close up image that I believe is the first one you posted is definitely a spaghetti worm you could see all the tentacles coming up from the sand underneath it it looks like it's upside down. It's hard to see what you have in the other pictures maybe you're talking about vermetid snails? They put off a netting especially when you feed the tank and it's sticky and irritates the corals unfortunately there's nothing that eats those although they do say bumblebee snails will but I don't think they do.