Worm ID?

[day_sx]

Saw this tiny worm crawling on my glass, hoping to get an ID on this. Thanks!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Based primarily on the long, hair-like chaetae (bristles) sticking off the sides, I’d guess a Syllid worm (taxonomic family Syllidae) of some kind. If it is a Syllid worm, then there’s a good chance it’s safe (and good CUC). However, some Syllids are known to eat sponges, tunicates, and - reportedly from some hobbyists - soft corals. The eating of soft corals is firmly disputed though, as many people (primarily from several years back, when Syllid worms were apparently more common hitchhikers) also report having them without issues even if the worms crawl over their soft corals regularly.

So, it’s probably safe/beneficial, but you can always sump it to be cautious, you could isolate it and offer it a cheap soft coral or two in addition to some fish food to see if it’s coral safe.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It is a syllid worm known to suck the juice out of certain snails and inverts and not a desired species as they offer no benefit in cleaning or eating detritus but do munch on sponge, certain hydroids and larger pods

 

[day_sx]

Based primarily on the long, hair-like chaetae (bristles) sticking off the sides, I’d guess a Syllid worm (taxonomic family Syllidae) of some kind. If it is a Syllid worm, then there’s a good chance it’s safe (and good CUC). However, some Syllids are known to eat sponges, tunicates, and - reportedly from some hobbyists - soft corals. The eating of soft corals is firmly disputed though, as many people (primarily from several years back, when Syllid worms were apparently more common hitchhikers) also report having them without issues even if the worms crawl over their soft corals regularly.

So, it’s probably safe/beneficial, but you can always sump it to be cautious, you could isolate it and offer it a cheap soft coral or two in addition to some fish food to see if it’s coral safe.

It is a syllid worm known to suck the juice out of certain snails and inverts and not a desired species as they offer no benefit in cleaning or eating detritus but do munch on sponge, certain hydroids and larger pods

Thanks for the info and quick responses! I'll make sure to pull it out next time I see it.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Some context for their diet (the paper linked below is “The diversity in diets of Syllidae (Annelida: Polychaeta)” by the università di lecce (the University of Salento).

https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/289130.pdf