Worms?

[southfla79]

So I noticed these in my newish tank this morning. I’m assuming some sort of worm made them as the only other thing in the tank right now are some mollies.

Is it a worm? If so any idea what kind?

 

[Reeflix]

how long has the tank been set up? did you start the tank with dry or live rock?

 

[southfla79]

It's been about 2 months. Had a mix of dry and live rock and the live sand

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

So I noticed these in my newish tank this morning. I’m assuming some sort of worm made them as the only other thing in the tank right now are some mollies.

Is it a worm? If so any idea what kind?

Either Spionid or Phyllochaetopterus worms. More likely Phyllochaetopterus, IMO.

From an article by Ron Shimek:

Phyllochaetopterus individuals build a tube out of "hardened" mucus in which they cement sand grains. These tubes can be up to an inch or so in length and are about the diameter of a thin piece of pencil lead. They will be oriented vertically in the sediments or occasionally found filling pre-existing holes in rocks. The worms themselves are quite small, less than a quarter inch long; in fact, in most cases less than a tenth of an inch. Consequently, their typical tube provides them with quite a spacious home. The tentacles are often five to ten times the length of the rest of the worm, and when examined with a hand lens or good magnifying glass, the various regions of the worm may be seen to have distinctly different appearances.

Phyllochaetopterus is generally a benign member of the detritivore group found in reef tanks and they are pretty good scavengers; any particulate material that strikes their tentacles is pulled into the tube and eaten. However, they are gregarious and reproduce well in reef tanks. These two properties may, in time, cause some problems. The worms can form quite large mats with literally hundreds to thousands of tubes all cemented together. These mats quite efficiently exclude other worms from the area, and can seal off the sand bed surface. This, in turn, can cause the emigration of other animals out from under such a patch, which can result in the cementation of sediments under the patch and the failure of the sand bed biological filtration under the patch of worms. Such worm masses need to be periodically broken up or removed from the system, otherwise they may cause the complete failure of a deep sand bed. The reproduction and subsequent patch growth can occur with surprising speed. In a 60 gallon hex tank I once had, I introduced some of these worms and, within about three months, they had literally paved the sand bed surface with their tubes. I attempted to remove them all, and it was not an easy task.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rs/index.htm

 

[Reeflix]

i agree, i had just about come to that conclusion.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

i agree, i had just about come to that conclusion.

I have a ton and used to think they were all spionids, but the pictures of "naked" Phyllochaetopterus look exactly like what I have. The pics of naked spionids are different, although the tubes I have more closely resemble spionids... Maybe there's a hybrid? Lol

 

[southfla79]

Thanks for the feedback, all! I appreciate it!