little worm thingys.... ??

[Viggen]

I saw something in my reef tank a few weeks ago that I haven't seen for a few years & I am wondering if anyone knows what they are.  They are like little clear/white tentacles that seem to be on/in certain rocks.  Sometimes it looks like they reach out & pull thing with the tentacles.

I have no clue what they are.  Most reach only 1-2 iches but others reach 4+ in   

[slandis3]

Any pics?

[Viggen]

unfortunantly, no pics.....

I do not have a camera that can take descent pics

[Reefinmike]

look on melevs id page and try to find what it looks like

[micki]

Do they look like they are grabbing something?  Maybe barnacles? 

[Secondgen]

Sounds like spaghetti worms to me. I had a few in the 55 I used to have. From everything I have read about them they are beneficial scavengers. They are a sign of a healthy system. They can have either white/clear, or red/brown tentacles.

[aquavista99]

Hey Viggen-- I attached a link of common worms in the saltwater aquarium.....do any of the worms shown in the link identify what you have in your tank?

http://www.pirx.com/gallery/worms

[Viggen]

secondgen is correct

I found the pic from the link aquavista99 tried to post & this is what they look like



I haven't seen them for several years & a few weeks back I see tons of them.  I thought I saw a large body that they come out of which is exactly what the pic shows.

So they are a good thing then??

[aquavista99]

Spaghetti worms are members of the Family Terebellidae. They are highly desirable and should be praised and worshipped. Just kidding, but in all seriousness, they are good to have in your reef aquarium and play an important role in keeping your sand bed healthy.

[Secondgen]

I had a couple of big ones. They looked like segmented worms such as nightcrawlers with the tentacles out one end. Some of the tentacles are actually gills they use for breathing while the others are used for catching/finding food.

[slandis3]

Did you add something new to you tank?

[Viggen]

nope, nothing new

probably 4 months ago I purhased a pair of cin. clowns & a yellow tang from someone on this site that was moveing

otherwise it's been the same for 4+ years I think

[Slicktrax]

have you lost any fish that may have been keeping the under control?