Parasite

I have what I think is a parasite in my tank. It's long and thin like a worm, but has little stubs for arms like a cenepede all down both sides of it. It's a light reddish color and I believe it killed my fire shrimp last night. Any ideas what this could be or where it came from? The only thing I've added to my tank recently was a hippo tang about a month ago. I'll try to get a picture of it on here soon to. What should I do? I'm afraid it will kill the other hermit crabs and the three fish I have in my tank. It seems to be lurking in my live rock so I can't just get it out very easily.

 

its a brisstle worm. Most likely did not kill you shrimp. How long as your tank been up and running? They dont harm anything at all, just dont grab it bare handed it will sting. They are a great addition to any tank as a clean up crew.

 

My tank has been up and running for about a year and a half. I have never seen this worm before.

 

I'm pretty sure it killed my shrimp, or at least it's eating it, because it sucked it into the hole in the live rock where it is hiding out.

 

Bristleworms are scavengers. It's not likely that it killed your shrimp but it would definitely eat a dead or dying shrimp. All reef tanks have bristleworms. They tend to be more nocturnal and shy when they're small which is why you probably haven't noticed it before. If you're not too squeamish, try looking in your tank a few hours after the lights have gone out. You might be surprised at the amount of worms that you have in there.

 

im still not sure where is stand with bristles
but better safe than sorry

 

Really?!?! are you talking in general in regards to the polychaete class marine worms???

Because there are "bad" bristleworms and "good" ones

 

Yup, pretty much all reef tanks have bristleworms and other types of worms. It's pretty hard to avoid getting them in your tank. If they don't come in on live rock, they can come in on pieces of rock that are attached to coral frags or in live sand. It's very rare for people to get "bad" bristleworms but it's been known to happen.

 

The only worm to look out for and remove if possible is the bobbit worm which can be very predatory. These hide in crevices and are not likely to be out in the open. They are darker in colour and have smaller bristles compared to a bristle worm.

 

IT could be a number of thing's... So heres a link with pics to help id you creepy crawly...


Link: Worm Hitch Hikers



Best of Luck...