Hitchhiker worm ID help please

MarkW64 · 05/25/2016, 08:29 AM

I caught an almost 2 inch "worm" yesterday morning while trying to trap a gorilla crab. I posted over 24 hours ago on the "ID my critter" thread and have gotten no responses. I believe it is a polychaete, but I don't know whether to assume its just a bristleworm of some sort -- a beneficial scavenger -- or could it be some sort of predator I don't want to put back in my tank?

Anyone? Any reason to put it in the "bad hitchhiker" category?
Thanks

CuzzA · 05/25/2016, 05:47 PM

I don't know, but it's cool. Looks harmless, but who knows. Post it in the basic forum for better exposure.

MarkW64 · 05/25/2016, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuzzA

I don't know, but it's cool. Looks harmless, but who knows. Post it in the basic forum for better exposure.

Thanks, basically my sentiments: interesting, and probably harmless. I know a lot of people out there would say if you aren't sure, get rid of it. But as you may guess, as a huge TBS fan I'm more the opposite: if you aren't sure, keep it! I'll try a different post if I don't get anymore response from this or my first post this evening.

sbeason · 05/26/2016, 04:50 AM

Definitely a bristle worm. They eat food and crap that doesn't get eaten as it falls to the bottom of the tank. Of course they can grow much larger than what you see here.

zoobie88 · 05/27/2016, 09:08 PM

Plus 1 on bristle worm

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leviburns89 · 05/29/2016, 10:03 PM

All I can say is...

Most people who experience bad critters get them ID right away, this meaning this one is probably not a threat.

Most problematic critters can be very quickly identified.

I wouldn't add it back for two reasons.

1: you are unsure, never a good idea to add a critter you're unsure about.

2: you didn't add it intentionally, meaning there are certainly more. There wasn't just one egg, or one single hitchhiker you managed to catch. So if it is good, there are more to replace it.

Keep an eye on your livestock, and watch tank at night with a red gel filter over a flashlight to see if you can spot more, and what they do at night. Afterall, that's when the boogeyman comes out.

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truffle22 · 05/29/2016, 10:12 PM

It's a bristle worm

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leviburns89 · 05/29/2016, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truffle22

It's a bristle worm

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Fireworms, and Eunicid worms are also bristle worms.

Saying "it's a bristle worm" is like saying, "it's a mamal".

When if fact a mamal could be a field mouse or a Siberian tiger.

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05/25/2016, 08:29 AM	#1
MarkW64 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 217	Hitchhiker worm ID help please I caught an almost 2 inch "worm" yesterday morning while trying to trap a gorilla crab. I posted over 24 hours ago on the "ID my critter" thread and have gotten no responses. I believe it is a polychaete, but I don't know whether to assume its just a bristleworm of some sort -- a beneficial scavenger -- or could it be some sort of predator I don't want to put back in my tank? Anyone? Any reason to put it in the "bad hitchhiker" category? Thanks __________________ Setting up 230g Miracles mixed reef peninsula, TampaBaySaltwater liverock package, Radion Gen3 pros, Vectra returns

05/25/2016, 05:47 PM	#2
CuzzA Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Palm Harbor, FL Posts: 2,997	I don't know, but it's cool. Looks harmless, but who knows. Post it in the basic forum for better exposure.

05/26/2016, 04:50 AM	#4
sbeason Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Lake St Louis, MO Posts: 1,391	Definitely a bristle worm. They eat food and crap that doesn't get eaten as it falls to the bottom of the tank. Of course they can grow much larger than what you see here.

05/27/2016, 09:08 PM	#5
zoobie88 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 50	Plus 1 on bristle worm Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

05/29/2016, 10:03 PM	#6
leviburns89 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 652	All I can say is... Most people who experience bad critters get them ID right away, this meaning this one is probably not a threat. Most problematic critters can be very quickly identified. I wouldn't add it back for two reasons. 1: you are unsure, never a good idea to add a critter you're unsure about. 2: you didn't add it intentionally, meaning there are certainly more. There wasn't just one egg, or one single hitchhiker you managed to catch. So if it is good, there are more to replace it. Keep an eye on your livestock, and watch tank at night with a red gel filter over a flashlight to see if you can spot more, and what they do at night. Afterall, that's when the boogeyman comes out. Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

05/29/2016, 10:12 PM	#7
truffle22 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 48	It's a bristle worm Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk