Millipede like thing

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spikey

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 5, 2008
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Melbourne Australia
I have just seen a strange millipede like thing in my tank. It was long, flat white, and it had a lot of 'legs'. It came out of the rock about 4inches (10cm) and it looked as it could have come out a lot more.

Can anyone give me any ideas of what it is; and the most important thing is, is it safe with my fish?
 
It sounds to me it's a Bristle Worm. Good scavengers that will come out and cleanup old food etc, however, they can become a pest so I bet if you have 1 you will have alot more in amongst your rock. I have seen them in my system and when I do see them I remove them by tweezers NOT by hand they can cause and irritation. But I do not hunt for them. I am sure there are some on here that will say otherwise and have set traps etc to remove them.....summary NOT harmfull to livestock, GOOD scavengers, remove when seen as they can become a pest.
 
thanks,
'remove if they become a pest'. Do you mean is there numbers get out of hand? or is there something else I should be looking for?
 
If the numbers get out of hand is the answer. I rarely see any in my tank until I start moving stuff. Some see them ALL the time ALL over the place. That's out of hand. :)
 
I just leave them alone. They will thrive with more food and diminish with less. I consider them a great part of my clean up crew.
 
Roberz00,

my 10yo girl would say the same thing. Good question jucie28, I wonder is you could use the same trap procedure as with the mantis shrimp (coke bottle)?
 
maybe but it have to be a tiny hole so nothing else got caught in it and then with them mainly being in the rocks...how long woul it take for one to venture out of the rocks and into the bottle..i wonder..
 
For the small bristle worms, Coralife makes a "trap-em" kit specifically for bristleworms. You put it in your tank and the worm is supposed to crawl in, and you just take it out in the morning. However, i have never had any luck. I found that if you sit up and watch for awhile after setting up the baited trap, it only taks 10-15 minutes for the worm to come investigate. Set the trap closest to where you have seen the worm come out. They never go all the way into the trap for me, so i just wait untill their a ways into the trap, then quickly grab it with a pair of plyers and take it out that way. Works just as well. Keep in mind that you have a better chance to get them at night. I have only done this twice(when i noticed the worms started bothering my blenny in his normal rock home). Their not normally a problem unless they get too big, or theres too many.

Hope this helps.
 
This is a picture of my little friend

This is a picture of my little friends.
 

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The white thing? That doesn't look like a bristle worm to me. Also, you have some cayno creeping up and should wok on getting rid of that before it takes over your tank.
 
Yes,

The tank is only new and there is a little cayno. I am starving the tank and sucking up the cayno. Any ideas on what the white thing is then??????
 
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Without a better pic, I would guess a Caterpillar weed (neomeris annulata). It is a calcerous algae, what is you alk reading?
Can you describe it in more detail, is the tip greenish/fuzzy?
Is it segmented?
 
Try these photos

It is not a Caterpillar weed (neomeris annulata), it comes out when the light goes off. It is like a worm or something, it comes out eats and hides back under the rock. As soon as it see you it hides back under the rock. Any other suggestions. Take a look at these photos
 

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Ok, I see it netter, I thought it was sticking out of the sand. It's coming out of the rock, right?
That 2nd pic looks more like a peanut worm, but I am not 100% sure...
 
I had a little look at the definition for a Peanut Worm, it "has a flask-shaped, almost cylindrical body, which is pointed at the front end."

My worm is thin 3mm (0.1in), 6mm (0.3in) wide and who knows how long. It come out 15cm (6in).

Lovely looking worm!
 
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