WHAT is THIS??!!

[Jess1ca]

Found it doing a wc, would expect to find this in my salt tank.... Not my Betta's!

 

[stingrays4]

Hi looks very much like a bristleworm - a freshwater breed? A daft question but is there anyway it could have come from your marine tank? Happy new year

 

[Jess1ca]

Hi looks very much like a bristleworm - a freshwater breed? A daft question but is there anyway it could have come from your marine tank? Happy new year

Hello I've been pondering on that myself.... I use the same hose to syphon the water out of the tanks at water change time but the hose is rolled up and put away for 3 days or so between uses... Idk if they could last that long out of water? This differs from te bristle worms in my salt tank because the appendages are more like legs & it swims! It wiggles in a swimming motion and it has 2 black eyes! I've never noticed eyes like that on the normal bristleworm! Could bristleworms a live in fw??

Happy new year to u too

 

[Gillie]

There are freshwater bristleworms, the most common one being namalycastis siolii from the Amazon region. The legs are also barbed and can cause a rash.

 

[stingrays4]

Hi it would seem very unlikely it could have come from your marine tank and yes I would imagine they cannot live that long out of water Sounds well weird and scary But I wonder where it came from? Have you added anything new lately?
Thanks - enjoy your evening

 

[54seaweed]

he was prob stuck in the hose ,since you use the same hose on both tanks
he would have enough moister in the hose to survive a few days I would think

 

[Jess1ca]

I put that crazy worm back in the tank. I really don't think it's a saltwater bristleworm, it doesn't have bristles they are more like legs or something. And visible eyes. And it totally "swam" away! I watched the bristleworms in my salt tank tonight at feeding & they are definitely not the same species. I did a search on the forum and found another member found the same worm & the only thing he/she found close was a freshwater version of a bristleworm. It was dying in the measuring cup & I was feeling bad & thought if they are beneficial to my salt system why not let it stay in the fresh? Maybe it beneficial there since I don't run any real mechanical fitration just a sponge filter. I do weekly wc & vac's. the stock is 1 Betta 2 Mystery snails, a couple ramshorns & RCS. My Betta hated my hob filter so I've been running just a sponge filter. Probably rode in on some driftwood or something?

 

[Gillie]

This is namalycastis siolli a freshwater bristleworm


Looks about the same to me