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View Full Version : Hitchhiker worm Id

woody283
02/27/2010, 11:07 AM
My tank has been set up for about 6 months and it was started with dead rock and seeded with sand from my 30g. I have never seen these in the 30. They look to be some kind of worm. When the lights are off they stretch out to about 4 to 5 inches and float in the current, and when the light come on they retract fast and shrink to about a 16th of an inch.
scuba guy ron
02/27/2010, 11:56 AM
No clue. Those are crazY looking
philneuss
02/27/2010, 12:02 PM
I had those in my tank as well. They didn't cause any problems. Seemed to be some kind of particulate feeder.
woody283
02/27/2010, 03:12 PM
Any ideas. this is the first one to get me stumped. A google search for marine worms turned up nothing. Is it even a worm? I was thinking maybe a hydroid but that didnt turn anything up either.
shrimphead
02/27/2010, 03:46 PM
i've had these before for a short time, i think i remember reading that they can sting irratating other corals but i might be getting mixed up with something simmilar
greenbean36191
02/28/2010, 08:17 AM
They're digitate hydroids. They can sting corals and spread. You'll probably want to kill them.
noahm
02/28/2010, 10:16 AM
+1 on digitate hydroids, but I have yet to see them sting anything in my tank. They lay all over some of my corals and I have never seen any indication that they are even care. I have read about therm stinging, but it is always second hand. I am thinking that there is either a lot of hearsay spread about them, or there are different species that sting more ore less. Melev has them on his site/tank, and indicates no real probs either.
woody283
02/28/2010, 11:02 AM
is manual removal the only way or will they subside over time? Theres nothing in the tank but crabs and snails so if i need to i can pull some rock.
noahm
02/28/2010, 12:33 PM
I have heard people supergluing over them, others have had them just disappear. I have probably 50 or so spread around my tank. They popped up almost overnight, but haven't spread further in 6 months. Like I said before, though, mine don't bother anything even with direct repeated contact so I just enjoy their unique presence. I imagine you can take out the rock and treat it any number of ways to kill them.