Question: Tank Critter question

[blackdog]

Just a general question about a tank critter i found.

I've searched this forum, a fish forum etc, and i cant find any info.

It wasn't actually in my axie tank, but my daughter' s fish tank

I just gave it a good clean today, and in the waste water we found a funny looking worm.

It was about an inch long, reddish pink to white in colour, a visible "head end", and has what appears to be hundreds of legs the length of it's body.

It looks like a centipede actually.

Any clues?

I'm not really concerned as her fish seem fine, i guess i just want to know

bren

 

[sek]

It almost sounds like a tubifex worm. A photo would help.

 

[blackdog]

Here 'tis!

 

[blackdog]

I'm not sure, the only info i can find on tubifex worms online show pics of them in a big group / mass - hard to tell - what do you think?

I found an illustration - http://www.scientificillustrator.com/illustration/insect/tubifex-worm.html

My worm appears to have legs

 

[sek]

Thanks for the picture. It is very strange, I have not seen anything like this before. I have looked at a few parasite webpages and can't seem to find anything there either.

I'm glad you have removed it from the fish tank, make sure to dispose of it humanely. I will keep searching on the net for you to see if I can find out what it is. If you find any more in your fish tank do let us know.

EDIT: I do believe I have found something. I think you've found something similar to an Eunice worm.
Check out this: http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=40913

Or, it could possibly be this: http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/bristleworm.htm

Also this: http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1631

You'll want to remove any more of these if you find them, as both are known to eat fish.

Hope this helps!

 

[blackdog]

Hmmm, thanks for that.

I think the closest to what i can see is the bristle worm, a small one.

Have to keep an eye out for them! From what i read, they are mostly harmless scavengers, so not too concerned about the fish. Some breeds will get big enough to eat fish, but i reckon i'll spot one before it gets that big

I'm going with bristle worm unless there are other ideas?

 

[blackdog]

here is a more detailed pic - i think more and more it's a bristle worm

 

[Crysta]

wow page stretch much?

Looks like a bristle worm to me, I say get rid of it.

 

[sek]

Definitely a bristle worm. Make sure to dispose of it humanely

 

[lea]

Do you know how the worm got into your tank????
lea

 

[Ken Worthington]

Maybe it's just me, but if I found something like that I'd find an empty jam-jar and try to 'accomodate' it (after Googling/Forum-searches etc) and observe the creature's behaviour a bit. :happy:

 

[sek]

I'd have to agree with Ken there, actually. I also noticed you have a few 'baby' bristle's in that second photo.

 

[blackdog]

Babies? I see no steeenking babies??!!! You see babies?

i hope not, 'cos they are ugly!

I have a very confident answer from a fish forum that it is in fact a bristle worm for sure (the guy even named a specific type)

Where from? - Apparently another plant hitchhiker

Is it harmful to tank mates? - No, not this type. Totally normal like pond snails, copepods & planaria, only a problem if you don't like the look of them. Extra waste of course, but like most of the other tank critters they tend to manage their on population in a healtht tank. It's only when something is out of whack you will get a population explosion

other types around can get very big and eat fish etc, although this one can get 1 mt long (wow) and 10 mm around, even at that size it is supposedly harmless and remains a scavenger.

What does it eat? - Fish poop, left over food and other waste, so quite a handy bug to have in your gravel (albeit ugly)

What will i do? - Nothing. I'll remove them if i see them, but as they will do no harm to the fish, i'm not concerned. I have Danios in that tank, which are very aggressive im told, so if seen in the open, any more bristleworms are dead meat

I will also be careful of cross contamination to avoid them getting into my axie tank, i am already, but it looks like it is practically impossible to avoid tank critters getting in to just about any tank if they want to

I find that amazing

Bren

 

[sek]

Just make sure to quarrantine any new plants for 30 days.