Bristleworms... Observations... Reproduction and Removal   10/21/07
Hey Team:
<Hi John, Mich here.>
Not really a question today, just more of an observation. I was scraping my tank walls and creating quite the amount of wave action ;). During the process tons of red bristle worms came out and began hanging half way out of the rocks and then releasing a red (pinkish) fluid into the water
<Possibly reproductive materials.>
I am sure they do this all the time, however, it was the first time I had witness such occurrence.
<Neat!>
Also was a great opportunity to pick out some of the longer ones.
<Thanks for sharing. Mich>
John

Night of the Triffids... polychaete repro. event  4/25/07 
Tonight (April 24, 2007) before the lights went off watching my tank (200 gal, 7 years old) I saw something truly strange.
Water started changing into milky colour, very quickly.
Worms, light pink, between 1-2 ", looked like bristly (but I've a doubts - I use something similar for fishing)
<Yes>
sticking their heads from all over and spitting white sperm-like matter.
<This and eggs>
Didn't know so many in my tank. Hundreds of them!
Bottom - No sand - shells only and rocks.  
Fishes were bothered a little by the whole situation; corals and anemones not at all.
During the day, when I vacuum tank's bottom, always get a good bunch of them.
If that what happened is what I think it is - I'm in trouble: in the near future there will be infestation of these worms in my tank.
One good thinks - they have to eat what is left on the bottom after snails, crabs and shrimps.
After few hours water is still white cloudy.  What in the world what that?
Night of the Triffids? I presume.
Marcin Mankowski
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaebehfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Bristleworm and Cat Shark Issues – 4/17/07
Hello.
<Hi there!>
We recently hatched a small banded cat-shark in our 90gallon tank. (Don't worry, when he grows he will be destined for a much larger 240gallon)
<Mmmm, hopefully that will be soon as these sharks grow very quickly in their first year. I wouldn’t have recommended anything smaller than a 125g to start - for the shark alone!>
Last night I had the flashlight out watching him feed on ghost shrimp, as his appetite has been hit or miss in the first few weeks.
<Not unusual in a very young shark. Am concerned though, about its well being in a crowded community tank. Sharks, especially just out of the case, are vulnerable and in need of some quiet and care. A situation such as this could be very stressful/detrimental. Please watch for aggression (picking/nipping) from other fish, along with any signs of decline.>  
While doing this, I noticed a few large orange puffs appear in the tank. I watched, and found some large (~3inch) bristle worms would stick one end in the air and "discharge" a milky orange looking cloud. I managed to film one of them doing this.
<Neat! By the way, thank you for sharing this experience with us. It helps us all!>
Then I noticed several of the smaller ones doing it on a much smaller scale. The entire tank became as cloudy for a bit.  Now, my questions are
1) What were they doing?
<Likely releasing gametes/spawning.>
2) Was it harmful to the tank?
<No, just added to the nutrient load.>
3) Our population seems to have really exploded since our arrow head crab died.
<Yes, rapid population increase likely due to a nutrient problem, combined with the loss of a predator. Decrease/export nutrients and the bristleworm population will fall on its own, to more normal levels. Please see this link regarding nutrient control: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm.>
I am hesitant to get another, as we have a fire shrimp and a red striped shrimp that I am worried would be no match for an arrow head.
<Given the chance, the shark will eat these first, then go after any slow fish you have (mandarin).>  
What would you recommend as a population controller in our tank?
<(See above) Unfortunately, your tank is more than overcrowded, which is putting a strain on your system’s ability to process the bio load (and it's only going to get worse as the shark grows). It’s also not an ideal situation for the inhabitants. Please read these links for more information on shark keeping and compatibility:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkcompfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharkslvgrm.htm>
FYI, in addition to the shrimp and cat-shark we have the following: 2 blue damsels, 2 silver damsels a coral beauty, and angel, a yellow tang, a large clown fish, and a mandarin goby.
Todd Aston
<Take care and good luck! -Lynn>

Electric worm in my reef tank!   9/4/06
Dear Mr. Fenner,
<Derek>
This evening I decided to have a look in my reef tank while the lights were all out, in the hope I might see one of the many creatures that spend the day hidden in holes in the rocks.
<Is really a fun, neat time for observation>
Well, I saw my boxer shrimp behaving a bit odd, looking like he'd caught something, so I looked closer hoping it wasn't one of my fish. At first I couldn't see anything in his claws but he seemed to be wrestling with something. A moment later two thin strips of vivid electric blue lit up between his outstretched claws and he jumped back like he'd put a pincer in the mains socket.
<Ah, yes, phosphorescence... not uncommon in the wild>
I continued to watch, trying to adjust my eyes to the dark water, and again a flash of blue, the shrimp jumped back again. Eventually I could see he'd caught what looked like a 2.5" long worm. It was too dark to make out properly, and I didn't want to suddenly light the whole tank up, but the worm looked thin and flat, and while the boxer tried to eat it the worm shot lines of really bright electric blue along its body.
<A type of reflex defensive mechanism>
it looked like the shrimp was chewing on a live wire, but the most beautiful blue glow. The glow clearly hurt the shrimp, though he didn't give up, and at this moment the boxer appears to have won and is slowly eating the worm. Now that the glowing has stopped the worm looks very plain and could easily be a bristle worm, but do they glow like that?
<Can, yes>
Whatever this is it has me very excited, I'm amazed to see an unidentified glowing creature in my little reef. I almost wanted to stop the boxer killing it but short of pulling every rock out there was no way I'd separate them, and I also wondered if this worm could be a danger to the fish anyway.
I'm a big fan of Wet Web Media and have spent many hours reading through your FAQ's, so when I saw this unexpected and unidentified creature I thought of contacting you first. Have you any idea what it was?
<Yes... an instance of (observed) bio-phosphorescence...>
Did I get all excited about something common?
<Mmm, not commonly seen in captivity>
I'm fairly new to reef keeping but to me this felt like some kind of discovery ;) I tried to get it on my digital video camera but it was too dark to see anything.
I'd love to know your thoughts. I've tried looking for similar things online but turned up no clues at all.
Thanks in advance for your time, and thanks for the great site.
Regards,
Derek
<Do take a look/see on the Net with the term: "biological phosphorescence/luminescense in the sea" in your search tool/s. Bob Fenner>

Re: Electric worm in my reef tank!   9/4/06
Dear Bob,
<Derek>
Many thanks for your reply. I feel very privileged to have seen this if it is not commonly observed in captivity. Now I'm trying to find out what the tiny star shaped white things are on my glass, they look sort of like tiny white starfish (in shape only) but with only 4 stubby 'legs'... they're maybe 5mm in diameter.
<Mmm, likely Asterina sp.>
I've only ever seen two in the tank (at one time). Any ideas would be very welcome...I'll continue my search on that.
<Look up this name>
I'm completely fascinated by all the unusual creatures/organisms that appear in or grow on my reef unexpectedly. It's great to have WWM as a resource to help identify them, and to have your personal replies is just fantastic.
Thanks again for your time.
Best regards,
Derek
<Welcome. BobF>

Feather Duster  - 03/11/2006
Hello, my fishy friends!
<Hi>
Thanks for all the help - and the confusion (bristleworms, good or bad? 6-line wrasse, "really" reef-safe or not?)  ;-)
<Mmm, welcome>
I think I have found the answer to my question in the FAQ's, just trying to verify.  A couple of weeks ago I bought one of the small feather dusters (red/white head, tube about 3" long, smaller in diameter than a pencil).  I drip-acclimated him like I do everything, then put him in a crevice where the bottom of the tube would be in the substrate.  I never once saw him come out of his tube.  A few days later I noticed that he wasn't getting much light where he was so I was going to move him,
<Mmm, best not to>
but when I removed the tube it seemed empty.  I didn't actually watch the guy at the LFS bag him, but I left
the tube in my tank just to be sure in case he was still in there.
<Good>
Now, this morning when I turned the lights on in my nano, there was a tan lump about the size of an M&M sticking out of one of my pieces of live rock. Once the lights went on, it started pulsating and eventually disappeared.
The tank is about a month old and everything in it either came out of my
60-gallon tank or I bought as a frag.  Is that thing my feather duster?
<Could very well be>
I have a lot of small feather dusters in my other tank, but since the heads come directly out of live rock I don't know what their bodies look like.  If that is him, will he decide tube-life is not for him and make his new home in my live rock?
<Will actually generate another "tube"... What a planet eh? Bob Fenner>
Thanks!

Spaghetti Worm? 8/23/05
Thanks for providing this excellent service.
<Welcome>
I've learned an incredible amount browsing through your FAQs.  My question has to do with what I believe is a spaghetti worm.  It never shows itself, and never changes position, but it sends out about 8 long, white tentacles, about 6-8 inches long.  My problem is that every so often, it emits a dense cloud of what looks to be organic material that eventually clouds my tank.
<Ahh! Likely waste and/or reproductive products>
Sometimes it's yellow-green, other times it is black. Is that stuff harmful?  Or could it be beneficial?
<Likely a bit of both, but not very dangerous>
I have a flowerpot coral, brain coral, couple of small starfish and a coral beauty angel.   My tank is 50 gal, with about 35 lb. live rock, and I'm using the deep sand bed method.  Thanks very much.
Bob
<Thank you for writing, sharing. Bob Fenner>

Really Weird Things Happening In My Tank: Bristleworms? - 06/11/05
Hi Crew!  I have tried to find out on your site and in my books about what happened in my tank 2 nights ago; if you can direct me, I would appreciate it!
<<Can...and will.>>
I was just admiring my 75 gal. tank which is over 1 year old, but I had just bought it off a friend who was moving and have been living the Life Aquatic for only 2 months now: I am really new at this, but I Love it!
<<Me too!  Much wonderment to be discovered.>>
I have a serpent star, lots of little blue-leg hermits, huge turbo snails, 2 conch snails, 2 blood shrimp, 2 perc clowns and a yellow tang in with ~90lbs live rock and crushed coral sand bottom. The parameters are tested weekly (which are stable and healthy) and water changed every other week.  I have added a torch coral, frogspawn coral, a gorgeous bubble tip anemone, pompom coral, Ricordea mushroom, candy cane coral, green star polyps and pulsating xenia.  As I was admiring the beauty of the tank after work at about 7pm, Suddenly!: there was an explosion of milky-white liquid shoot up from behind the rock in the center of the tank.  I tried to see where it came from and then noticed another shot of white liquid shoot from the end of the tank, and a couple minutes later another shot from the other end!  I turned off the flow to see if I could find out what was happening from above over the rock.  It was coming out from the holes in the live rock!  And it continued to spurt from all over the tank in random places, clouding the water, but not appearing to affect the fish or the corals.  Then I saw "IT": A HUGE-ENORMOUS bristle worm slithering thru the rock (maybe 6" long and 1/4" diameter) and when the tail end got to the opening in the rock, blasted out another shot of white liquid! Then I saw here and there other small pinkish coloured bristle worms poking out of rocks here and there: they were ALL doing it!  So I Think I know the WHO part of the scene.  My questions are: WHAT were they doing and WHY were they doing it, DO they Do that ALL the time/WHEN will they do that again?
Should I try trapping them and getting rid of them or is this a good thing that is happening???  I turned the power heads and skimmer back on and added 2 jugs of R.O. water and the cloudiness cleared up and I have watched and waited for 2 days, and everyone looks fine and don't appear to have suffered any ill effects and it hasn't happened again since: not that I have been around to witness anyway...Nature never ceases to amaze me! Thanks for any information that you can steer me to! Rita (of RnR)
<<Well Rita, it would seem you have witnessed a spawning event.  Little to worry about as you have discovered.  Much more info to be found here, and at the links in blue: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bristlewrmfaqs.htm  Regards, Eric R.>>