What are these worms? More punctuation issues  >hi,  first, thank you for a terrific site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  >>You're welcome, and we're asking everyone who writes in to *please* use proper punctuation (capitalization of "I", capital letters beginning sentences, third grade stuff) as these go into our site's archives. Being all-volunteer crew, we rarely have time to retype queries.  >now my question:  >>Indeed.  >I have tiny whitish cream colored worm like creatures on my glass, my 125gal salt tank. they remind me of inch worms but a lot smaller and don't move like them. do you have any idea if these are harmful to my fish ???  >>I'm sure they aren't, and could be any one of thousands of possible creatures.  >I know you don't have a magic ball but I thought maybe you might have a slight idea and tell me something that will make me feel better..  thanks in advance for your help, Caryn  >>I'm sure they're not harmful, and are likely food for those fish that might like to eat them. Such is to be expected when keeping saltwater fishes, especially if making use of good (and sometimes even not so good) live rock. Marina

Encrusting Calcium Worms Hello Crew,<Howdy!> I recently added a nice piece of Fiji rock to my tank, has sprouted some sea squirts coco worms and some clam or oyster, perhaps a scallop as it is still small and clear hard to tell.<Awesome!> What I am wondering about is I have noticed from time to time what appears to be sand or small round particles being ejected from the rock. I now have what appears to be small white curls growing on the back and sides and now on the front of my aquarium, They are really tiny and only with the use of a magnifying glass was I able to tell they curled.  any ideas of what this may be as I do not even know what to look for in a search.<I call them encrusting calcium worms because I can't remember the real name for them.  They are harmless and are a common sighting in most aquariums.> also if you know what they are? should I be concerned?<See above! No need for concern.  Cody> Thanks, Drew

Worms II Hello Cody,<Howdy!> Thank you for your reply , I found what I was looking for , they are more then likely Spirorbidae from the family of Serpulidae and says they are a sign of a maturing tank, this is good then.<Yeppers!> One question I can not seem to find a solid answer on is the ideal temp, Specific Gravity, and PH, also what about calcium of I think KH??? I do not have corals yet, I do have some polyps and inverts, and some feather dusters etc... read below . My LFS says temp 75-76 with SG of 1.023 -1.025 with ph around 8.3 another LFS say same temp but SG that high will stress fish out and cause disease. another say higher temp but lower SG in the range of 1.021-1.022 and temp of 80.<I prefer temp at 78-80 and SG as 1.025-1.026 this is about what oceans are at if you take a average.> right now I have my temp at 76 with SG of 1.023 and PH 8.2 is this good bad in the middle? My fish seem healthy and active and eat well, also my inverts are very active.<Yes this is fine, but maybe on your next water change increase the SG a little but no more than .001 at a time.> Thanks
Drew

Hold The Sauce- It's Just A Spaghetti Worm!  Good Morning -  <Hello there! Scott F. with you today!>  Below are several pictures of hitchhiking organisms in my tank. My tank is rather small (45 gallons) and has been up and running for approx. 1 1/2 years. The 1st 3 pictures are of a worm of some type that I've had in my tank for most of the time I've had the tank. It used to only show up at night (dark) and would retract when exposed to light. It would appear to come out of the LR and I was/am not concerned about it since it does not appear to be causing any problems. Recently though, it has changed. It now comes out at all hours and it appears to have a central point that all of the appendages come from - almost appearing to be a calcareous tube. It has and continues to get larger and with more worm like appendages. I keep the tank fairly clean and clean out the skimmer often to keep excess nutrients to a minimum. I also have several stars and other scavengers to keep the detritus to a healthy level. Is this a Medusa worm and is there anything I need to know about it or be concerned about? It does not appear to be a segmented worm.  <To me, it appears to be a Terebellid Worm, more commonly known as a "Spaghetti Worm", typically of the genus Eupolymnia or Loimia. Interesting and harmless; I wouldn't worry about 'em...Enjoy the diversity>  The last picture is of what I thought was a sponge but I now am questioning that it is not some form of polyp - the picture may not be clear enough to make a distinction. Several of these have developed in my tank in various areas and are actively growing. They all appear spherical in nature, are different sizes and are actively growing. Any clue?  <I couldn't make a good call on that one. Would it be possible to send a more clear pic? Thanks!>  Thanks - Love your site. J.T. Craddock  <Thanks for the kind words, J.T.- enjoy the unique creatures that are popping up in your tank! Regards, Scott F.>

Algae and Worm Identification 3/26/04 Hello Anthony! <cheers Thanassis> Could you pls help me identify the algae in the picture? I believed it to be Dictyota, since I saw a photo in your book "Reef invertebrates", where it looks like the Gracilaria. <the photo is not clear, my friend, but it does appear to be like Dictyota> Secondly, I noticed just yesterday the very thin and black striped worms getting a part of their tentacles out of a hole in the LR. Firstly I thought they were the feet of a brittle star, but them I realized they came out from two different holes in the LF. Can you identify it? <alas, no... nothing discernible here> Sorry about the bad quality of photos. Thanks, Thanassis <kind regards, Anthony>

Worm Worries (3/23/04) <For future reference, please capitalize the proper noun "I" and try to use punctuation in your inquiries. We post all queries and replies permanently on our site, so they need to be as readable as possible. Our volunteer staff will have much more time to answer queries if they don't have to spend time fixing grammar. Thanks.>   I just started a small saltwater tank and its been running for about 5-6 weeks. All of my fish are great but anyway I just bought a turbo snail and put it in my tank (after quarantine of course). My 5 gal q tank showed no signs of this worm intruder but my main tank has a 2 cm worm it looks like a very tiny and pale leech. It doesn't much like light and when i went at it with a tweezers it squirmed into my live rock. Do you think it is bristleworm larvae or some other thing. PLEASE get back to me on answer A.S.A.P, thanks for your time. Aaron <Not a larva, but a juvenile bristle worm. Truth be told, bristle worms usually do more good than harm. Read the bristle worm FAQs for all the info you need. Hope this helps, Steve Allen.>

Strange worms in California about a foot long and really skinny! I found a bunch of worms that looked like squirming skinny strings.  they are less than a 16th of an inch in diameter and one was almost a foot long...they were slender and their diameter was constant from one end to the other...it didn't even seem like they had a head or anything. do you have any idea of what it is??  They were found in Poso Creek in California in the County of Kern...they were in the leaves along a sandy creek that just started to run....I can send a photo if you want me to... Thanks, Sam <Please do send a pic... Do these worms have any apparent bristles or other identifying structures? Is there a definite banded area near the "head" end? Sounds like some sort of Oligochaete to me (a setae-less annelid/segmented worm) which does not narrow this down much. Same group as the common "nightcrawler, earthworms, Tubifex... Bob Fenner>
Re: strange worms in California about a foot long and really skinny! thanks so much for the quick response! After I had sent you the question i found out what it was later...it's common name is the "horsehair worm".....some have been found up to two feet long I guess... they have an incredibly interesting life cycle......sort of scary actually! Thanks for the help and take care Sam <Neat! The phylum Nematomorpha... not often seen. Thanks for sending this update. Bob Fenner>