ID needed... Bristleworm or... ?

tj1627 · 01/05/2013, 05:23 PM

Hey all, found something interesting in my tank today. At first I thought they were a hermit's antennas, but then i noticed the barbs on it. They extend maybe 1 1/4 in out of the rock. So far I've spotted 4 of these, all extending from the same rock, different locations. I brushed one with a plastic rod and it retracted.

I think it may be a bristle worm, but it looks very different from the pics I've seen of them before. Any ideas?

Background on my tank: About 9 months old, started with dry base rock and dry sand. I'm keeping an RBTA, few LPS corals, few softies (All corals dipped before entry into the tank... but nothing is 100%), pistol shrimp, blue spotted goby, mccoskers wrasse, pair of o. clowns.

Thanks in advance,
Tim

thebkramer · 01/05/2013, 05:31 PM

those would be mini brittle stars!!

love these little guys!! they don't get any bigger than that! I really love the red tinted ones myself!!! great lil hitchhikers!!!

bnumair · 01/05/2013, 05:58 PM

brittle starfish is my guess too.

BAGGERZ13 · 01/05/2013, 06:09 PM

Yup looks like a bristle starfish to me. I found one in my tank as well. Pretty cool looking.

joe_himself · 01/05/2013, 08:43 PM

Cool little hitchhiker for sure, Should be ok to leave em alone.

tj1627 · 01/05/2013, 10:05 PM

Thanks all :-) how well do these guys survive coral dips?

That'd be my guess as to when they arrived. The rock and sand in my tank was dry base rock out of water for months with zero growth on it.

Oh well, definitely a cool hitchhiker. Probably my first real hitchhiker I've spotted. Most everything else in my tank (for better or worse) has been placed in there intentionally by me.

Again, thanks for the quick help all

cjeffers88 · 01/07/2013, 12:45 AM

I have a large brittle in my tank, if I had to guess his arms are probably 9-10 inches >.< its wild and then I probably have 20+ mini brittles popping out from here and there.

01/05/2013, 05:23 PM	#1
tj1627 I Dated a Robot Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Downers Grove, IL Posts: 303	ID needed... Bristleworm or... ? Hey all, found something interesting in my tank today. At first I thought they were a hermit's antennas, but then i noticed the barbs on it. They extend maybe 1 1/4 in out of the rock. So far I've spotted 4 of these, all extending from the same rock, different locations. I brushed one with a plastic rod and it retracted. I think it may be a bristle worm, but it looks very different from the pics I've seen of them before. Any ideas? Background on my tank: About 9 months old, started with dry base rock and dry sand. I'm keeping an RBTA, few LPS corals, few softies (All corals dipped before entry into the tank... but nothing is 100%), pistol shrimp, blue spotted goby, mccoskers wrasse, pair of o. clowns. Thanks in advance, Tim __________________ -Tim They’ve done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time. Current Tank Info: 75 Gal Marineland Tank, 40B AGA Sump: Vertex Omega 150 Skimmer + Vectra Cleaner, 2x Radion XR30W G2, 2x Jebao WP-10, 2x Ecotech Vortech MP10w, Waveline DC-4000 Return Pump, Red Sea Coral Pro Salt

01/05/2013, 05:31 PM	#2
thebkramer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 3,198	those would be mini brittle stars!! love these little guys!! they don't get any bigger than that! I really love the red tinted ones myself!!! great lil hitchhikers!!! __________________ Rhonda There is NO such things as Dumb Questions!! There are However.. Dumb Answers!!! ;) ____________ Current Tank Info: 55g reef....Current Orbit SunPaq Lights, HOB Eshopps, HOB AquaClear 110, 2-1400 Koralia Powerheads & 1 Nano Koralia, 40+ lbs LR, 2" LS

01/05/2013, 05:58 PM	#3
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	brittle starfish is my guess too. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

01/05/2013, 06:09 PM	#4
BAGGERZ13 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Harford County MD Posts: 331	Yup looks like a bristle starfish to me. I found one in my tank as well. Pretty cool looking. __________________ Tank Setup: RSM 130D Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 130D

01/05/2013, 10:05 PM	#6
tj1627 I Dated a Robot Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Downers Grove, IL Posts: 303	Thanks all :-) how well do these guys survive coral dips? That'd be my guess as to when they arrived. The rock and sand in my tank was dry base rock out of water for months with zero growth on it. Oh well, definitely a cool hitchhiker. Probably my first real hitchhiker I've spotted. Most everything else in my tank (for better or worse) has been placed in there intentionally by me. Again, thanks for the quick help all __________________ -Tim They’ve done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time. Current Tank Info: 75 Gal Marineland Tank, 40B AGA Sump: Vertex Omega 150 Skimmer + Vectra Cleaner, 2x Radion XR30W G2, 2x Jebao WP-10, 2x Ecotech Vortech MP10w, Waveline DC-4000 Return Pump, Red Sea Coral Pro Salt

01/05/2013, 08:43 PM	#5
joe_himself Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 71	Cool little hitchhiker for sure, Should be ok to leave em alone.

01/07/2013, 12:45 AM	#7
cjeffers88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 8	I have a large brittle in my tank, if I had to guess his arms are probably 9-10 inches >.< its wild and then I probably have 20+ mini brittles popping out from here and there.