Weird hitchhiker and possibly strange snail behavior

R Tyler Mack · 12/24/2006, 01:54 AM

Hello all.

About a month ago I started up my 2.5 gallon pico tank. It has finished cycling and is getting over a case of the diatoms, now. A week ago, after everything leveled out for a couple of days, I added three nassarius snails and a small piece of live rock (I already had about 2 pounds of live rock in the tank, but I accidentally overheated it in a bucket and killed off any hitchhikers).

Since their addition, the snails have been a wonderful addition of life to an otherwise boring tank, and they all seem healthy (I guess? I don't know what to look for to know, really), except they don't burrow in the sand like I was told they usually do.

Initially, they did. When I first put them in the tank they all shut under the sand, but by the next day two were on the glass (the other still in the sand), and now I regularly find two of them on the glass at any given time. I assume the same two stick to the glass and the other one ventures onto the rock and under the sand, but I'm unsure. They are usually up at the top almost at the water level.

ALSO, I have a freaky night-time hitchhiker. It is a long worm (or worm-like object) which extends from the same hole every night and stretches several inches across to the other rocks, to different spots each night. It does not move or barely moves unless I turn on the lights, and it retracts, relatively slowly. There are no "antenna" or anything sticking out from the end. It just ends. It is dark green-grey in color, and only about a millimeter wide. I don't have any pictures yet.

Any ideas?

LeslieH · 12/24/2006, 12:10 PM

Your "worm" sounds like the proboscis (feeding structure) of a peanut worm. Harmless and beneficial.

charlesr1958 · 12/24/2006, 10:59 PM

You may find what you have as a hitch hiker by going through the worm section of my hitch hiker pages, hopefully.

Hitch Hikers

Chuck

kmk2307 · 12/26/2006, 03:21 PM

Try a google search of both Nassarius and Ilynassa. Ilynassa spend less time burrowing in my experience and are what you might consider the cheaper substitute for Nassarius which are often sold as the real deal. I believe there is a Reefkeeping Magazine article discussing the differences between the two.

Does the worm's tentacle appear to "unroll" when it is extending and "roll up" when it is retracting? That would be consistant with a peanut worm (Phylum Sipuncula). Otherwise, it might be the tentacle of a Polychaete Annelid worm.

12/24/2006, 01:54 AM	#1
R Tyler Mack Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: SE Michigan Posts: 38	Weird hitchhiker and possibly strange snail behavior Hello all. About a month ago I started up my 2.5 gallon pico tank. It has finished cycling and is getting over a case of the diatoms, now. A week ago, after everything leveled out for a couple of days, I added three nassarius snails and a small piece of live rock (I already had about 2 pounds of live rock in the tank, but I accidentally overheated it in a bucket and killed off any hitchhikers). Since their addition, the snails have been a wonderful addition of life to an otherwise boring tank, and they all seem healthy (I guess? I don't know what to look for to know, really), except they don't burrow in the sand like I was told they usually do. Initially, they did. When I first put them in the tank they all shut under the sand, but by the next day two were on the glass (the other still in the sand), and now I regularly find two of them on the glass at any given time. I assume the same two stick to the glass and the other one ventures onto the rock and under the sand, but I'm unsure. They are usually up at the top almost at the water level. ALSO, I have a freaky night-time hitchhiker. It is a long worm (or worm-like object) which extends from the same hole every night and stretches several inches across to the other rocks, to different spots each night. It does not move or barely moves unless I turn on the lights, and it retracts, relatively slowly. There are no "antenna" or anything sticking out from the end. It just ends. It is dark green-grey in color, and only about a millimeter wide. I don't have any pictures yet. Any ideas? __________________ "Bottom line: you're a higher intelligence human with cognitive skills, and it's a lower form algae sent to test your limits and patience. How can you let it win?" -- masterfish35, on cyanobacteria Current Tank Info: 2.5 gal pico, in the works

12/24/2006, 12:10 PM	#2
LeslieH Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 3,178	Your "worm" sounds like the proboscis (feeding structure) of a peanut worm. Harmless and beneficial. __________________ Cheers, Leslie So many worms, so little time... Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

12/24/2006, 10:59 PM	#3
charlesr1958 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mactan Island, Philippines Posts: 630	You may find what you have as a hitch hiker by going through the worm section of my hitch hiker pages, hopefully. Hitch Hikers Chuck __________________ "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem" - Ronald Reagan Current Tank Info: 80 gal, numerous corals, dsb, 20gal sump/fuge

12/26/2006, 03:21 PM	#4
kmk2307 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Posts: 5,110	Try a google search of both Nassarius and Ilynassa. Ilynassa spend less time burrowing in my experience and are what you might consider the cheaper substitute for Nassarius which are often sold as the real deal. I believe there is a Reefkeeping Magazine article discussing the differences between the two. Does the worm's tentacle appear to "unroll" when it is extending and "roll up" when it is retracting? That would be consistant with a peanut worm (Phylum Sipuncula). Otherwise, it might be the tentacle of a Polychaete Annelid worm.