Live Rock organisms ID needed

jabberjaw

jabberjaw

AC Members
Mar 11, 2008
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Adelaide, Australia
(apologies if this question is a bit vague)

I'm currently in the middle of cycling my tank and apart from some die off, I've noticed a whole bunch of mite like organisms 'jumpng' round' all over the live rock. They are very small and you can only just see them if you look really closely.

Any ideas what this could be?.... and more importantly should I be worried? :)
 
Hi everybody,
looks like finally some hitchhikers have decided to say hello from inside my live rock. I've had a look thru the guide on the forum, but no luck in ID'ing them.

Sorry if this post is a bit vague, but will describe the best I can.....

1 - its a very small (maybe 1inch & a half long), very very thing worm like organism. Dark Brown in colour with a white head (tip) with a bright orange point right on the tip (sorry but too small to really get a photo of)

2 - Flatish worm, maybe 1/4 inch wide, dark grey colour, lines accross its body (close together) which makes it look kind of segmented and with what looks like tan coloured bristles all the way around.. no idea of length as it only poked about an 1inch of its body out of a hole then went back in (will try and get a decent pc nest time I see it)

3 - also heard a few loud clicks that I think are coming from the tank... I'm guessing it could be a mantis or pistol? (or maybe I'm just hearing things.. haha!)
 
Does it look like any of these??

bristleworms.jpg
 
jabberjaw said:
Hi everybody,
looks like finally some hitchhikers have decided to say hello from inside my live rock. I've had a look thru the guide on the forum, but no luck in ID'ing them.

Sorry if this post is a bit vague, but will describe the best I can.....

1 - its a very small (maybe 1inch & a half long), very very thing worm like organism. Dark Brown in colour with a white head (tip) with a bright orange point right on the tip (sorry but too small to really get a photo of)

<<Could be ether a eunicid or a polychaete SP.>>


2 - Flatish worm, maybe 1/4 inch wide, dark grey colour, lines accross its body (close together) which makes it look kind of segmented and with what looks like tan coloured bristles all the way around.. no idea of length as it only poked about an 1inch of its body out of a hole then went back in (will try and get a decent pc nest time I see it)

<<Could be a few things...Just a bristle worm or a lumbrinerids..Tended to learn towards a bristle worm there though>>

3 - also heard a few loud clicks that I think are coming from the tank... I'm guessing it could be a mantis or pistol? (or maybe I'm just hearing things.. haha!)

<<yes, could be either...time to go searching the live rock at night with a red filtered torch and see what you can find.>>
Click to expand...


Added some comments above in Red...
 
yep, looks like I got me a bristle worm!.. not sure about the other little one yet.. bit more info about it - it was cylindrical in shape (not flat) with no bristles or anything like that (more like a really thin & tiny earth worm)

..... now just to find that darn clicking noise :)
 
The clicking noise you were right on, its probably a Mantis or Pistol Shrimp. Just don't kill it if you find it.. There are people willing to pay for those.
 
finally got a pic of the bristle worm.... have only seen it come out of its hidey hole twice, so I guess I got lucky this time....



still no luck on finding the source of the 'clicking' yet...

21032008344.jpg
 
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