pcsdlszr Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Ok, we found this swimming around after the lights went out. Thank God for turkey basters!!! Here are some pics and a short video. This is NOT your ordinary bristleworm. Check out the close up of his tail. Should I be scared? What if there's MORE??!!(scary) (scary) Link to video (because I don't know how to post it the "cool" way). It corkscrews thru the water. Close up of the tail.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 that looks awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 How long is it? I think I may have seen similar woorms before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 thats the same kind of worm that flew thru my garage before i could get a picture....lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 From http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0697/0697_2.html One thing that Mike fails to mention is his FAQ refers to the sudden appearance of swimming polychaetes in your reef tank at night (question 2 above). I have answered a number of posts from people asking why their polychaetes suddenly emerge from hiding and begin swimming around the tank after the lights go out. These worms are often seen to be eaten by something in the tank, or break apart spontaneously in turbulent water flow. The answer is that these worms are likely the sexually reproductive stage of a population of worms you never even knew were in your tank. Among many benthic polychaete species, reproduction takes place in a mass spawning at the water surface. In some species (particularly of the family Nereidae ), the entire worm transforms into a large reproductive bag called an epitoke . During this transformation, most body segments develop large, broad-bladed parapodia and paddle-like setae for increased swimming efficiency, the eyes become enlarged and the antennae and other appendages of the head often become reduced. In other species (the family Syllidae , for example), an epitoke is formed by asexual reproduction (either through fission or budding from the posterior end). In still other species, the hind portion of the worm becomes engorged with gametes and breaks away from the rest of the worm. Although it will look pretty similar to anyone but a specialist, this last case is not a true epitoke, because the reproductive portion is not a complete worm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piero Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 wow, good info andy, thanks! fascinating. no wonder I like scifi and reef aquaria. I've seen em before in my tanks. not frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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