What is it!?!

[rcdg]

I was doing a routine water change and vacuuming the gravel in my 30g Tetra tank when
a movement in the bucket caught my attention. I went to dump the bucket of waste water and found three or four "worms" swiming around in the water. They were sucked up from the gravel as I siphoned. Can anyone tell me what they are ??? They look like small earthworms with centipede type legs running down the sides of their body. They had no problem climbing the sides of the plastic bucket with their hair type legs. The tank has been running for over six months and the fish show no signs of problems. I only feed them flake and pellet food and the last fish added were a month ago. I have feed fronzen blood in the past but it's been several months ago. I'm posting a picture but it's not very clear, can anyone help?

CarlU,
I am interested also to see hear what it is. I have never found anything in my tank like that. Brew what is it??


Miles

[Ryan]

I don't know, but it's damn scary looking! Now I'm intrigued... hopefully someone will have an answer soon!

Ryan

To me it looks like something I have crawling around on my basement (cellar really) floor. Dry land only.
Are you sure this came from your tank and didn't perhaps jump into the bucket when you weren't looking? lol... Heck got me.... I too am curious. eewwww.... :o

[rcdg]

that is why I am confused. I syphoned about 12 of them out of the gravel. They all came out of the gravel and weren't swimming in the tank. (There probably are a lot more...but I wanted to post this, so I didn't count! They range in size..this one was the biggest!!)

[bottle-blonde]

holy crap! that thing is all kinds of ugly!

what if it's the larval form of something terrestrial? is that possible? maybe when you set the tank up there were eggs in the gravel or brought in with a bag that one of your fish was in... it's not a planted tank is it? and where abouts do you live?

Can you back off and get a clear picture?

[rcdg]

I am in Arizona. This is my office tank. This gravel has been there since set up over the summer. I added 3 clown loaches from LFS about 6 weeks ago. Everything seems healthy and fine other than those scary worms I just found!!

[Fish_Fin-atic]

I'd have to agree with Bottle-Blonde, it looks to me like the aquatic stage of a terrestrial insect. Probably a fly of some sort. It looks a lot like a Heligramite larvae which is the larval form or a pretty ugly looking fly (the larvae is no beauty padgent contestant either), and trout fishermen use it as bait. Trout love them, and they are harmless (except for the powerful mandibles which can deliver quite a bite). I'd say that you have nothing to worry about, your Discus might even enjoy eating these things? I'm surprised that your Clown Loaches haven't made short work of these things yet. If you want, maybe try some Corys in there, otherwise, besides the ugliness factor, I wouldn't worry about them.

P.S. I'd try searching the tank with a flashlight one night, to see how bad the infestation really is. Most of these kind of critters come out at night to feed (so do Cory cats ;)).

[engineguy129]

That is pretty creepy looking! I agree with Fish-Fin-atic very suprised your loaches have not ridded of them. Hard to see what it is I dont think its a hellgrimite, could have sneaked in with your gravel (eggs). Well at any rate maybe this site can help you. Best of luck and happy new years!

www.deq.state.la.us/assistance/educate/bugsheet.htm

Cheers..............Rob

[fcdiscus]

I believe that is what grows up to be a one-eyed- one-horned flying purple people eater! Frank ;D

[daninthesand]

Looks to me like some form of bristleworm. Just a guess since I recall seeing similar worms on the internet in my hunt for ID'ing some other worms (not like this at all though :))I had in my tanks a while back. There are many types out there some freshwater and some marine. Here's a pic I have, but cannot rember where I got it . Do a search for bistleworm on google and you should find some references to them.

HTH
Daniel

[rcdg]

Dan,

That photo you posted is what they looked like in the water. I think that's it!

Now I'll have to find out how they got in the tank and whether or not they are harmful. The gravel bed is 4+ inches so I guess they are able to hide from the loaches. I'll check in to the links posted here to see if I can figure out where they came from. I just hope they don't mutate into some type of scary flying bug that's going to attack my office! I can just see
it now, all my co-workers fleeing the office with giant jurasic type killer flies hot on their tails.

Thanks for the replies. If anyone else has had these please let me know. I'd love to learn more.

[bottle-blonde]

carl did you see this?

"Of the many species of worms, the bristleworm is one of the most dangerous. Bristleworms are elongated worms with segments that each contains a pair of bristles. Although these creatures are not aggressive, they bite when handled. Use heavy gloves if handling is necessary. Worms may cause injury by biting, or the bristles can penetrate the skin. They are often found under rocks and corals. Their coloration is variable. Bristleworms are found in tropical areas throughout the world."

[rcdg]

YIKES!!!

I was affraid of that! I'm not usually affraid of bugs but these things make my skin crawl, kinda like roaches. I've looked up bristle worms but can only find info related to reef tanks. Apparently they are a pretty common parasite that come attached to live rock.

Has anyone seen any fresh water info ??? I've been away from the office and the tank for the holidays and am a little scared to return! If you don't hear back from me watch the news for any reports on a guy in Phoenix being eaten alive at work by giant mutant worms from his formally peaceful Office tank :vanish:

[Stark]

Hello,

I never realized there were freshwater species of bristle worm, but they are, as you’ve found out, quite common in reef tanks. They’re not the horrible monsters some literature would lead you to believe.
They’re not parasites, but instead are free-living worms that provide an excellent service as grounds-keepers (they help keep the sand in my reef spic and span). When I first started in salt-water several years ago, hobbyists seem split on their opinions as to whether, or not, bristle worms were harmful. Over time, conventional wisdom has sided with the worm as an ally :). I recently broke down a smaller tank that I was converting to freshwater and carefully sifted the live sand for worms that I saved to put in another reef tank.
I don’t have any experience with the freshwater variety, but I would guess they occupy a similar niche, eating left-over food and other detritus. You might want to think twice about removing them.

                     Jeff

[Fish_Fin-atic]

Hey Carl, I got an email from Tom Ellis of Michigan State University. He is an entomologist (insect specialist) and out of curiosity, I sent your pic over to see if he could identify it. He seemed very certain that it was an immature Dobson Fly larva...or a Helligramite. Here is a link which he provided showing a much larger/fully develloped larva.

http://www.sacs.k12.in.us/woodside/techlab/stream/docs/dobsonfl.htm
(http://www.sacs.k12.in.us/woodside/techlab/stream/docs/dobsonfl.htm)

He says keep in mind that this picture is of a much larger, and older specimen, and that the ones you have are very young - possibly a few weeks old. He also says that once they get larger, these guys will make short work of any fry you may have (or have had) in your tank. On the positive side, their presence is an indicator of excellent water conditions in your tank, as these critters can't tolerate poor water conditions. Congratulations....I think? ;D

[KC]

That is messed up...you pooooor *******! My best wishes go out to you....did you see what they look like as adults? *** OVER! Be afraid, be VERY afraid.... I won't sleep tonight, I just know it. :o