ID Please

Linnie said:
Hello everyone in S. Africa and beyond!

Y'all have probably never heard of me, but I'm Lynn Z from WWM. I answer mostly ID related queries and thought I'd stop by to see if I could lend a hand. Llewellyn, if your critter looks like what's in the photo link you supplied, then what you have is most likely a serpulid or sabellid (the one in the photo link is a serpulid). Both are fan worms, but the serpulid has a hard calcareous tube and usually an operculum (trap door), while the sabellid has a softer tube constructed of mucus and bits of sand, rock, shell, etc., and no operculum. Both can vary quite a bit in color and be beautifully multicolored. As for the tube issue, some fan worm's tubes are obvious while others - not so much. It's possible that you're not seeing one because it's obscurred within the hole. Either way, the good news is that these guys are harmless, beneficial little filter-feeders!

Here's a link showing a photo of a sabellid: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...s/image005.jpg

Another serpulid: http://image09.webshots.com/9/5/67/3...2aPCYXK_fs.jpg
Another with what looks like a Nudibranch egg spiral in the lower left corner: http://www.oceanlight.com/spotlight.php?img=2563

Hope that helps! By the way, y'all have a very nice site indeed!:)

-Lynn
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Thank you very much Linnie
You have answered everything I need to know about this creature.:thumbup:
I see you've joined in 2008. Do you have a tank and any posts of it. If not please do :)
 
I dont have a good quality camera. But now that I know what it is I got this pic from google images. It looks just like this one.:biggrin:
What do they feed on?

26974c0fd0859fbdd.jpg
 
Wow, thanks everyone for the warm welcome! First of all, Llewellyn, you're most welcome. I'm just glad that I was able to help. As far as what fan worms feed on, basically it's anything fine enough that they can capture and consume, like phytoplankton, microplankton, organic detritus/particulate matter and the like. Here's a good link with more info: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/invert.htm

Oh, I also wanted to mention that the fan worm at the link you gave is also referred to as a spirorbid (as in family Spirorbidae). Some include Spirorbis spp. under the family Serpulidae, while others have separated it into its own family: Spirorbidae. If only there was one standard classification for everything!;)

Regarding the photos and tank, I have 3 reef tanks running right now...a 75g, 55g, and a 30g. Unfortunately, I can't go with larger tanks in our main living area because I'm scared they'll crash through to the basement! I've started uploading some photos in the gallery area, but I've got a ways to go. Mostly, they'll be pictures of common hitchhikers.

As for your site, I love it. I like the way it's presented, the way it looks, and how easy it is to navigate. Most importantly, y'all sound like you're fun and friendly and that sounds like my kind of site! :thumbup:

Again, thanks for the warm welcome everyone! I'll try to stop by as often as I can but I'm kind of bogged down right now with projects, so if I miss something, or you need anything, please don't hesitate to email or PM me and give me a nudge. I'd appreciate it!:)

Take care,

-Lynn
 
Linnie said:
Wow, thanks everyone for the warm welcome! First of all, Llewellyn, you're most welcome. I'm just glad that I was able to help. As far as what fan worms feed on, basically it's anything fine enough that they can capture and consume, like phytoplankton, microplankton, organic detritus/particulate matter and the like. Here's a good link with more info: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/invert.htm

Oh, I also wanted to mention that the fan worm at the link you gave is also referred to as a spirorbid (as in family Spirorbidae). Some include Spirorbis spp. under the family Serpulidae, while others have separated it into its own family: Spirorbidae. If only there was one standard classification for everything!;)

Regarding the photos and tank, I have 3 reef tanks running right now...a 75g, 55g, and a 30g. Unfortunately, I can't go with larger tanks in our main living area because I'm scared they'll crash through to the basement! I've started uploading some photos in the gallery area, but I've got a ways to go. Mostly, they'll be pictures of common hitchhikers.

As for your site, I love it. I like the way it's presented, the way it looks, and how easy it is to navigate. Most importantly, y'all sound like you're fun and friendly and that sounds like my kind of site! :thumbup:

Again, thanks for the warm welcome everyone! I'll try to stop by as often as I can but I'm kind of bogged down right now with projects, so if I miss something, or you need anything, please don't hesitate to email or PM me and give me a nudge. I'd appreciate it!:)

Take care,

-Lynn
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Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your time Lynn
You have been very informative to me.:bigthumbup:
 
The little buggar came out of his rock yesterday morning. Here's some pics.
26974c15caf195ddb.jpg


In this pic you can see the body
26974c15cb12e1e7b.jpg


And here you can see it climbing into another hole in a rock I placed it on
Quite cool how they plant themselves
26974c15cb8987a0d.jpg
 
That's a really weird creature, never seen something like that before. Does it actually swim in the water column?
 
Yikes, that's definitely not a serpulid (they don't leave their tubes, at least not voluntarily!). Sabellids, on the other hand, can leave their tubes, shed/cast off their crowns, and move about a bit. Apparently some species are more mobile than others. Here's a link to a photo of a sabellid outside of the tube. http://fizzyenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/sabellids-or-fan-w1.jpg Does the body structure look like what you see on your little worm? I'm sorry, I just can't quite see enough detail in the photos to confirm. Lol Besides that, I'm not exactly the final word (not by a long shot!) when it comes to Polychaetes. There are so many different families and genera, it's not even funny. Right now, from what I can tell, it's most likely a sabellid of undetermined genus that's decided to go on walkabout! Here's another photo/more info: http://researchdata.museum.vic.gov.au/polychaetes/Sabellidae/description.htm

-Lynn
 
Linnie said:
Yikes, that's definitely not a serpulid (they don't leave their tubes, at least not voluntarily!). Sabellids, on the other hand, can leave their tubes, shed/cast off their crowns, and move about a bit. Apparently some species are more mobile than others. Here's a link to a photo of a sabellid outside of the tube. http://fizzyenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/sabellids-or-fan-w1.jpg Does the body structure look like what you see on your little worm? I'm sorry, I just can't quite see enough detail in the photos to confirm. Lol Besides that, I'm not exactly the final word (not by a long shot!) when it comes to Polychaetes. There are so many different families and genera, it's not even funny. Right now, from what I can tell, it's most likely a sabellid of undetermined genus that's decided to go on walkabout! Here's another photo/more info: http://researchdata.museum.vic.gov.au/polychaetes/Sabellidae/description.htm << This link is like reading french.:lol: So many scientific names.

-Lynn
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Thanks again Lynn:thumbup:
The body does look like the one in your first link. More of a reddish brown though.
But I'm convinced it is a Sabellid.
 
MistaOrange said:
Thanks guys for this great information as I've been a bit confused as my fan kept popping up in different locations & have been wondering why it was doing this. I find it strange though.
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Mista Orange. Do you notice a tube left behind at any of the spots that your worm moved from? Because the other day I found mine in the substrate and i just moved it a little with a plastic stick and it popped out of its tube like cocoon. Its really strange, because everytime it moves it leaves a tube behind and forms a new one.
 
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