What are these things?

I have these little tube like worms that grow everywhere in my tank especially the underside of my live rock. Not the ones that have the little white or red feather duster like head on them. When I feed they send out little strands of slime catch stuff and reel it back in to eat. Do you know what the name of these creatures is? Is there a crab, fish or some creature that will eat some of these? My tank is getting over run with these little creatures. Ive been told that they are harmless but I dont like them growing over and on everything. Thanks

Vermitid worms.

They are good filter feeders and actually are part of the major group of beneficial organisms in the reef aquarium, which includes Bristleworms. Their difficulty for me is when I pick up a LR, I have to be careful or they stab into my fingers! Bristleworms are worse, though. The bristles irritate me for hours afterward.

I agree that they are good, but the mucus net they use to catch food can irriate some corals.

Shaun, it is good to see you posting here!  (BTW, for everyone else, I have seen Shaun's tank, and he and I went to the last meeting together!  He has a couple of awesome clams and his tank is doing great, except that he has very little, if any, coralline algae!)

I cannot remember if you have a lot of crabs or not.  I remember quite a few snails though.  Possibly, either some more crabs, a sand sifting goby, or something like those things will keep those worms under control a little better.  I would not worry about them.

BTW Mark, bristle worms do not hurt me as much as these worms do (Unless you get one on your tongue!)

Just FYI ... they are Vermetid Snails... Not actually worms.

Edited by ssilcox

I beleive Six-Line Wrasse will take care of these... 

I have a sixline wrasse, purple tang, foxface, pajama cardinal, yellow headed pearly jawfish, blue knuckle hermit, blue leg hermits, brown cucumber, sand sifter, astrea snails and a porcelain crab. Then for corals I have a huge kenya tree, a big toadstool leather, alevepora, stylophora, hammer coral, green star pollup, xenia, nepthia, some christmas tree worms, organ pipe, some shrooms and  some zoos.  That would just about cover my entire tanks habitants, except for a possible mantis shrimp, I know he was in there 6 months ago. I could hear him through my acrylic, I saw hime and then I found his burrow. When I found his hole with him in it I tried to assisnate him but was unsucessful. I would imagine that he is still there but I havent seen him or heard him for months. I can always hope That he's gone that is

I guess I will just have to break them off, but they are resilient little creatures.

p.s. Mark why do you say that sand sifters are bad for your sand bed?

Edited by Sand Bubbler