Long Stringy Worms - Vermatid Snails?

[landonbeau]

I've noticed alot of these white stringy worms flowing off my Shaving Brush Macroalgae. They seem to fit the description of Vermatid Snails, but I don't see any shell or body at the base–only little white specs. Could they be in a larval stage? Or something else?

Also, is it irritating the nearby sponge? This is my first sponge so I'm not sure if the white bits sticking out of the sponge are normal feeders, or if it's in defense mode. It also has a few stringy worms coming off of it too.

Video and image here:

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I can't quite see the white stringy things well enough to guess at an ID, but I figured I'd let you know the video isn't working. I can see you've loaded a video, but the video itself doesn't show for me.

Most people upload to a site like YouTube first, then link the video here for it to play.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Those look like some sort of sweeper tentacles. Also what is the orange thing out of curiosity

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Looks like benthic ctenophores


Edit: almost certainly benthic ctenophores in the coeloplana genus. Don't know if they're harmful or not but I removed the one I had. @ISpeakForTheSeas anything to add? (The video works for me)

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Coeloplana: Benthic ctenophores living right under your nose | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

Ctenophora is a phylum of marine animals most commonly referred to as comb jellies. You may have seen these in various documentaries, manifesting themselves as gelatinous geometric shapes fringed in…

reefbuilders.com

If you look them up you'll see alot of photos of more colorful species, though you usually find them orange, brown or white.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Also what is the orange thing out of curiosity

The orange thing is a tree sponge.

Looks like benthic ctenophores


Edit: almost certainly benthic ctenophores in the coeloplana genus. Don't know if they're harmful or not but I removed the one I had. @ISpeakForTheSeas anything to add? (The video works for me)

Yeah, the video still doesn't work for me, but looking at the pic more closely (knowing to look for super thin strings) I do see some strings that look like they could be benthic ctenophore tentacles.

Generally speaking, you'll want to remove benthic ctenophores to be safe (my understanding is that some are harmless pod-eaters, but others can eat small fish).

 

[landonbeau]

Looks like benthic ctenophores


Edit: almost certainly benthic ctenophores in the coeloplana genus. Don't know if they're harmful or not but I removed the one I had. @ISpeakForTheSeas anything to add? (The video works for me)

I think you're spot on! The fringed tentacles look exactly like this.

Looks like I should be manually removing them, reduce feeding, and point a powerhead in that direction?

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

The orange thing is a tree sponge.

Yeah, the video still doesn't work for me, but looking at the pic more closely (knowing to look for super thin strings) I do see some strings that look like they could be benthic ctenophore tentacles.

Generally speaking, you'll want to remove benthic ctenophores to be safe (my understanding is that some are harmless pod-eaters, but others can eat small fish).

I do remember handling the one I had, they definitely have a strong sting, their stinging arms were much more sticky than that of a bubble tip anemone for comparison, though still didn't really hurt.

@landonbeau a freshwater dip works well for removing them, prepare a bin of RO water, let it sit for a 1-2 minutes and gently scrape off the white bodies of the coeloplana

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I think you're spot on! The fringed tentacles look exactly like this.

Looks like I should be manually removing them, reduce feeding, and point a powerhead in that direction?

RO dip is your best bet