Tiny green bugs multiplying!!!

[yamapi]

my tank is currently in its 2nd week of cycling and i've notice lots of tiny green bugs moving around on one piece of rock. They are transparent and a green color streak that goes across its body. they look somewhat like shrimps and have 2 noticeable black eyes. They are really multiplying like crazy now so do i need to do anything to them? ( sry no pic cos i do not have a camera)

thanks~

[Ixthys]

Look up "amphipods" online and see if they resemble your critter.

[Ninong]

Hi yamapi,


Where did your live rock come from? The fact that they have a noticeable green streak on their backs has me thrown for a loop. I don't think I have ever seen any amphipods that were noticeably green but here is a link to google images of amphipods. Hopefully that's what you have.

Here is a link to something that you definitely do not want in your tank. The only reason I posted this link is because you seemed to be impressed with their noticeable black eyes. These guys are extremely bad. You do NOT want any of these in your tank.

[yamapi]

thanks for the help I got my LR from the marine fish farm just opposite my home. I'm not sure where they originated from though.

i've looked through the images and found this pic which somewhat looks like those bugs in my tank. notice that dark line that goes across its body? mine is something like that just that the line is green. But mine doesn't have those long legs and 'whiskers' infront.

however, those bugs are not those that should NOT be in the tank..haha

anyway I just came back from school and i notice this small rock which was initially placed at the centre of the tank moved to the nearby LR. I thought it was the doing of my snails so i placed it back to its original position. After bathing, i check out my tank again and i was like 'OMG!', the rock went back to the LR. I stared at the rock for a few minutes and actually saw this centipede looking stuff pulling the rock!!! Its red and has some spiny things sticking out from its body.. Sorry i dun hav a pic again but i'm just so shocked....

[yamapi]

alright...just to update about the worm thingy.....i finally saw a portion of its body and again its has 2 black eyes... at first i tot it was rather cute looking but then it shocked me again when a black beak (like those of an ant) came out from its mouth area to bite on the small rock and yes....it was really pulling the rock....OMG.....y does my tank have something so scary....Could this monster be a fireworm cos this is the only type of worm i've heard of to that creates havoc in a tank.....:eek3:

[Ninong]

Not all "fireworms" create havoc in reef tanks. Most are beneficial scavengers. Hermodice carunculata is the most common problem fireworm that sometimes shows up over here on live rock from the Caribbean but I don't believe it is found in the Pacific.

It's difficult to say what you have other than the fact that it's a polychaete worm. Some are good, some are bad; some are large, some are small. You have about 8,000 possibilities and most of them are beneficial but some are not.

If you can get a very sharp, close-up of it's head structure, someone may be able to give you a tentative ID.

[mistermikev]

Ninong, can fire worms move rock like this? If so that is wild. i was going to guess that perhaps it was a mantis - don't they tend to "acuascape" like mentioned above? Side note... you may look up mantis shrimp if you haven't id'd it yet. good luck.

[Ninong]

Ninong, can fire worms move rock like this?

We haven't identified his worm as a "fireworm." And besides, "fireworm" is a very general, non-specific, common name that is virtually meaningless. H. carunculata, (the Caribbean fireworm), which he almost certainly does not have, gets no larger than 30cm (12") long. I have no idea what it can or cannot move.

What if he has a robust Eunicid in his tank? Something like this 6-ft individual that Steve Weast pulled out of his reef aquarium. I suspect it could rearrange the furniture in the tank if it wanted to.

[yamapi]

I dun think i am able to come up with a pic of the worm... but i've just shift the rock to the other side of the tank and it has stopped appearing since then...the worm might have found the rock threatening so it was attacking it like crazy....just a guess...

[mistermikev]

wow that 6' worm was grose. I pride myself on not being afraid of touching things in my reef but those days are gone for me (between that worm and my pink zoos). AFA fireworm id... wow do you know all the names of the star trek characters and speak fluent clingon as well? LOL I just meant that "centipede-like" might refer to a mantis... I could def see someone thinking they look like a centipede or a roach.

[Ninong]

Recommended reading on amphipods: here and here.