Ninong, what are these?

[Steve McKay]

Ninong, what are these? I know there good so I'm not worried about that, there all over the sand bed. I believe they might be one of the worm species we were talking about, but I'm not sure. In the photo you can see them in the lower right hand corner sticking out of the sand bed. There are also a few of them just left of the Acan lord. I know it's not a clear photo of them. But I know you know what they are, there can't be too many possibilities. They might be hair worms because I believe they only have one tube sticking out of the sand bed.

[Ninong]

Hair worms don't have tubes at all. They have buccal tentacles above the sand bed to capture planktonic prey.

I can't see very well and your photo isn't clear enough anyway. If they're some sort of "tube" sticking above the sand bed, then they're polychaetes of some sort than construct their own tubes to live in.

They're not vermetid snails because they don't live in the sand bed and their tubes don't look like that.

[Steve McKay]

Hair worms don't have tubes at all. They have buccal tentacles above the sand bed to capture planktonic prey.

I can't see very well and your photo isn't clear enough anyway. If they're some sort of "tube" sticking above the sand bed, then they're polychaetes of some sort than construct their own tubes to live in.

They're not vermetid snails because they don't live in the sand bed and their tubes don't look like that.

Thanks, I'll check them out. Your right it's not a good photo of them I just used an existing photograph. The only thing I can add is I think the tubes are soft bodied.

[Ninong]

Did you pick one of them up to check it out? Are the tubes made of sand?

[Steve McKay]

Did you pick one of them up to check it out? Are the tubes made of sand?

No I haven't but I just took some photos of them give me a few to process them. As I was watching them along the glass with a magnifying glass I did notice small white dots that looked like my white sand moving up and down inside them at least that is what it looked like.

[Steve McKay]

Ok this may help, they definitely have soft bodies I can see them move. Here are some good photos.

[Ninong]

Those are all worm tunnels up against the glass. No telling exactly what worms they are unless you want to put them under a microscope and then send the pics to an expert for identification. In the picture in your opening post, aren't those tubes of some sort protruding above the surface of the sand bed???

[Steve McKay]

Those are all worm tunnels up against the glass. No telling exactly what worms they are unless you want to put them under a microscope and then send the pics to an expert for identification. In the picture in your opening post, aren't those tubes of some sort protruding above the surface of the sand bed???

They are, I'll pull a couple out and see what they look like. But I think they look a lot like the bigger ones sticking out of the sand in the photo.

[Steve McKay]

Tried pulling then out but there so soft it won't work and I don't have a small strainer that I could use as a scoop. I'll watch the tubes along the glass and hopefully I'll see something.

[Ninong]

It is quite possible that the tubes sticking up out of the sand are composed of sand particles glued together with biofilm exuded by the polychaetes.

[Steve McKay]

It is quite possible that the tubes sticking up out of the sand are composed of sand particles glued together with biofilm exuded by the polychaetes.

First thanks for the info. I'll investigate further and see what I come up with. I do know that the sand bed is full of them, if the sand is moved by water flow it exposes dozens of them in a small area. I also think my Yellow Watchman Goby eats them, he rarely comes over and eats with the rest of the gang at feeding time.

[Ninong]

Whatever they are, they're almost certainly beneficial.

[Steve McKay]

Whatever they are, they're almost certainly beneficial.

I agree.

[blennydude]

Have you ever seen the Kevin Beacon movie "Tremors"? Those are the babies.

[Steve McKay]

Have you ever seen the Kevin Beacon movie "Tremors"? Those are the babies.

Do you need any live sand, I can ship some to you.

[vio]

i have those same "tubes" in my sand bed. not sure what they are but i notice that they never go more than inch and a half down into my sand bed. Must not like the anaerobic zone that hopefully is present. i think they might be baby tremors. i just dont want to see what my tank will look like when they get a larger appetite. might have to feed kevin bacon to my tank. that would probably be pretty expensive.

[Steve McKay]

I found a larger tube made of sand.

[rluix]

I found a larger tube made of sand.

Ant hill

[fishguy_8]

I used to have these all over my 1st tank I was a fan.

[Steve McKay]

Ant hill

Can't be ants, I don't see any scuba gear they took off before entering the tube.