Bristle worm trap in place

[surfjeepzx]

I have a nasty bristle worm in my tank that has just about wiped out my snail population. I saw him one time a while ago and have decided to catch him. The worm I have is not of the beneficial type. It is a Oenone fulgida, also known as a "clam worm".

I made the trap from a baby bottle. I set it in the tank today before I left for work, kinda of soaking the bait so to speak.

I took the nipple off the bottle, cut the tip off, reversed it so the nipple is inside the bottle, then screwed the cap back on. Then I removed the rear of the bottle. I dropped a lead fishing weight into keep it from floating up. Then I took a bunch of used fishing line and packed that in the bottle. Then I took the tail from some frozen shrimp I had leftover for bait and stuck that in the bottle. The cap was screwed back on and a length of fishing line was tied around the neck of the bottle.

I placed the bottle so the neck is wedged in some rocks and hopefully the worm will find it's way in tonight. You can see in the pic that Mr. Dottyback is trying to figure out how to get to the shrimp but he's too big to get through the opening.

Hopefully by the time I get home tonight I'll find a worm snared in the bottle with all the line.

<img src="http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/87822PB300257.JPG">

 

[kawicivic]

neat DIY.... would have never though of using a baby bottle.... although i dont have a baby

 

[demonsp]

Here some info on this not so reef safe critter.

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0697/0697_2.html

 

[Husky_1]

Yeah, I had one of those a few months back, at least that is what someone ID it as. I sure did notice a lot of snails dying before he got ixnayed.

I think I used a vase and some shrimp to lure him all the way out.

 

[reggiepe]

Did you catch it yet?

I am working on catching a large worm with an inverted top on a 20 oz bottle. Last night I saw it stretch halfway across the tank (4 foot tank) and get inside the bottle to get the goodies. I thought if I could grab the bottle and get a net underneath the tail end of his body I could get him. Little did I realize that there was still alot of worm anchored in the hole in the rock that he is living in. This scenario will never work if it can just poke its head in the bottle and then retract. The baby bottle method is great that you are using here, but from what I am seeing with mine, it will just be able to grab the goodies and go. Any thought or experiences with this?

 

[Husky_1]

Starve the tank for a few days, then put the bottle on the other side. This may force him to come out.

 

[fantastic4]

If my memory is correct (not 100% sure), the eunida suckers will die you you can cut the head off and remove head from tank. So for your big one, perhaps you can lure him into a bottle and quickly take scissors cutting his body in half and taking the head portion out of the tank? This does not work for britsle worms as they simply become two worms.

If you don't catch him, I have found that they do multiply somehow, very slowly. You may have 2 or 3 of them in a few weeks/months.

Note: I also noted that the big ones live in the sand bed, if you take out the rocks, then sift the sand, you will catch him. Unless of course he is in some pipework.

 

[willtel76]

No way I would reach into the tank and wrestle a worm that is at least two feet long. I can barley deal with crabs because they are so much like spiders.

That thing is like an ocean going centipede. Watch your eyes around that thing, something about the looks of it tells me it will go for your eyes if it gets the chance...

 

[reggiepe]

They will definitely give you the willies. My 10 year old son gets creeped out everytime he sees it lurking under the rocks.