coco worm is spitting out red slime

[povsan]

Last night both of my coco worm started spitting out the this long red slime it was never ending.... it lasted for like five minutes. then I stared to suck some of that stuff out of the tank. It was long and continuos red and slimy looking thing. Just weird. Now this morning my coco worm is not out all the way, they were both quiet happy prior this this event. Anybody out there seen or heard about this before? Any ideas? Please comment if you can. Thanks and happy reefing.

 

[LeslieH]

Sounds like eggs. There are some excellent photos & videos of male & female christmas tree worms spawing at http://reefnet.ca/galleries/
Coco worms & CRWs are in the same family polychaete family, the Serpulidae, and have similar spawning behavior.

 

[syrinx]

Check you water parameters and think if anything might have happend to the tank. It is not uncommon for spawnings to be caused by a drastic change in water chemistry. Not to be alarmist- it also can happen from being happy with conditions, or even the phase of the moon.

 

[povsan]

LeslieH,
WOW, THAT VIDEO ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS PERFECT, THANKS FOR THE TIP. NOW SHOULD I EXPECT TO SEE SOME MORE SPAWNING IN THE FUTURE? WOULD I POSSIBLY HAVE MORE COCO WORMS SOON, EVENTHOUGH i SUCK OUT SOME OF IT? THANKS FOR THE VIDEO, THIS IS WHY I LOVE THIS HOOBY, ALL THE WEIRD STUFF THAT STRESSES YOU OUT, MAKES YOU PANIC, REDUCES YOUR BANK ACCOUNT...... AND THEN "IT'S ALL WORTH IT IN THE END" HAPPY REEFING TO YOU.

 

[clevername]

your caps lock is stuck....

 

[LeslieH]

Yes, they will spawn periodically. Unless you have both males & females there's no chance of successive reproduction.

 

[syrinx]

I wish you would give a worm dissertation leslie- I was under the general impression that worms had both sexes. The male female comment is funny as it reminds me of the calls I would get a couple times a year "my cockatiel just laid an egg- how long til it hatches" Me- "do you have a male"? "No",,,,,,,

 

[LeslieH]

Most polychaetes have both males & females. Some are hermaphrodites, some reproduce asexually, some reproduce both sexually & asexually. They're a fun group!

 

[Gordonious]

With Coco worms is there a way to "lift up there skirt" so to speak and see what we are working with or would we have to kill the animal to find out if Michele would be a better name them Michael.

 

[LeslieH]

It may not kill the worm but unless you can see it spawn you'll have to get the worm out of its tube. Even then, you can only tell male from female if the animal is "ripe" and packed so full of eggs or sperm that you can see the eggs through the skin. I guarantee that the worm will not be happy to participate......