Holy Worm Hole

[Sullyman]

Last night was checking out the tank after lights out and saw some thing move quickly into a rock. I waited a while and looked back at the spot and it was still at the same spot in the rock. I thought it was a mantis and decided to try and get him this morning. It was in a big rock in the middle of the tank, so I had to get the rock out. Did so and started rinsing the rock down with freshwater, then it started coming out, and it wasn't a mantis. I had about a foot of this worm hanging out of the rock but it wasn't coming free, I tried to pull it out but it broke. Figuring a worm can regrow, so this probably would too, if I didn't get it all. Had to split the rock with a chisle to get the rest, but it's all out, here's a few pics. This worm is at least 12" unstreached, the body is about the size of a quarter. Can someone ID it? Is it a bad worm? Could it have been responsible for the clam deaths I've had. This thing has been in my tank for 6 years, you should have seen the smooth hole and tunnels he had made in the rock for his home.

 

[menard]

What U got there my friend is Eunicid worm preditor reef killer. Check out Oregonreef.com, Steve's 850 gal. he pulled out 2 of those monster.

 

[Illuminati]

I've seen a picture of something similar on another post here on RC. No way I could ever find the post but do a search for "fire worm"
That wasn't the exact name for it but it had those 2 words in it.
It was a thread he made about upgrading or setting up his tank and he found it. His was also a foot long so they must be the same. I think the guy let his live but don't know anything about them.

Either way that is gross.

 

[Pufferpunk]

That's one ugly a$$ worm! Glad you got it out. Hope it isn't female!

 

[lcashman]

Yep, that's a Eunicid worm.
I pulled one from my tank about two months ago.
It liked to eat my zoos and xenia.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=849382

IMO, I would ban from any part of the tank.

 

[FiberLux]

Sullyman, are you planning to frag him??? :lol:

Glad you got him outa there!

Boyd

 

[Bebo77]

DAAAAANG thats a beast...

 

[hansnfrans]

I'd flush that thing. I usually agree that everything has a right to live but, I don't think anyone is going to take that from ya and you can't exactly chuck it back into the ocean (unless you've got a real good arm). If you put it in the sump, I'd be afraid to stick my hands in the sump to do maintenece.

To the toilet!

 

[FiberLux]

Wait, doesn't the toilet lead to the ocean??? :lol:

 

[hansnfrans]

 

[Pufferpunk]

If you want to euthanise painlessly, overdose with clove oil. Give it a death it deserves, it's still one of God's creatures... no matter how carniverous & ugly it is!

 

[Sullyman]

I don't know what I'm going to do with it, just glad it's in custody, until I figure out it's future.

 

[mbunaman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7737521#post7737521 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FiberLux
Wait, doesn't the toilet lead to the ocean??? :lol:

Yeah is that where nemo went!!!!!

 

[FiberLux]

Yea, right.........

My grandchild wanted to catch one of my fish and put them down the toilet, so he could go back to the ocean!

If "Pixar" says it's so, it's so... :lol:

 

[PRESTO2345]

That's a nasty looking worm.

 

[Sk8r]

A eunicid, for our onlookers, is not your common bristleworm. Note that the side spicules are larger, fatter, and that the segments are, relatively speaking, a little fatter, too.

Do you have a local public aquarium? It's a nice display specimen. I've seen relatively few tanks that show people what the underpinnings of the rockworks actually contain.

 

[Sullyman]

Not sure if it's going to survive being torn apart. I've got about 10" of it frozen, the back half. It's not streched out and it's 10".
The front half, about the same size, is still alive. This worm was almost dead center of the tank, so it could reach either side to graze. I wonder if it could have had anything to do with my clam loses?

 

[Teremei]

I'd just euthanize like puffer said. I just can't stand to hurt anything, even if it is considered "bad". I got a predatory crab on a rock, but chucked it in my sump. But I wouldn't even want to keep that in my sump. Let it go painlessly. If you do get rid of it don't let it die a painful death in a sewage system our outside of water, or anything like that.

 

[Pufferpunk]

...and God forbid, it was something that might survive in FW. Maybe it would get even bigger & eat all of Chicago!

 

[Edward Smith]

Sell it on EBAY!!!!!!


"Turn your plain old solid rock into holy rock, naturally"
"Control those pesty zoas and xenia"