Hunting down a eunicid

[sTefaniA]

Tonight it begins :mad2:

I know there is a eunicid worm in my tank. I have spotted his tentacle head several times after dark. It didnt' look very big at the time, and I didn't see it for months until he took two of my prized scoly's last night.

I know were he lives. Offcourse it's the biggest piece of rock in my system wich supports every other rock so I would have to take down the whole 500g tank... I don't want that, at all... He has destroyed most of my green formosa, and sliced up a green softie. I am sick of it.

So tonight I will be patrolling the tank with flashlights.

First I want to get a decent picture of this thing. He must be enormous, because that's just my luck. I bet he has grown to a 5 foot big monster in the past couple of months...

Depending on his size, I will work out a plan to remove or kill it. My best idea so far is either trap it in a pvc tube. My second idea is to go fishing and catch it with a hook. I know they are almost impossible to get out of the rock, but if this thing swallows down a big hook and gets stuck, I don't mind waiting several weeks until it dies or becomes so weak I can pull him out.

 

[SushiGirl]

I'd go with the pvc tube, if you tear him in half, you'll have 2.

 

[sTefaniA]

I know. But I have been googling a lot and I came across some video's of divers catching eunicids. They use some sort of mouse trap like device and once the trap is closed, they hang a bottle of air on the trap, holding it up. The eunicid gets tired after a while and the bottle of air slowly pulls the eunicid up.

I don't think this is usable in a reef because the ocean is offcourse a lot deeper so any bottle of air will pull a lot harder due to the pressure of the water.

But that's why I thought a fish hook attached to something outside the tank will also tire out the eunicid. I know it will probably break when I try to pull it out, but not pulling and just letting it tire out itself could be a better go.

But that's something for the future, first I want to know how big this thing really is, but he must be big since he drags whole corals back to his rock.

 

[sTefaniA]

I have spotted him, and damn he is big... as thick as my thumb and he seems to be brown with a white ring just behind his head.

I haven't seen his body, only his head. I'll upload a pic later.

 

[sTefaniA]

Tonight I'm gonna get up twice to see if I can find it again. And I'll also try and feed it. For two reasons, first of all I'd rather feed it than let it choose it's own food (as in, my scoly's), and second, I have a 2 inch femininus wrasse in there wich is perfect snack size...

If I keep it well fed, it wont go chewing on my corals or worse, my fish.
And maybe it will give me an advantage in the near future. Gaining it's trust so I can catch it...

 

[sTefaniA]

Well, wish me luck because tonight will be my first real attempt in catching this thing. I have constructed a trap with some sort of a snare and I have a big pair of tweezers and my chef knife ready.

 

[alexander_ktn]

Good luck and don't forget to make pictures of your catch for boasting here on RC!

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Well, wish me luck because tonight will be my first real attempt in catching this thing. I have constructed a trap with some sort of a snare and I have a big pair of tweezers and my chef knife ready.

Good luck. Try not to tear it to pieces.

 

[Spyderturbo007]

I'm just tagging along here.....

Good luck with the hunt!

 

[sTefaniA]

The first three days were unsuccesful. So I didn't bother to get up last night, but this morning the bait was gone. And there is no way that something else took the bait because it is a piece of fish on the end of a 50cm long clear tube that is facing up. Also it must have pulled on the snare because part of the loop was stuck inside his hole.

I have rebaited the trap with some really smelly tilapia filet.

Here is a pic of his ugly head.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Ugh! Hopefully you'll get it this time.

 

[Budshark]

any update? Were you able to trap it?