LARGE Eunicid!

[sufunk]

:thumbdown

I've been losing Zoo's pretty fast over the last few months and couldnt figure it out. I've been slacking on water changes after starting a new business but my water quality still tested out good. The zoo's seemed to just disappear instead of melting. 3 days ago, 5 zoo's that i definitely saw when i fed the tank at night were completely gone the next morning so i had a feeling there was a problem.

Last night i saw him! A part of his body was visible under a piece of LR and i followed his body about 2 feet down the front of the tank to where he had built a little tunnel under the sand to come out right in front of where i keep my zoo's. He immediately retracted FAST and i wasnt sure what rock he went into. I was about 90% sure he went into a large 20lb rock that supports my rockscape. I took the rock out and put it into a bucket of fresh water with a bunch of Lugols poured in.

As of this morning, he still hadnt come out of the rock. Now, I dont know if he is inside of it or in a different rock I really dont want to since i the rock is the perfect shape and size but i guess i have to break it open after i get home from work. I have to know if i got him or not. I'd estimate that he was about as thick as a pencil and at least 2 1/2-3 feet long. I could see over 2 feet of him so he is at least that big!

After i break open the rock, hopefully i can find him and post some pics. If not, i guess i have to tear the tank apart to get him. I cant leave him in at that size as he is taking a good chunk of zoo's nearly every night now seemingly.

 

[mscarpena]

Too large to care about an Iodine dip, but fresh water should irritate him. I found that worms do not like to come out of rock when they are spooked. They tend to stay put. Good luck in finding him. I am battling some worms as well right now. It is very frustrating.

 

[sufunk]

One question i forgot to ask.....

Like i said, i'm pretty sure he went into this rock but not positive. It almost seemed like he just went under the sand and maybe not into the rocks at all.

Is it possible he lives under the sand somewhere and not in a rock?

 

[sufunk]

BUMMER!!!

I just smashed the rock up and ....no worm!:mad2:

I was almost positive this was the rock he went into. There really wasnt any other option unless he went under the sand to the next rock over. That rock is about 40lbs and the foundation of my entire rockwork. I REALLY dont want to remove that rock as it would require basically removing everything.

Danggit! The rock i just smashed was about a $100 rock and i didnt even get the worm. Worse, it was the PERFECT shape and size.

 

[mscarpena]

Some do burrow in the sand. There are many types of worms. Try to bait it and remove it with tweezers. They are very fast though. Some will go into pieces of PVC tubing as well.

 

[sufunk]

Some do burrow in the sand. There are many types of worms. Try to bait it and remove it with tweezers. They are very fast though. Some will go into pieces of PVC tubing as well.

I got a good look at him for at least a minute so i'd say i'm 99.9% sure it is a Eunicid.

He was LIGHTNING fast. I had the light on his body for a while as he moved very slowly. As soon as the light hit his head when i found it though, he paused for a few seconds and then instantly retracted a few feet and disappeared.

From what i saw of his size and speed, there is no possible way i could get him with tweezers. I thought of trying to bait him somehow but cant come up with anything that would allow him in but still be tight enough that he couldnt get out

 

[mndfreeze]

Instead of smashing rock, why not put it in a seperate tub of saltwater (assuming fresh doesnt make him come out) and put lights on low or use a red light, and coax him with food or some throw away zoas?

This is assuming you have the right rock of course, but still a better bet then smashing up super nice pieces

 

[sufunk]

Instead of smashing rock, why not put it in a seperate tub of saltwater (assuming fresh doesnt make him come out) and put lights on low or use a red light, and coax him with food or some throw away zoas?

This is assuming you have the right rock of course, but still a better bet then smashing up super nice pieces

That's probably what i'll try if i can figure out what rock he is in. The only reason i smashed this one was because i was pretty sure that he was in it. I cant figure out what other rock he could have gone into other than the one i smashed???

I checked late last night and couldnt see any sign of him or any tunnels near my zoo's or other soft corals. He's definitely got me stumped as to where he is hiding out?????

 

[mscarpena]

Looked on the underside you your tank and you might be able to see him in your sand bed. Also try the PVC thing. I have read a lot of stories where people have found them in their sumps or in their return lines. Place a pvc section where you think it is and add some food say scallops or shrimp and hopefully he will go in it. Also if you can find his body try to pull him out of there with some sort of tool. I pulled out a Oenone worm that was 27" long with a pair of tweezers no problem. I have also read about people using fish hooks and literally fishing for them, but they have powerful jaws and can chew through fishing line. Good Luck and keep us posted. Just keep at it and eventually you'll catch it.

 

[sufunk]

No sign of him whatsoever the last few nights. Unless he somehow curled into a piece of real small rock, he wasnt in the rock i smashed so i'm not sure where he is or what he's up to????

What about a large arrow crab? Would it be able to find and kill a decent sized Eunicid?

 

[mscarpena]

I doubt it. It would take an arrow crab a long time to eat a worm that large. I go sometime 3-4 months without seeing a worm that I am hunting for in my tank.

 

[sufunk]

Well, i was hoping that i got lucky and the Eunicid WAS in the rock i removed and i just didnt see him. I havent seen him since then and i havent lost any zoa's as far as i could tell.

Yesterday though, i got up and noticed that a little frag of zoa's had gone from 8 polyps to 3 overnight so he is definitely still in there somewhere:furious:

I really dont want to tear the tank apart looking for him so....

Is there ANY type of trap that would work for a pretty large Eunicid?

Also, is it true that if i only got part of him including the head, the rest would still live???