predatory worm info

[LeslieH]

Hi everyone --

If you have images of worms attacking or feeding in your tanks I'd love to see them.

I'm interested in learning more about what polychaetes eat. Scientists don't have much information about what worms eat in nature. Lots of reefers have reported their worms attacking this coral or that snail so I thought it would be really useful for the hobby to make a record of their observations. Afterwards we'll have a much better idea about which worms are dangerous predators & which are reef safe.

What I need are reliable observations and photos. It doesn't help to hear that someone's bristle worm attacked their soft coral. that doesn't tell me exactly what worm it was & what it will eat. On the other hand, if people post pictures of a worm chowing down on something I can identify it. If the food item is a coral you'll have to tell me what it is - I don't know much about them.

So please, post away! I'm hoping for lots of good pictures & info! If there's enough I could put together a slide show for Reefkeeping Magazine everyone can use.
TIA, Leslie

 

[romunov]

Ohoho, I have a few eunicids by the glass that will eat about anything meaty, alive or dead. I think I can get a few pics.

 

[Telgian]

Leslie,

I'm a bit confused.
Are you looking for diets in general, or the diets of actively predatorial worms?

Excluding the filter feeders (many) and flatworms (harmless), I have observed the following types of worms in my tank:
Dorvilleidae(?)
Lumbrineridae(?)
Eunicid(!)
Linopherus(?)

Telgian.

 

[LeslieH]

Good question. The answer is both. Since diets aren't known for certain for most worms any information I can get will help pinpoint which ones are always predators or detritivores or herbivores and which ones can switch their diets according to food availability. More info will also help us figure out who's got specialized diets and who should be flushed immediately.

For example, scientists thought that syllid polychaetes were either detritivores or sap/cell suckers. In other words, harmless tank inhabitants. However I've seen a couple of reefer-posted images showing big syllids taking chunks out of soft corals so obviously the big ones should be removed.

Another example. Someone just confirmed that Oenoe fulgida will eagerly eat cube food. Which could mean either it is a useful detritivore if there aren't any molluscs around or that it might start eating other inverts. More observations would help us figure out which is true.

 

[Ektor1]

you can read my thread here :
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=980844

I have at least one Oenone which is always alive in my tank, if I catch it, I will try to make a video of it.

About his predator technic :
it does find easely his prey (snail), it does catch it, like a boa (surround it, several times), and try to lift it near his hole.

with the help of his secretion, it can glue the snail near his hole, and will eat it slowly, during several days.

If i catch it, i could even send it to you (at your charge of course)

 

[Ektor1]

about the diet of the Oenone, I've seen it eating snail, and fish food (granules), it does eat granule like a snake : open his mouth large, eat it, and we see the granule moving in his body.

 

[Ektor1]

have several oenone in my sumps (at least 3), so if you have some specific tests to run, contact me

 

[LeslieH]

Thanks, Ektor. I have no specific tests in mind, just interested in what reefer have observed on the worms in the their tanks.

 

[Ektor1]

Actually I can notice that they're not specially afraid of getting out during the day.
They seems to be good detretivore, roaming on sand, looking for something to eat.
Even smaller one are able to find a brine shrimp and bring it back to his favourite hole.

Question : how they do reproduce? any risk that, from the sump, they spread in my main tank ?

 

[LeslieH]

Not much is known about reproduction or life history in the family Oenonidae. At least one species in the family is dioecious, meaning both males & females are needed. If they produce pelagic larvae then in a tank the juveniles are likely to be skimmed out or eaten. If the larvae are benthic some may survive & grow. Of course, unless you have both sexes there's nothing to worry about.

 

[sirbooks]

I'm not sure if this will do you much good, but I suppose it's worth a shot. I've got a picture of a bristleworm which appears to be attracted to a hermit crab molt. The tentacles sharing the rock with the worm are from a Cirratulid.

To help with identification, here is a better picture of the same species of bristleworm.

 

[Telgian]

I've posted most of this elsewhere, but it also seems appropriate here. It's more than just diet, but I'm sure you won't mind the extras.

Size: Maximum size around 15cm in length and 5mm in breadth.
Younger vemi may be quite long with many segments, but size and breadth of the individual segments are probably a better indicator of age and maturity.

Reproduction: Fragmentation; epitokes; stress induced broadcast spawning.
Fragmentation due to physical damage; an overall reduction in available food also seems to prompt this.
Broadcast spawning occured when I accidentally mashed a relatively large individual into four parts (it was in a batch of GHA that I was removing). Three large individuals rushed out of their holes in the rocks, and before being completely out, started back into the same hole headfirst. Rear end finally out of the rock, about 25mm out into the water column, TWO simultaneous jets of gamates about 30-degrees from each other released from each worm. This is the fastest that I have ever seen these worms move.

Lifespan: Dunno.

Sexual Maturity: Look for the fat 'uns.

Potential Problems: Will happily deprive sessile tankmates of their dinners. Mushrooms, faviids, small 'nems. By aggrivation causing the polyp to contract and expell its food, or just plain crawling down the pharynx of larger cnardians (mushrooms) to get at the goodies.

Diet: Detritus (visible as the blue/grey section), biofilms on glass, fish pellets (large individuals will ingest these whole -- I tend to stop counting at around seven), bottom feeder pellets, baker's yeast (in pellet form).
Individuals that are housed in small tanks that are cleared of detritus regularly will loose the blue/grey section.
I saw one break off and ingest a bit of algae (caulerpa), another try to ingest GHA (unsucessful: trying to lick detritus/biofilms off it?), and a third that decided that it wanted to clean off the shell of a keyhole limpet.

Shipping/culture suggestions: Find a coarse filter sponge and give them a portion of that to live in. Given no other option they will all climb into the sponge or be located beneath it.
I shipped 300+ individuals in part of a filter sponge about a year and a half ago. All went well, and several days after being in the recipients tank most had moved out of the sponge.

Tank habitats: In sand, in rocks, in turf or macro algae. Little 'uns are more likely to be seen in the algae.

Removal stategies: Feed them consistantly in the same places so that they know where food is to be found when they smell it. Preferably in open areas of the tank. Remove with a turkey baster at 10 to 15 minute intervals.
Adding bakers yeast to the tank prior to feeding will bring many individuals into sight as they try to figure out where the food is.

If handling them without gloves, make sure that you are holding your fingers firmly together. If you don't they will try to crawl between your fingers. They are very insistant about this, and you will regret it.

 

[Telgian]

Feather duster worms.
My observations. Listen to LeslieH in the event of confliciting information.

Common Name(s): Feather duster worm, duster cluster (multiple individuals for sale in LFS)
Scientific Names(s):

Description: These worms live inside a slime tube that they create.
They have a feeding crown that is mostly white with purple highlights on the underside.
Older individuals will have a feeding crown that is tinged with purple towards the mouth.

Size: Can reach 19mm. (3/4'') across the crown.

Lifespan: As long as they have food (?)

Tank habitats: To a certain extent, these worms like to live in areas with good water flow.
They will attach their tubes to solid surfaces.

Reproduction: Fragmentation.
The rear half of the worm pokes a hole in the slime tube once it has developed a feeding crown.
When the front half (?) has grown sufficiently it will repeat this process.

Sexual Maturity: For fragmentation, a feeding crown about 12mm. (1/2'') across.

Culture Suggestions: Will reproduce readily when well fed.

Diet: Phytoplankton, bacteria/detritus in the water column ,baker's yeast.

Feeding Habits: Particles that are captured but are not ingested will either be incorporated into the slime tube, or released as pseudo-feces.
When placed in areas with slower water movement the worm will turn about in circles in the tube, which causes the crown to rotate in the water.

Known Predators: Some fishes (?)

Potential Benefits: Will filter particulate matter from the water column.
This can be useful if another creature in the tank spawns (food), or if you didn't rinse your carbon well enough (incorporated into its tube).

Potential Problems:
A. I once had several individuals with the same type and colour of slime tube, and generally the same proportions.
However, these individuals had pale orange feeding crowns.
Their preferred food must not have been present in sufficient quantities and starved while the other feather dusters grew.
This was before I was dosing the tank with phytoplankton, so I don't know if this would have helped them.
B. Starving individuals will drop their crown. They will regrow a smaller crown, but will starve if they cannot filter enough food.
C. If you have a worm that has come completely out of its tube (for whatever reason), gently cover its body with fine sand.
It will cement a tube together from the sand.
After this has happened it will go about its normal habits of forming new tube from filtered particles.

Removal stategies: Carefully pull on the end of the tube that does not have the feeding crown.
Pinch the end gently at first to find out where the worm is in its tube, you don't want to squish the worm.
It may come part of the way out of the tube when you do this, don't worry about this too much, it will move back into the tube when you are finished.
Gently pull/work the tube away from the surface that it is attached to.

Shipping Techniques: Have never shipped any.

Images: