reef safe???

[cubano2480]

hi guys can anyone tell me what is this and is this reef safe???

thanks a lot

 

[Surfzup2k4]

honestly, why risk it? It's a bristle worm of some sort. I would trash it and be worry free. Where there is one of those, there are probably 100 to take it's place.

 

[LeslieH]

It's either Eurythoe complanata (reef safe & beneficial) or Hermodice carunculata (evil wicked & bad) and I can't tell which because I need to see the top of the head. Can you take a photograph with the worm in a shallow tray, covered with water, so the head is visible?
Thanks----

 

[cubano2480]

sure I will do that now here are more pics maybe this help

 

[cubano2480]

ok here is it
head

head

let me know what u think thanks a lot

 

[LeslieH]

Thanks - those last shots show the head really nicely. It's Hermodice. this is the one that eats corals & anything else it can wrap it's mouth around. Not reef safe. And don't touch it. The white bristles are shaped like harpoons & will dig into your fingers; they're also hollow & filled with venom which hurts like hell. Because of that the common name for this kind of polychaete is fireworm.

 

[romunov]

If you have the tank and some extra equipment, it would make a nice pet!

 

[cubano2480]

LeslieH thanks a lot I really appreciated ,kmk2307 want the fireworm so I will ship this bad guy to him :crazy1: , romunov I wish that I have some extra equipment

 

[kmk2307]

cubano2480,

I received the worm today. Thank you so much!!! It is a very interesting creature. Here's the kicker: it's still alive! It was shipped via normal USPS shipping to me here in Normal, IL (its about 40F here). The water was ice cold and it was moving very slowly. I let it warm up to room temperature and moved it into my quarantine tank. It's movement is suprisingly coordinated now. At first it randomly 'writhing' about. I don't know if it will survive this or not. If it does I'll attempt to feed it anthelia, xenia, and zoanthids until the class gets to polychaetes. Otherwise, I'll pickle it as planned.

Leslie, do you think it will live? I haven't done much research yet but any idea what I can feed it to keep it alive until mid March or so?

 

[LeslieH]

Wow, that's surprising! But hey, if it survived the US Postal Service it should survive anything! If it does, it would appreciate the diet you have planned for it. Hermodice will also eat fish & any other meaty bits it can wrap it's mouth around, so chunks of fish, clam, shrimp, will do nicely.

 

[cubano2480]

I`m happy to hear that hi make a live :thumbsup:

 

[kmk2307]

Thanks again ya'll. The worm is alive and as best as I can tell, well.

Kevin

 

[cubano2480]

you are welcome bro let me know if u need some more....