What the heck is this worm?

[Nydus]

I just saw this huge worm come out of my rocks pulling a snail.. I'm asuming its not good for my tank.. what do I do? what is it?

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[Nydus]

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[CapitalO]

Definitly a polychaete worm. If its predating on live snails its possibly a type of Eunicid.. which is bad. How big is huge? I wouldnt trust any polychaete over two inches or so long.

 

[Nydus]

I didnt even see the whole thing come out of the rock, the part that I did see was at least 7 inches long! does it just eat snails or can it eat corals/ fish? Is there a way to kill / remove it without dismantling my tank? Is it worth dismantling my tank?

 

[BigBadBlenny]

http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchworms.html

 

[Nydus]

I just looked up polychaete worm, I did just buy and place 2 huge coco worms in my tank! their hard shells are over 10 inches long.. could it be there was an extra worm in those tubes? The 2 coco worms are still in their shell so could it be a hitch hiker?

 

[Peter Eichler]

Most likely it was just a hitchhiker with your live rock. Also odds are it's harmless and even beneficial. Are you sure the snail wasn't dead before the worm got ahold of it? I've observed many large bristleworms in my tanks throughout the years and every one of them was affraid of their own shadow. I don't know why people worry about larger polychaete worms...

Here's an article you may find interesting.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php

 

[RumLad]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9313262#post9313262 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Peter Eichler
Most likely it was just a hitchhiker with your live rock. Also odds are it's harmless and even beneficial. Are you sure the snail wasn't dead before the worm got ahold of it? I've observed many large bristleworms in my tanks throughout the years and every one of them was affraid of their own shadow. I don't know why people worry about larger polychaete worms...

Here's an article you may find interesting.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php

Agreed!

Just because it is a "large" worm, doesn't automatically classify it as a bad tank mate.

Bristle worms are a good thing, in moderation

Was the snail covered in a slimy mucous? This is the killing method of some harmful worms (oenone fulgida), they smother the snail and then eat it. Bristle worms just eat the already dead flesh.

 

[Paintbug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9313787#post9313787 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RumLad
Agreed!

Just because it is a "large" worm, doesn't automatically classify it as a bad tank mate.

a fairly large worm attacking a snail is a good sign of a bad worm though.

to be honest its impossible to say what it is from those pics. try to get a good up close pic of the mouth area.

 

[Peter Eichler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9314600#post9314600 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paintbug
a fairly large worm attacking a snail is a good sign of a bad worm though.

to be honest its impossible to say what it is from those pics. try to get a good up close pic of the mouth area.

But a fairly large worm scavenging an already dead snail is a good thing... Common bristleworms get blamed for so many things in this hobby that they're just not capable of. Yes, it's possible that it's a predatory species. But fact is that the predatory species are quite rare compared to the polychaete species we normally find in our aquariums.

 

[reefworm]

i agree with the last posts on the fellow being beneficial - part of your clean up crew. the few polychaetes that are harmful are also pretty rare in hobby tanks. I used to hunt them down, thinking they were destroying my corals, but have since learned that they are almost always cleaning away dead tissue - even when it's not that obvious. got to the point where I had dozens of worms in a relatively small tank and they did a great job of cleaning out excess food, etc. A couple of the mature worms approached 12". I so changed my mind about them that I changed my post name to...

 

[CapitalO]

I agree with a lot that everyone has said; although its just my opinion that large polychaete worms can be harmful. Its true that they are dentrivores and only eat dead or decaying organisms although in my experience the larger ones tend to go after things that may not be completely dead, or rather injured or vulnerable. Ive also had worms steal mysis from coral.. its just my opinion that the larger specimens can be detrimental to a tank whether they are dentrivores or not. Just my opinion..