Help: Can anyone tell me what this is??

giannetti23 · 11/24/2015, 02:29 PM

See picture linked to the post. I thought this might be a Bristleworm but I have other smaller Bristleworms in my tank and this guy is HUGE...he can't be good.

dweber618 · 11/24/2015, 02:34 PM

Looks like a eucinid worm...which I believe can/will wreak havoc on your tank.....kill it....kill it with fire.

giannetti23 · 11/24/2015, 02:37 PM

How do I kill it? I tried long tweezers and the moment i get them in the water he darts under the live rock.

dweber618 · 11/24/2015, 02:44 PM

After some quick googling and reading a couple of forums on here it appears that people will take the rock out and do a fresh water dip and or pour club soda on the rock? Do some more research, but it seems like they are really difficult to trap and catch.

Hopefully someone else can chime in with more advice. Glad it's not in my tank, give me the heebie jeebies just looking at your picture

dweber618 · 11/24/2015, 02:46 PM

How big do you think it is? Your picture makes it look like it's rather round. They are sometimes the cause of mysterious fish disappearances and dying corals.

DubiousMaximus · 11/24/2015, 02:47 PM

Bait an acclimatization box where the lid can be slid closed easily & wait

DubiousMaximus · 11/24/2015, 02:57 PM

thats one nasty looking captive you have. Probably as bad as a polyclad imo

Here is an article on these not so lil worms in a public aquarium;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...oral-reef.html

Dkuhlmann · 11/25/2015, 08:04 PM

Yep the nasty Bobbit worm. There was one caught that was something like 9 FEET was a sight to see. Google Bobbit Worm and you will find all kinds of stuff about them. They will eat corals too among other things in your tank.

jraker · 11/28/2015, 08:09 PM

you can try many different ways to get it out. you can try the bottle trap method, but i dont know how big the worm is and if it will fit in the bottle.

i have heard of the 'panty hose' method where you put some food in a panty hose. supposedly, the worm's bristles will get caught in the panty hose.

you can also try stunning it. go down in the middle of the night, and if you see it. shine a flashlight right at it. you can then proceed to try to get it out with some tongs.

i hope this helps, it really sucks to have that in a tank

Dkuhlmann · 11/29/2015, 06:06 AM

With using tongs you'll more than likely break it in half or more pieces. I think the bottle trap might be the best bet but us a 2 liter bottle

hotelbravo · 12/13/2015, 10:20 PM

i like the pvc or bottle trap method it really does seem to work wonders. speaking of wonders... im wondering why this is in the cephalopod section...

ulli · 01/03/2016, 03:49 PM

I dont think they eat corals.. more like sculpture them and use in there burrows..
I would sump him, interesting creature.

jalisco · 01/06/2016, 11:43 AM

Any update?

tifani · 01/08/2016, 09:58 PM

dying corals

udiego · 03/28/2016, 12:12 AM

Hello, I had one of those destroying my corals and eating my fish once. If this worms break they have the ability to grow another head and the problem continues. They don't really ever fully leave the rock cavity so any method above can potentially cause them to split. Unfortunately and as painful as it is, I recommend you find the rock he's hiding in, remove it and dip it in fresh water. The worm will dart out but be careful that no pieces stay behind. Hope this helps.

dendrite · 03/28/2016, 08:15 AM

If you see and remove one, can you assume there are others, and are they self replicating/hermaphroditic?

OliverS · 05/03/2016, 03:56 PM

How can I tell the difference between a good worm or a bad one? I have tons of worms big and small in my tank. Always assumed they were bristle worms and no problem until I saw this thread.

OliverS · 05/03/2016, 04:23 PM

Ah... think I just found my own answer. Just the one type of worm that's bad.

11/25/2015, 08:04 PM	#8
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	Yep the nasty Bobbit worm. There was one caught that was something like 9 FEET was a sight to see. Google Bobbit Worm and you will find all kinds of stuff about them. They will eat corals too among other things in your tank. __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

11/29/2015, 06:06 AM	#10
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	With using tongs you'll more than likely break it in half or more pieces. I think the bottle trap might be the best bet but us a 2 liter bottle __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

12/13/2015, 10:20 PM	#11
hotelbravo Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 2,175	i like the pvc or bottle trap method it really does seem to work wonders. speaking of wonders... im wondering why this is in the cephalopod section... __________________ -Hodge Current Tank Info: 180 gallon, 40b sump. 3x OR T247 lighting, Reef Octopus protein skimmer, phosban 550 reactor, tunze ato, gyre xf 150, 2x mag 9.5 returns.

11/24/2015, 02:34 PM	#2
dweber618 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: MT Posts: 334	Looks like a eucinid worm...which I believe can/will wreak havoc on your tank.....kill it....kill it with fire.

11/24/2015, 02:37 PM	#3
giannetti23 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 4	How do I kill it? I tried long tweezers and the moment i get them in the water he darts under the live rock.

11/24/2015, 02:44 PM	#4
dweber618 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: MT Posts: 334	After some quick googling and reading a couple of forums on here it appears that people will take the rock out and do a fresh water dip and or pour club soda on the rock? Do some more research, but it seems like they are really difficult to trap and catch. Hopefully someone else can chime in with more advice. Glad it's not in my tank, give me the heebie jeebies just looking at your picture

11/24/2015, 02:46 PM	#5
dweber618 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: MT Posts: 334	How big do you think it is? Your picture makes it look like it's rather round. They are sometimes the cause of mysterious fish disappearances and dying corals.

11/24/2015, 02:47 PM	#6
DubiousMaximus Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 80	Bait an acclimatization box where the lid can be slid closed easily & wait

11/24/2015, 02:57 PM	#7
DubiousMaximus Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 80	thats one nasty looking captive you have. Probably as bad as a polyclad imo Here is an article on these not so lil worms in a public aquarium; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...oral-reef.html

11/28/2015, 08:09 PM	#9
jraker Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 1,421	you can try many different ways to get it out. you can try the bottle trap method, but i dont know how big the worm is and if it will fit in the bottle. i have heard of the 'panty hose' method where you put some food in a panty hose. supposedly, the worm's bristles will get caught in the panty hose. you can also try stunning it. go down in the middle of the night, and if you see it. shine a flashlight right at it. you can then proceed to try to get it out with some tongs. i hope this helps, it really sucks to have that in a tank

01/03/2016, 03:49 PM	#12
ulli Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: iceland Posts: 212	I dont think they eat corals.. more like sculpture them and use in there burrows.. I would sump him, interesting creature.

01/06/2016, 11:43 AM	#13
jalisco Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: North Bay Area, Peoples Republic of Kalifornia Posts: 325	Any update?

01/08/2016, 09:58 PM	#14
tifani Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 1	dying corals

03/28/2016, 12:12 AM	#15
udiego Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 40	Hello, I had one of those destroying my corals and eating my fish once. If this worms break they have the ability to grow another head and the problem continues. They don't really ever fully leave the rock cavity so any method above can potentially cause them to split. Unfortunately and as painful as it is, I recommend you find the rock he's hiding in, remove it and dip it in fresh water. The worm will dart out but be careful that no pieces stay behind. Hope this helps.

03/28/2016, 08:15 AM	#16
dendrite Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: denver Posts: 493	If you see and remove one, can you assume there are others, and are they self replicating/hermaphroditic?

05/03/2016, 03:56 PM	#17
OliverS Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: W Yorks, England, UK Posts: 45	How can I tell the difference between a good worm or a bad one? I have tons of worms big and small in my tank. Always assumed they were bristle worms and no problem until I saw this thread.

05/03/2016, 04:23 PM	#18
OliverS Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: W Yorks, England, UK Posts: 45	Ah... think I just found my own answer. Just the one type of worm that's bad.