what the heck is this!!??

[REEFROOKEE]

just when you think you know your tank...

leave it or flush it?

[jk1nole]

It is a bristleworm... It is good for your tank and will eat extra nutrients.

http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/worms/pho...view?b_start=5

[REEFROOKEE]

thanks a lot man! i have never seen that before!

[REEFROOKEE]

its really long prob 6-8 inches!

[josh11551]

they also eat detritus and dead fish...

[jk1nole]

I see them in my tank after the lights have been out awhile. I have a couple that have gotten huge.

Make sure you don't touch them with your bare hands... I've heard the pack a pretty mean punch if the bristles get in your skin.

[thebkramer]

My starry blenny attacked my biggest one and ended up looking like a dog after fighting a porcupine!! Poor thing had bristles all over him and even in his mouth!!

Here is my big boy next to my tigertail...he reaches atleast 18in length and 2in wide

[IMG]http://i45.*******.com/mbmzjc.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i50.*******.com/j5blt1.jpg[/IMG]

[REEFROOKEE]

Originally Posted by jk1nole

I see them in my tank after the lights have been out awhile. I have a couple that have gotten huge.

Make sure you don't touch them with your bare hands... I've heard the pack a pretty punch if the bristles get in your skin.

thanks for the heads up i with thinking of pulling it outa there bear hands! lol

[REEFROOKEE]

Originally Posted by thebkramer

My starry blenny attacked my biggest one and ended up looking like a dog after fighting a porcupine!! Poor thing had bristles all over him and even in his mouth!!

Here is my big boy next to my tigertail...he reaches atleast 18in length and 2in wide

[IMG]http://i45.*******.com/mbmzjc.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i50.*******.com/j5blt1.jpg[/IMG]

omg! that thing is huge! im just more shocked i have never seen it in there before!

[josh11551]

they sting bad! the sting will hurt for days afterwards! coral banded shrimp eath the smaller ones. you could try a bristleworm trap if you wanted bat you dont need to.

[REEFROOKEE]

Originally Posted by josh11551

they sting bad! the sting will hurt for days afterwards! coral banded shrimp eath the smaller ones. you could try a bristleworm trap if you wanted bat you dont need to.

is it going to breed like crazy??

[josh11551]

i am not a total expert with bristle worms but go on youtube and look up bristleworm spawning..

[thebkramer]

Just don't overfeed your tank and you should be fine. They are great and very beneficial to your reef system!! Keep an eye on them and when they get too big for your liking, just pull them out.
I usually pull them out and then freeze them to nicely put them to sleep forever

[REEFROOKEE]

good idea! looks like he has been in the tank for a long time? prob came with the life rock?

[josh11551]

yes most likely thats where i got mine

[REEFROOKEE]

crisis averted!

[josh11551]

did you take it out?

[REEFROOKEE]

no no! i dont want to take things out that arnt doing harm! heck its a critter that i didnt have to pay for and he cleans up every ones mess! what else could you as for!

[josh11551]

here is a GIANT one i found on youtube!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf_-l...eature=related

[REEFROOKEE]

ha! i just watched that video to!!!! that ones out in the light? thats common or uncommon?

[josh11551]

i have like 20 BW and some crawl around the rocks during light on time

[ludnix]

Originally Posted by REEFROOKEE

ha! i just watched that video to!!!! that ones out in the light? thats common or uncommon?

It's less common. They do not generally like much light, but on occasion you'll see them during the day time. I had a lot which lived in my overflow and if you shined a flashlight on them they did not look happy.

[Salamander]

I hate to say it but I don't think that's a beneficial bristle worm. It sure seems to be a Oenone fulgida worm, a certified mollusk killer.

Have you ever found dead snails in the morning with a mucus like blob on it? That's a good sign of a Oenone in the tank. They secrete this "mucus" which supposedly sedates the mollusk while they begin to devour it. They're hard worms to get rid of.