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View Full Version : Revenge of the Eunice Worm!!


Ryan7
10-09-2018, 10:34 PM
My Worst Nightmare returned..

Here is part one if you missed it; (page 3 has catch story)

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=118019

So I decided to re-aquascape my 325G. I had it set up with pvc piping to make some giant caves. I removed about 80% of the rocks to get all the pvc pipe out, not an easy task, but it was done.

I get all the rocks back in and proceed with the new placement. As I go to move the second to last rock from the sand in place, I see some "feelers" of some sort moving under the rock. I thought, wtf, is that a mantis.. I get a big net and tongs and go back in for a closer look.

My bright orange aqua glove slowly lifts the rock, as I lift it up and turn it over, there it is! About one foot of it dangling out the rock! Of course, I freak out and drop the rock creating a big dust storm.. I run around to the front of the tank and see it through the dust curl up under the rock closest to the corner of the tank. How can this be happening to me again, I'm thinking to myself as I try to shake off the jitters.

In keeping the story short.. I go back in to the rock its under.. I manage to get 2 feet of it out with the tongs before it escapes under the massive pile of rocks I JUST RESCAPED. OMG.

Fast forward 3 days. I remove 80% of the rocks and coral out AGAIN. Flip over and check every rock left in the tank.

NOTHING. WTF.

I check the overflows and sump. NOTHING.

I recheck the rocks I took out that are in a big Rubbermaid. NOTHING.

I go back to the DT and start to recheck the remaining rocks. I pick one up and see the tell tale cocoon signs in the holes. Did I miss this one last time?

I take the whole rock out quickly putting it in a bucket. Within 10 seconds, before I can even start inspecting it, out starts to crawl the remaining 2 feet of the worm.

BIG SIGN OF RELEIVE.

As the previous 5 footer eluded me for years.. this slightly smaller sibling at 4 feet I find almost 2 years later..

Now I ponder;

Was this one in my tank with the other one?
Was this one an offspring of the first?

And most importantly. Are there anymore in there??

Will put some pics on FB post and put a link here.

Ryan7
10-09-2018, 10:40 PM
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1759733580945162?view=permalink&id=2124846294433887

Dearth
10-10-2018, 12:02 AM
I’ve been fortunate to never get one in my tank but damn I still shudder to think what if....

smokinreefer
10-13-2018, 11:05 PM
Read your post but not the links.
I don't wanna see that, ever.

Glad you got it out though.

ReefMadness
10-14-2018, 04:38 PM
I go back to the DT and start to recheck the remaining rocks. I pick one up and see the tell tale cocoon signs in the holes. Did I miss this one last time?


when I read the word "cocoon" my heart sank.
I added 50lbs of rock from a shut down system roughly a year ago and about 6 months later a 3" translucent casing started to droop down in a spot in my aquascape that I can clearly see straight through to the back of my tank. each day for a week it fell lower and lower until it eventually fell to the bottom and that was the last I saw of it.
fast forward to today... nothing resulted from it that I can see, I never have lost a fish and the hermit crabs that I have lost to predation seem to be a result of a couple of large emerald crabs I enlisted for bubble algae control.
After reading this I have my concerns now :cry: