Now that's a worm!!!

[DJ88]

Keys are in the pic for reference.. The rock at the bottom of the pic is FULL of bristle worms.. Up to 10 inches.

images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

Say 20 of em.. Give or take.. images/smiles/icon_wink.gif

http://members.shaw.ca/montipora/pictures/worms.jpg

[ 19 December 2001: Message edited by: DJ88 ]

[reefboy22]

wow thars preaty cool were is the rock from j/l? also hows the tank doin i would like to trade some corals or i have lots for sale let me know josh...

[Reefmaster]

josh you wanna trade corals for bristle worms?? oh man, lets make a deal! shane

[BCReefer]

Again not to sound stupid but – do we really want these things in our tanks?

[reefboy22]

no i dont i was saying thats alot of worms in one rock and my fish love to eat them so ya??? i was just wondering were he got it corals for worms i dont think so buddy images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif images/smiles/icon_wink.gif

[DJ88]

BCReefer,

I have always wanted these guys in my tank. I have had it happen where something died in a spot where I could not easily get to. Ie crabs snails etc. The worms go in and clean up the mess for ya.

As well they doa great job of stirring your sand bed.

I think they are great and I know lots of others do as well.

[Reefmaster]

well i got no shortage of the buggers -- actually witnessed one sperming the other night! yuk!

[canadawest]

I agree with Darren, I think they are a great clean-up addition to the tank. I spotted an even BIGGER red bristle worm in my tank a couple nights ago, feasting on the remainders in a snail shell.

Definitely a great way to ensure that nature's life cycle is completed after death in our tanks!

"You're born, you live, you die, and then you get eaten by worms... Hopefully somewhere in there you had some fun!"

[ 20 December 2001: Message edited by: canadawest ]

[Aquattro]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by canadawest:
I spotted an even BIGGER red bristle worm in my tank a couple nights ago, feasting on the remainders in a snail shell.


[ 20 December 2001: Message edited by: canadawest ]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just be watchful. I have one about 20" long that eats the remains of snails after it kills them. If you find you have a bunch of dead snails that are REALLY slimey, you might have a problem.

[DJ88]

Brad,

How do you believe the worms kill the snails? They don't have a mouth to attach themselves or bite with. They eat rotting flesh by sucking it in. That is it.

I have never seen one kill anything. and in my old 90 I had one that was nearly as big as the one I have now. It would leave a small groove in the sand as it moved around at night. I watched it at night move right past many many snails, crabs and shrimp. It never attacked or killed one. Tho if I saw one that wasn't looking well in the days before it would go afer that one once it died. how I determined it wasn't going to make it or recover was it would not attach itself to the glass and climb. And I have had lots of those happen over the last year.

The threads I have here are all ones where Dr Shimek is asked various questions about bristle worms. I have read them before at one time or another and found them all to be very informative. As a marine Bio who made inverts in the ocean his career, I figure his talks about the benefits and such for bristle worms is very good info to follow.

Worms 1 (http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=50076&highlight=worms)

Worms 2 (http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33974&highlight=worms)

slurpy worms (http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32205&highlight=worms)

great worm thread. (http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31734&highlight=worms)

[ 20 December 2001: Message edited by: DJ88 ]

[ 20 December 2001: Message edited by: DJ88 ]

[Aquattro]

Darren, Ron has described this worm here.
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35766

They do indeed have mouths and "teeth". I witnessed mine kill and eat two snails in one night by finding them in the sand and dragging them to it's hole in the rock. Three nights later it got another. They also attack clams.

[Aquattro]

He also describes them further as follows.

"Another type of worm that causes problems can be very large; I have seen individuals about 40 cm long and bright orange. These are thin compared to bristle worms, and although they do have small bristles along the sides, these are generally not apparent. These worms, Oenone fulgida, prey on snails and clams. They suffocate snails with a viscid mucus, and then eat the body, and apparently can bore into clams, such as Tridacna species and eat them as well (Delbeek and Sprung 1994). They live in holes in rocks and emerge to feed, but generally keep their posterior end in their home hole. They are nocturnal and feed in total darkness. When startled by a light they can retract back into their den with extreme rapidity. About the only way they can be removed from a system is by removing their piece of rock and manually pulling the worm out if it possible."(rshimek)

[DJ88]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote These are thin compared to bristle worms, and although they do have small bristles along the sides, these are generally not apparent.

This is not the worm I am talking about or explaining to BCReefer that are good for our system. Obviously you have a different species of worm.

The worm I posted a pic of and the ones I have added have very very visible bristles. What you are mentioning is a different worm entirely. There are thousands of types of worms. The ones we predominantly get in our systems are carrion feeders. The one I have shown here and the ones I have been talking about, are those worms. There are other types of worms that will prey on things such as snails and even fish. You can't call all worms that may appear, bristle worms. I have read about and made sure that the ones I am keeping and looking to add to my tank are bristle worms. The type that DONOT kill anything. They are scavangers. They do not have jaws and are only capable of removing decaying flesh.

If you have something different get it ID'd and describe it as such. If it does have jaws then it is obviously not the same worm that is beneficial to our systems. And not the same one I am speaking about.

Too often people call all worms "bristle worms" which leads to others asking are they good or bad.

[ 21 December 2001: Message edited by: DJ88 ]