PDA

View Full Version : gut churning bristle worm


reeferious
02-07-2009, 02:35 AM
what's the largest bristle worm you've ever discovered within your tank? i found one 10 to 11 inches long couple years ago when i was switching tank. it must have been scavenger type for i had not noticed any disappearing fish, polyps, shrooms. i still regret flushing it down toilet as i could have kept it in the sump doing useful work.

marie
02-07-2009, 03:03 AM
I haven't had any gut churning incidents although I do have a lot of 10-12" worms in my tanks but if you need a new meaning to the term "gut churning" check out this beauty :mrgreen:
http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

o.c.d.
02-07-2009, 04:27 AM
I knew someone was going to post that . Is that not the sickest, that's just a segment of the worm, it was a lot longer. 7 feet. Off topic, if you get a chance that is Steve Weast tank stunning setup worth the read. In small print on the top of his page click to enter his cold water set up that's crazy to. Sad to hear he lost that tank.

christyf5
02-07-2009, 04:29 AM
I had a two foot eunicid worm. The same as Steves only considerably smaller :razz:

It was one of the most disgusting reef experiences I have ever had.

hillegom
02-07-2009, 05:33 AM
That thing is sick!!
Hope I never have one

untamed
02-07-2009, 05:43 AM
Everyone who ever put decent live rock into their tank has eunicid worms. Some of them are really small, while others grow to monster movie size. If you look closely enough, you'll see them. The largest I've ever kept was about the thickness of my little finger. He was vegetarian and I never did get to see how long he actually was....at least 12".

While commonly called bristle worms, eunicid worms are quite different. 5 distinct "antennae"...nasty mandibles...very fast moving...rarely seen completely out of a hole...and centipede like legs...usually shiny segmented body. They can be problematic..but they can just as easily exist in your tank for decades and you wouldn't know it.

Old picture...but still a classic.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/100_0865.jpg

bullit67
02-07-2009, 06:24 AM
YAh i had a eunicid worm in my tank it grew to almost 6 feet long fiji rock is real bad for them

BlueAbyss
02-07-2009, 08:20 AM
OMG, I looked at that coldwater tank page and it's AMAZING! I would love to do something like that some day... I actually considered doing a yellow perch tank, though I'd have to get a permit to collect them.

And these worms are sick. I had better freaking NOT get one of these in my tank. It would probably make me end my reefing days :surprise:

Flash
02-07-2009, 02:18 PM
so... is there a way to remove worms like that?

o.c.d.
02-07-2009, 02:43 PM
From reading steve's experience, you have too get them out in one piece, they will segment off and the pieces will stay alive and regenerate back into a worm.

bullit67
02-07-2009, 05:37 PM
Well there is a way to every thing I tried many ways to remove the one I had but they are smart and very elusive the one I had only came out at night the tank had to be completely dark along with the rest of the house if any light was getting to the tank at all it would not come out of it hidy hole. Oh and by the way even though it was almost 6 feet long I still have no idea where it was hiding during the day. What I ended up doing was going to princess auto and buying a long pair of forceps. Then on one dark Saturday night we put my plan into motion I got very thing ready befor the light went out opened all the doors on my canopy put a salt pail on the floor so I had somthing to drop it in got out my trusty flash light with a red lens the turned out the lights. The wife and I sat in the bedroom and waited for a while we would check the tank about every 15-20 min after about an hour and a half still no sign of it. At the 2 hour mark I went to check by myself and Ill be there it was sitting on the sand right in front of the reef I grabbed my forceps and went for it HOLY HELL I GOT IT !!!!! I yelled for the wife to come out and turn on some lights so I could see what I was doing but she could not hear me after about 10 min of battling with the worm ( I do mean battling this thing was pulling back so hard I could not lock the forceps and the force bruised my thumb and finger ) I had to let it go but I was able to grab it again this time I locked the forceps and just as I did that my wife comes out of the bedroom to see whats taking me so long she turned on some light I was able to yank it out of the tank and put it in the salt pail.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc46/Bullit67/IMG_0469.jpg

Flash
02-07-2009, 05:45 PM
Gross.... Lol! StRong suckers huh?!

bullit67
02-07-2009, 07:54 PM
I could not believe how strong it was I was worried about pulling the reef over. I guess when you have that many legs you can hold on tight

Purple
02-08-2009, 05:25 AM
K you guys are freakin' me out! I look after Starry's tank while he's away at work and I think he's gonna have to start paying me big bucks! :biggrin: I have seen bristle worms in one of the rocks but I think if I saw something that big in there I would have to blow it to pieces, anyone got a shotgun I could borrow? :wink:

RuGlu6
02-08-2009, 06:54 AM
I pulled one out of my tank it was about 3 feet long. terrible thing.
Now i have my rics dissapearing again... afraid to think that i might have another one:sad: