Bristleworm Issue

[Future]

I know that bristle worms are beneficial and all that, however when is a bristle worm too big?

Since I've restarted the tank and added stock that I now feed I've found the creature that lurks within. I've estimated this puppy at close to 2ft. long and the girth of a small pencil.

I do have and see the typical 1-2in. guys digging in the SB, but this monster?? At first I was concerned for my conch, but after 3 days of thinking it was being stalked by this bristle I found that the bristle is only going after the algae strips I feed the conch.

Now if anyone remembers I had a damsel quite literally eaten to the bone in a few hours after it's death. This is the bristle that took care of it.

Now the questions are as follows...

1. Is this too big for my 36gal. tank?
2. Will it continue to spawn smaller bristles of it's own species?
3. What are the risks associated with it due to size?

BLAh BLAh BLAh, you know I've got some kind of worries here, so I'm missing other questions that may be imperative.

I don't want to overload the tank with a fish that will dine on only bristles because of this one... I dunno I'm confused here..lol

**So you see what I'm talking about here come the pic's...
Pic1 - conch on right, algae strips on left.
Pic2 - Clearer image of body wrapping around LR.
Pic3 - Section of body beyond and under the LR it's wrapped around.
Pic4 - Head

I've been taking pic's of him lately so he doesn't shy from the flash much

[leebca]

Quite impressive! That's about the largest one I've ever seen in captivity. Most of my FOWLR setups contain one or more fishes that will eat them, so they tend to remain well hidden. My refugium has quite a few.

Mostly, nutrient limitations prevent one from getting too large, if a predator doesn't make a meal out of it before.

Anyway. . .They have been known to exceed 20" in captivity. These worms have gone through many phases of appreciation. At first it was thought that they should all be removed. It was thought they pose a threat to marine life including, but not limited to clams, corals and fishes. Then it was agreed that they provide such a good benefit to the substrate that only the small ones should be tolerated. In this phase, the advice was to remove large ones for fear of their 'predatory nature.'

Last phase is that we've come to the realization that even the large ones are for the most part, scavengers. They do not attack or kill marine life. If you have a coral or clam that dies, they will be on the spot to devour it. Many hobbyists then think it was the worm that killed and ate the clam. But, it only eats dead things. Keep in mind though, there are 100's in this class and this is only a generality.

These worms are in the class of polychaetes. Many of these reproduce by a process known as Epitoky. Without going into great detail, this form of reproduction requires a larval stage in which the organism joins the plankton area where they feed and grow. They don't reproduce in the aquarium by this means. But a few of these worms may have other ways to reproduce.

It isn't possible for me to identify which of the 100's of these worms you might have, so all I can say is generalities.

There are a few in this group that pose a threat to humans in that their mouth and/or bristles can harm a human. I will also hasten to add that a few are still considered to be predatory rather than a scavenger. One of this size could hurt your bare hand, by mouth alone, should you or a visitor/family member be careless enough to put a hand into your aquarium.

Some hobbyists don't mind them; others think they are 'creepy' and want them out. If you have determined the worm does not bother your other marine life, then you can go on with it living there. If it bothers you and/or other marine life, then capturing it and removing it would be a way forward. Your call.

[Future]

Tough call because it is in fact pretty cool to watch. I've seen the pincher's in the mouth as it nibbled at the glass, and although they didn't look like much they were black and seemed like they would hurt immensely.

So far it hasn't done direct damage to anything in the tank and IMO it's nice having something that can take care of a death within hours before the tank starts a mini-cycle.

Watching closely the past few nights it doesn't seem interested in the conch, but loves when I plop some very small pellets in the tank. It'll find them and start swallowing each pellet whole. I'd love to get a video of this, but I'd have to set up something that will do a long run recording VIA PC just for this.

Anyway, as long as it's not going to "hunt" anything aside from the typical diet, it's been with me since day 1, I'll leave well enough alone. The minute I notice foul play though, I'll be offering him and the LR he call home up for grabs..lol

[Future]

I caught another glimpse at this guy again, and he's definitely longer than 2ft.. The rear was still under a rock, but the body stretched out along the outer edge of some rocks, turned a corner halfway down the tank and under another rock.
My rock is close to the glass, so just what I seen before was an easy 19inches.

He's doing no harm, so I've decided to keep it. I'm not doing coral in this tank anyway so it's all good.

[weez1959]

OMG!!!
You have to try and get a pic of this guy! I wanna seeeeee!

[weez1959]

Nevermind!, I'm a boob!, I didn't look higher!

[Future]

One of these days he'll be all out and I'll be waiting with camera in hand. He's getting used to it now, so he isn't running from light as much.

[zhenya]

Some polychaete worms from the Eunice family get quite large, but there are others as well that can get large. If you can get a clear head shot of the worm it would be easier to identify it.
Here's an article that describes some of the large worms
Polychaete Annelid Identification, or “You Can Always Tell A Bristle Worm… by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

[Future]

Some polychaete worms from the Eunice family get quite large, but there are others as well that can get large. If you can get a clear head shot of the worm it would be easier to identify it.
Here's an article that describes some of the large worms
Polychaete Annelid Identification, or “You Can Always Tell A Bristle Worm… by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

There is a clear head shot picture posted above. It's the far right image

[Future]

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Oenone are nocturnal predators on snails and clams, and perhaps some other animals. They appear to extend from their burrow, and as they approach their prey they apparently secrete some mucus that covers the prey. This mucus may simply smother the prey, or it may contain some venom or narcotizing agent. After the prey is immobilized the worm extends a proboscis from the bottom of the head into the mucus and the jaws grasp the body of the prey. The jaws may also cut the attachments of the body to any shells, or alternatively the mucus may contain an agent that chemically severs the attachment. In any case, the prey's body is ingested. When the aquarist investigates the scene the next morning, all that typically remains is an empty snail or clam shell covered in a blob of mucus. Not many other predatory animals in marine aquaria typically leave behind such remains, consequently a dead, empty, shell covered with mucus is considered to be good evidence of the presence of an Oenone.

Oenone fulgida are not too hard to remove from a system, but it takes diligence. They most often live in burrows in rock, and enter aquaria in uncured rocks, and being nocturnal, the hobbyist has to search for them in the middle of the night. Using a red flashlight is best, as they will rapidly withdraw in the beam of a normal flashlight. They will appear as long worms stretched out and over the rocks. Once an Oenone individual is presumed to be living in a tank, the hobbyist must watch it withdraw in order to see where its burrow is found. After the rock with the burrow is located, the rock must be removed and the animal flushed from its burrow using a flood of carbonated water (soda pop works well). The worm is then discarded, and the rock replaced in the aquarium.

There's got to be a better way to remove this thing

[zhenya]

There is a clear head shot picture posted above. It's the far right image

Future,
It's a pretty good shot but what I meant was something like this...
h0839a

PS> The rest of the images could be found here

[Future]

Future,
It's a pretty good shot but what I meant was something like this...
h0839a

PS> The rest of the images could be found here

LOL, that's nuts! I love it!!

I'm at a loss for it's in the tank (I Think) and that's the absolute best I can do as for a head shot.

I went ahead and removed a huge chunk of LR that he was always arround, so I think I've popped the right piece out. We'll see though. The rock is in a 5gal. bucket now, and I'm not going to do that soda thing. I'll just see if I happen to see it popping out of the rock within the next few hours.
If it does, then that chunk stays out of the tank.

[zhenya]

I'll just see if I happen to see it popping out of the rock within the next few hours.
If it does, then that chunk stays out of the tank.

That's not a bad idea at all...Having said that, what are your plans for the worm once it is out of the tank?
They could probably make very interesting "pet" if kept in a small specimen tank.., say 20 or so gallons. I have some Eunicid worms that are pretty small, 4-6 inches at the most and they are nothing but scavengers, and very "privet".

[Future]

Honestly I have no plans for it, so if someone wants this 12lb chunk w/ a big worm...

Currently the chunk was one of my largest pieces, it's in a 5gal bucket right now where it's basically going to sit w/o any kind of food for the guy. I'm hoping this is the correct piece, so in the next few days I'll toss in some pellets and just wait.

My tank actually looks better w/o the chunk anyway. So removing it wasn't a bad idea even if the worm is still in my tank.

Right now it's all a waiting game and this chunk is either up for grabs or I'll let it bleach in the sun and use it for when I cycle my 75gal.. The sad part is I don't even know what kind of rock it is, because it was the largest piece of a 55lb LR boulder that my brother-in-law had in there.

BTW, where in Jersey are ya? I used to live in Kearny

[phil47952]

Did the worm ever come out?

[leebca]

phil,

You're responding to a post over a year old. I will close the thread to prevent further contributions to it.