Baby bobit worm?

[ReefHunter006]

Bobit worm?

 

[BairCorals]

Looks like it to me

 

[ReefHunter006]

Any chance it is small enough that a wrasse will eat it? Or do they not go for those?

Looks like it to me

 

[JoJosReef]

It is a Eunice worm. No idea if it is a bobbitt or not, but highly doubt it. Did the rocks come from the Indo Pacific? It is most likely one of the Eunice worms that come from our Gulf live rocks. They can grow big and be opportunistic but are for the most part detritivores that clean up junk. I've been suspicious of them for mystery snail deaths but never seen one of mine attack a snail or anything else for that matter. Mine did go nuts for flake food, though, and I almost caught one once bating it with flake. They are lightning fast though and retract into their holes very quickly.

 

[ReefHunter006]

It is a Eunice worm. No idea if it is a bobbitt or not, but highly doubt it. Did the rocks come from the Indo Pacific? It is most likely one of the Eunice worms that come from our Gulf live rocks. They can grow big and be opportunistic but are for the most part detritivores that clean up junk. I've been suspicious of them for mystery snail deaths but never seen one of mine attack a snail or anything else for that matter. Mine did go nuts for flake food, though, and I almost caught one once bating it with flake. They are lightning fast though and retract into their holes very quickly.

Gulf rock. So not likely a fish or coral threat? There is plenty of scrap food in this tank with 50 fish.

 

[BairCorals]

Any chance it is small enough that a wrasse will eat it? Or do they not go for those?

Don't think wrasse will go after it

 

[JoJosReef]

P.s., nearly impossible to remove. You can't catch them with a bottle bait trap like bristlesorms. If you somehow grab them with tongs, you have to be extremely careful about pulling them out. They have a firm hold in their rocks, and if you break them, then they just grow new heads--you can actually end up multiplying them. I've tried remobing the rock and doing RODI soak/spray (shooting RODI into their holes), but failed to get them out. Have not tried hypersalinity. And I've heard that shooting club soda into their holes (outside of tank) can drive them out but never tried that. I got rid of mine by removing their rocks from my tank, but that was only because during a tank transfer I had to keep half of my rocks and toss the other half, so just tossed the Eunice worm rocks. I had already accepted their presence and would have kept them if not for the transfer.

 

[JoJosReef]

Wrasse unlikely. I don't know what predators these guys have. Their mandible jaws are quite formidable. I nabbed one in the dark using a red flashlight and tongs and the bloody thing attacked my tongs. It surprised me so much I released pressure and it was gone back in its hole. Thing of nightmares.

 

[JoJosReef]

@ISpeakForTheSeas @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal either if you know if any aquaria livestock can remove a Eunice worm? Arrow crab, maybe?

 

[ReefHunter006]

@ISpeakForTheSeas @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal either if you know if any aquaria livestock can remove a Eunice worm? Arrow crab, maybe?

This one is very small, but it is considered a threat to the fish and coral?

 

[JoJosReef]

This one is very small, but it is considered a threat to the fish and coral?

I don't know. I think they do well with detritus, and these aren't the ambush predators that true bobbitt worms are, but I suspect that they are highly opportunistic and would go for what is readily available, especially if they are hungry. I had them in a tank with clowns and never noticed any attacks or injuries to the clowns, but I was never sure about snail deaths. I never observed any attacks on corals like zoas or blastos or acans that were nearby, and they left the shrooms (rhodactis and discosomas) alone--I observed them around the shrooms often since they were next to one Eunice's hole.

 

[Doctorgori]

perhaps try a epoxy plug over it’s hole

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

@ISpeakForTheSeas @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal either if you know if any aquaria livestock can remove a Eunice worm? Arrow crab, maybe?

An arrow crab would be my first suggestion to try, but I’m not very confident it would find and take out this specific worm, especially if there are other worms and enough feed in the tank.

Also, someone else tried a 1 minute hypersalinity dip on a worm like this and reported that it did nothing. I’ve heard that a club soda dip/injecting club soda into its hole may draw it out, but I can’t confirm that at this point.

It's definitely a Eunicid species, but not necessarily a bobbit (in fact, I'd guess it's likely not a bobbit, as those tend to burrow in the sand) - there are a number of Eunice spp. and Leodice spp. that look like this (i.e. that look similar to the bobbit, Eunice aphroditois).

The handful of species that I've looked at that look like this are probably not ones that you'd want in the tank though.

 

[kjkszpj9]

I would honestly just take out the rock you know its inside of and dispose of it just to save you stress from having to worry if its going to go full rambo on ur tank inhabitants in the future.

 

[ReefHunter006]

I would honestly just take out the rock you know its inside of and dispose of it just to save you stress from having to worry if its going to go full rambo on ur tank inhabitants in the future.

it’s one of only a few small pieces of live rock I used to seed the tank to try and stop the dry rock problems.

Is it likely to move or can I give it some time to get the biome spread.

putty and super glue won’t solve the problem I assume?

 

[kjkszpj9]

it’s one of only a few small pieces of live rock I used to seed the tank to try and stop the dry rock problems.

Is it likely to move or can I give it some time to get the biome spread.

putty and super glue won’t solve the problem I assume?

i think they stay in the rock they made their "home" inside, the ones i had in my rocks never left the home they created they never ever went outside the holes.

 

[8-Bit Reefer]

yep, or eunice worm. Either way you dont want that in your tank, they will get massive.

 

[SFREEF3R]

I hand one in my gulf live rock similar to this that got fairly large. I caught it munching on some Zoas so it had to go.

Fortunately, it had taken up home in a piece of rock that was pretty easy to remove.

I took the rock out of the tank and injected seltzer water into its hole with a big syringe. It came out quick! The whole process took maybe 5 minutes and had minimal die off of any sponges or sensitive organisms from the treatment.

 

[SFREEF3R]

i think they stay in the rock they made their "home" inside, the ones i had in my rocks never left the home they created they never ever went outside the holes.

I’ve had some move over time, and others that never move

 

[Idech]

Just take the rock out and let it dry. Maybe lightly brush it before in a small container with tank water to get a bit of whatever is on the rock and pour it back in the tank.