Bristle worm questions

[SandJ]

***Warning...graphic bristle worm pictures...if you are squeamish this is your chance to close this thread****

I have a BioCube 29. Bought it already set up. Several months into having it, I happened to see something dart under a rock. It was a huge bristle worm. I have made a few unsuccessful attempts to catch it.

My clownfish laid eggs a few days ago. The clownfish has bristles all over their faces from fighting it and most of their eggs came up missing last night :0(

That was the last straw. I happened to see it out tonight (only comes a few inches out of the rock, never all the way). I was able to grab it with a pair of hemostats. It literally pulled my hand into the rock as it retreated into it. I held tight and in the process the head (?) came off. So the rest of the worm is in the rock. i would have preferred to take it alive, but I had to stop its destruction :0(

Will this spike my ammonia? It really is huge and would be equal to a dead fish in size.

My second question, can anyone tell if this is the bristle worms head for sure? Do they ever just stick their tails out of the rocks?

 

[scardall]

It is not a bristle worm.
http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhikers-guide/
Carribean Fireworm)
Here's 2 from my tank. Hemo-stat's was a good choice. DO NO TOUCH

 

[SandJ]

Do I need to get the body out?

 

[_Alex_]

Yes I would. As something that size decomposing will pollute the water

 

[Darth George]

I got stung by a fireworm at work a couple of months ago. Couldn't use my hand for a week. I now wear my gloves again while working in any tank! Lol

 

[miyags]

If you can take the rock out and give it a peroxide dip the worms will come out. Peroxide Dip, put rock in container big enough to cover rock with tank water , add peroxide a little at a time, till you see little bubbles form on rock,worms will wiggle out.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

If you can take the rock out and give it a peroxide dip the worms will come out. Peroxide Dip, put rock in container big enough to cover rock with tank water , add peroxide a little at a time, till you see little bubbles form on rock,worms will wiggle out.

after this is done, do you need to cycle to rock from the peroxide?

 

[SandJ]

The only problem with this rock is it has an anemone and clownfish eggs

 

[miyags]

after this is done, do you need to cycle to rock from the peroxide?

I never had to, it dosent even hurt the purple algae

 

[SandJ]

Ok, so I was afraid of the worm decaying. Turned the rock upside down, but kept it in water (so I did not hurt the anemone or eggs) while my daughter looked for the rest of the worm.

Fortunately I do not have to worry about it decaying BECAUSE IT IS STILL ALIVE

We were able to pull out a few more pieces (were still squirming around), but I am afraid there is still several more inches of worm in there.

Which leads to another question....is it going to survive?!?!

And it definitely looks like a fire worm.

 

[diablo243]

So I recently bought a BC29 from a guy who's tank was DEVISTATED by fire worms. When I got home and started cleaning it there were literally 100s of dead ones, and several HUGE ones in the rocks and sand. Yours sounds like a big one but where there's smoke there's fire, keep an eye open for more! Good luck hunting!

 

[BluewaterLa]

The pieces won't die
Just like most other worm species it will regenerate lost tissue
That's definitely a fire worm and not a common bristle worm

 

[SandJ]

The pieces won't die
Just like most other worm species it will regenerate lost tissue
That's definitely a fire worm and not a common bristle worm

Well, that is not what I wanted to hear
But I do know for sure some of the pieces will not survive lol

So I recently bought a BC29 from a guy who's tank was DEVISTATED by fire worms. When I got home and started cleaning it there were literally 100s of dead ones, and several HUGE ones in the rocks and sand. Yours sounds like a big one but where there's smoke there's fire, keep an eye open for more! Good luck hunting!

Ugh, that sounds like a nightmare This is the only one we have ever seen in the tank. I was never able to see more than a few inches of it, and only with indirect red light. As soon as it seen the light (red or white) it was gone.

 

[SandJ]

My anemone moved for the first time in many months after the clownfish fought with the fire worm. If the fire worm hit the anemone would that sting the anemone?

 

[Xclusive Reef]

Do these worms only come from life rock or can it develope after some time even with dry rock? Is it possible that eggs could be in the life sand when someone buys it and over time they hatch? Me for one don't like those things. Op is there a way you can get the eggs into a qt then remove the rock to kill the worm?

 

[bios]

They are regenerative
Don't sting anemones
Hydatina eat them
Stenopus hispidus also , but not that size
Be sure that with a stenopus in the tank they dont reach that size

 

[SandJ]

Do these worms only come from life rock or can it develope after some time even with dry rock? Is it possible that eggs could be in the life sand when someone buys it and over time they hatch? Me for one don't like those things. Op is there a way you can get the eggs into a qt then remove the rock to kill the worm?

You would have to introduce it to your tank in the form of live rock, frags, live sand, etc...

The Clownfish eggs are stuck onto the rock. They should hatch in the next couple days. Even though they will not survive, we wanted to at least see them hatch.

He could have stayed if he would have left everyone else alone. I had a peppermint shrimp go missing and two healthy chromis die that lived in the same rock. No proof, but it looks likely it was him.

 

[SandJ]

just found this crawling around the tank

 

[Wiz]

I know people dont like em. But theyre pretty

just found this crawling around the tank

 

[SandJ]

I know people dont like em. But theyre pretty

It likes LRS frozen food lol The clownfish should hatch tonight so I will be digging through the rock for the remainder of the worm.

I am truly amazed at how fast these regenerate. The head of the small one has completely healed and it now has a mouth.