Saw this thing in the morning but thought it was just a big bristle worm but I took a picture this afternoon and saw that it had a goofy looking face. Now I'm not sure what it is. It's more than 4 inches long! PLEASE HELP!
Need help identifying worm
- Thread starter Dehab
- Start date
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Possibly a small Eunice?
Cthulukelele
2500 Club Member
Does look like a small Eunice worm. A lot of them are ambush predators.
vetteguy53081
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At first glance I thought eunicid but staring at its facial features may be a Phylodocid worm which feeds on detritus. This is one although not a threat I personally would eliminate as few worms are welcomed in my systemsSaw this thing in the morning but thought it was just a big bristle worm but I took a picture this afternoon and saw that it had a goofy looking face. Now I'm not sure what it is. It's more than 4 inches long! PLEASE HELP!
Sink_or_Swim
Valuable Member
Wish I'd have followed that advice the first time I spotted a tiny "bristleworm" a year ago, that actually ended up being a fireworm, lol. I hate worms in my tank now.
1ocean
2500 Club Member
Thats why when I went from a 140 to a 300 a year ago this month, I did away with sand and went bare bottom except for far back corner has 15 pounds of sand for my two wrasses. Less sand, less hiding spaces for those worms and other critters. Plus when I get a frag , I qt it, dip it , remove it from the frag it came on and examine the frag w a lighted magnetify glass for any hitch hikers... Frags and the area where the glue is, is notorious for hiding places for problem critters to hide I have found...
1ocean
2500 Club Member
make a plan to go hunting for that worm...either a net, or with hose when you Vaccuum gravel, a big plastic spoon , tongs, or something from the kitchen, yep I been in trouble more then once with MRS 1Ocean...
1epauletteshark
Valuable Member
Plastic bottle traps worm on most critters and I have used one before and caught a crab, but it looks like that worm might be able to escape, maybe try it but if that doesn’t work I would recommend more physical removal
Sink_or_Swim
Valuable Member
Yeah I have a melanurus. But the fireworm lived undetected in the rockwork for months, then when I spotted it again it was HUGE. I made a post about it when I finally got up the nerve to try and catch it. It was close to a foot long and as big around as my finger... way bigger than my wrasse, lol. I was able to get rid of the giant fireworm, but not before it reproduced. Now I see a couple smaller ones and I've been catching them one at a time in a worm trap. I dip EVERYTHING before it goes in my tank, so I know exactly where the fireworms came from - a big mushroom rock I got from a local reefer off Facebook, that I put in my tank WITHOUT dipping first (my first ever coral). The dang thing really truly looked like a "regular" bristleworm when it was small. After it grew bigger, there was a clear difference. Ugh.
BlueFynn_Ian
Community Member
Heck with a trap, if it’s in the same spot letting you take pictures I would dig it out with a net and tongs.
