Please help ID pest.
- Thread starter Tanggy
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MaxTremors
2500 Club Member
It’s hard to tell from the picture how big it is, but IME the flesh colored ones get fairly large. They’re not inherently dangerous until they get really big, and even then they’re still just detrivores/opportunists. Once they get massive (think a really big and long nightcrawler) if they catch a small fish in a cave or trap one in a crevice they might be able to kill it, but it’s unlikely. They’re unsightly, but most of them are harmless and are actually a good part of your CuC.
You can make a trap, you need two one liter water bottles, cut the top off one as close to the top where it’s the widest and then cut the top off the second bottle a couple inches lower. Invert the second bottle top into the bottom of the first bottle (it should fit pretty snuggly). Put a piece of shrimp inside the trap, make sure it’s all the way at the back. Put it your tank with the opening near where you saw the worm come out and bury it in the sand so the opening is flush with the sand (you can also put a little sand or a rock inside the trap to weigh it down). Leave it over night, and the worm should go in and because the opening sort inverts back on itself, they can’t get out. It’s worked for me to catch them and is easy to make. There are other designs you can google, and I’m pretty sure you can just buy one if you don’t want to diy one.
You can make a trap, you need two one liter water bottles, cut the top off one as close to the top where it’s the widest and then cut the top off the second bottle a couple inches lower. Invert the second bottle top into the bottom of the first bottle (it should fit pretty snuggly). Put a piece of shrimp inside the trap, make sure it’s all the way at the back. Put it your tank with the opening near where you saw the worm come out and bury it in the sand so the opening is flush with the sand (you can also put a little sand or a rock inside the trap to weigh it down). Leave it over night, and the worm should go in and because the opening sort inverts back on itself, they can’t get out. It’s worked for me to catch them and is easy to make. There are other designs you can google, and I’m pretty sure you can just buy one if you don’t want to diy one.
Uncle_Matthew
Community Member
Looks like a bristle worm for sure I've had them in my tank hard to remove by hand DONT touch them they will sting and burn like Max said you can make a trap that will get them also depending on your setup some fish eat these buggers my 6 line would pick at the smaller ones good luck
Alexopora
Well-Known Member
I believe your snail was already dead or dying before the worm got to it. Most of the bristleworms we encounter are scavengers or clean up crews. They’ll eat excess food and dead decaying matter. You could as others have suggested, set up a bottle trap to catch it although I must point out, if you see one of these chances are there are way way more of them hiding in the substrate and your rockwork. So unless if you really can’t stand the sight of them, you don’t really need to remove them.I noticed this one this morning. Seems to be feeding on my snail. Have not seen it before. Please help me ID it and what I need to do. Thanks.
