Ribbon worm

Fishfreak2009 · Dec 26, 2016

Anybody keep one of these? I picked up a beautiful zebra ribbon worm (Baseodiscus mexicanus) today for my 380 gallon tank. It's roughly 12 feet long and loves clam meat. Apparently they mainly feed on bristleworms, amphipods, and clams. Seeing how I have a massive bristleworm population from heavy feeding, and I feed 6-8 mussels to the tank every day, it should do quite well.

Brew12 · Dec 26, 2016

Fishfreak2009 said:
Anybody keep one of these? I picked up a beautiful zebra ribbon worm (Baseodiscus mexicanus) today for my 380 gallon tank. It's roughly 12 feet long and loves clam meat. Apparently they mainly feed on bristleworms, amphipods, and clams. Seeing how I have a massive bristleworm population from heavy feeding, and I feed 6-8 mussels to the tank every day, it should do quite well.

umm.... 12 feet long?????

Fishfreak2009 · Dec 26, 2016

Brew12 said:
umm.... 12 feet long?????

Yup. I think it's really neat! My fiance thinks it looks like a giant striped tapeworm... Apparently it can get over 25 feet long!

Brew12 · Dec 26, 2016

Fishfreak2009 said:
Yup. I think it's really neat! My fiance thinks it looks like a giant striped tapeworm... Apparently it can get over 25 feet long!

At what point does it stop being a worm and start being a snake? Or sea monster!!!!!????

Brew12 · Dec 26, 2016

@Wiz is going to be seriously jealous!!!

Fishfreak2009 · Dec 26, 2016

Here's a video I just shot. Just finished drip acclimating it to the display. They had to give me the piece of rock with him because he was so tangled up in it... He's just starting to crawl out of it.

Bongo Shrimp · Dec 26, 2016

Have you actually observed it feeding on prepared foods? Considering how ribbon worms feed, I would be surprised if it would accept non-living foods.

Fishfreak2009 · Dec 26, 2016

Bongo Shrimp said:
Have you actually observed it feeding on prepared foods? Considering how ribbon worms feed, I would be surprised if it would accept non-living foods.

I have watched it slither into a mussel from the grocery store thats been cracked open and come out leaving behind an almost empty shell. It also loves live bristleworms, which I have plenty of.

Bongo Shrimp · Dec 26, 2016

Fishfreak2009 said:
I have watched it slither into a mussel from the grocery store thats been cracked open and come out leaving behind an almost empty shell. It also loves live bristleworms, which I have plenty of.

Interesting! I'll be very excited to see how it does long term.

Fishfreak2009 · Dec 26, 2016

Bongo Shrimp said:
Interesting! I'll be very excited to see how it does long term.

I'm excited as well. I like critters that are different. For example my horseshoe crab, which is doing wonderfully. He's gone from under an inch to over 4 inches across the body. I see him maybe once a week.

Wiz · Dec 28, 2016

Awesome. Definitely following. I thought they were too dangerous in a reef. Sweet addition!

Fishfreak2009 · Jan 1, 2017

Still hasn't bothered anybody. He doesn't like the light very much. What's funny is that my misbar black snowflakes seem to think he is there anemone. They swim and wiggle in the folds of the worm's body. He doesn't seem to mind though.

He does like frozen mussel, as well.