Tube building Eunice?

duberii · Jan 18, 2020

I found this little guy in my live rock, and he seems to be some type of Eunice worm. He also seemed to build his own lair, kinda like a spinoid worm. Also, it doesn’t seem to be an ambush predator like a bobbit worm- it just munches on the area around it like a caterpillar. Should I try to trap it or is it not one of the predatory Eunice worms?

flsalty · Jan 18, 2020

I can't see it's head good enough to see if it's a Eunice or not. Eunice have 5 tentacles.

duberii · Jan 18, 2020

flsalty said:
I can't see it's head good enough to see if it's a Eunice or not. Eunice have 5 tentacles.

I counted 4, but I easily could’ve missed the fifth one in the middle. I’ll have to take another look

KJ · Jan 19, 2020

Oenone fulgida.

oenone fulgida worm - - Image Search Results

images.search.yahoo.com

duberii · Jan 19, 2020

KJ said:
Oenone fulgida.

oenone fulgida worm - - Image Search Results

images.search.yahoo.com

Can they be clear too? I just fed the tank and dozens of clear 4-tentacled worms darted out of empty barnacles to catch the food. They kinda reminded me of how gammarid Isopods scurry around. I’ll have to try to record it.

also, from what I’ve read, you can’t just plug the entrance like you could with vermatid snails to starve them out. Would that be true for both worms?

KJ · Jan 19, 2020

duberii said:
Would that be true for both worms?

Yes.

JTreef · Jan 19, 2020

I had one very similar. Built a tube using sand. Slowly built it towards a hammer coral and starting munching away. Had to split the rock to get it out.

duberii · Jan 19, 2020

KJ said:
Yes.

Any idea about the other worms? I know it’s hard without any pictures but I’ll try to get some when I get back home

duberii · Jan 19, 2020

JTreef said:
I had one very similar. Built a tube using sand. Slowly built it towards a hammer coral and starting munching away. Had to split the rock to get it out.

Once you split the rock, was it stunned and you just grabbed it with tongs it was there a bit of a struggle?

duberii · Jan 19, 2020

Here's a video of the clearish worm thing... it's in the leftmost barnacle

reef lover · Jan 20, 2020

Spionoid worms harmless.

duberii · Jan 20, 2020

reef lover said:
Spionoid worms harmless.

There are a few in there but this definitely isn't one... the bug in the video didn't build a tube and the guy in the pictures doesn't have those two prominent feeding tenticles

reef lover · Jan 20, 2020

I saw an amphipod scurry out quick in the left barnacle and this spionid worm in the barnacle to the right. I agree with kj the pic is oenone fulgida and i would remove him

duberii · Jan 20, 2020

reef lover said:
I saw an amphipod scurry out quick in the left barnacle and this spionid worm in the barnacle to the right. I agree with kj the pic is oenone fulgida and i would remove him

The amphipod is actually some type of worm that's living in empty barnacles, which darts out when I throw in some reef roids. It's clear and moves like an amphipod, but has a body that is more worm-like.