OMG...WHAT IS THAT THING!?!!

opivyfan1313

AC Members
Sep 27, 2007
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ooooook

so a quick run through (and not sure if any of this is relevant to my question but I'll throw it in here anyway :) )

my tank has recently taken a turn for the worse
ammonia spike
lost about 5 pieces of coral so far (zoos and xenia mostly)
lost a goby
other 4 fish, and the cleaner shrimp are looking good
surprisingly, of the coral to survive are 2 bubble-tip anemones (one is brownish, and the other (which actually split from the first one) is almost greenish)

so im walking past my tank, which is now quite the mess from moving things around and shifiting things to my QT, and can't help but notice that there is a HUGE FREAKING WORM IN MY TANK!


its got to be about 4-5 inches, it looks spiky, it was moving in the sand

i managed to take the following (admittedly terrible) photo

from what i've found on my own my best guess would be some kind of fireworm?

if that's the case, should i get rid of this thing???? :help:

0212081810.jpg
 
Bristle worm. A good thing to have, but perhaps not the most comforting thing to look at. It is a valuable member of the clean-up crew. I don't believe it is a fireworm...but the pic lacks clarity to make that sure of a call...but still believe it to be a bristle.
 
Looks like a bristle, they are good to have but when they get to big can begin doing damage and eating things you dont want them to. I read an article in Coral Magazine (V. 5 Number 1) where the auther removed a 52 inch (130cm) long worm from his tank which had begun eating his corals
 
Personally i remove the very large ones (2"+) during routine maintenance when i see them, but i don't go looking, there's always plenty of little ones left behind that clean up well but are to small to cause a problem.
jmo
 
well that was the first time ive seen it...and the last

not too sure i even want to go digging for that thing :headshake2: haha

it concerns me that some say it could eat coral, and i've lost so much of it now...but none of it LOOKS eaten...just dead...if that makes sense...
 
maybe i got weird vision or something but this almost looks like a picture of the underside, with at least one red stripe that i can see, just a thought i could be crazy

0212081810.jpg


my money is going for the first vote on fireworm
 
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