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Paul B
08/03/2014, 10:39 AM
I posted this on one of my threads but because it is of such great interest, I thought I would start a thread about it. (and I realize many people think I am nuts and won't read my threads) :hmm4:

I just noticed something in my tank that is never discussed. No one thinks of the benefits, or detriments. No one has used these things for any reason that I know of and if your tank is a new one of only a few years you probably don't have any.
What am I talking about? I better write it before I forget as my mind often wanders into the realm of Supermodels, inventions or Jello.
I am talking about tiny tube worms. For some silly reason that is foreign to me, my tank seems very stable. I think a fully grown moose could stumble into my tank after passing out from doing the Macarana and rot in there without having a mini cycle (whatever that is) I am not sure if that is because the bacteria in my tank is so good or that mooses just rot very quickly but I do know that a few years ago, maybe 5 or 10, I forget, I installed an algae trough to control algae cycles in my tank. It worked better than my wildest dreams. Well not all my dreams but you get the picture. That algae trough stopped growing algae a few years ago and now just grows tube worms. The water in it is about 3/4" deep and it is fully covered all the way out of the water with tube worms. Tube worms, brittle stars and amphipods. A tiny tube worm is basically an Electro Lux vacuum cleaner and I am sure they are cleaning the water in some way that it is not just as clean as a "Sham Wow" cloth would clean, but very clean. Could they also possibly be adding something beneficial to the water? I have no idea and I don't have another Moose to test my idea. But as I look at that trough which is fed from my skimmer, the left side is where the water feeds into it. The left side is fully packed with tiny tube worms
(and pieces of Moose) but as I look to the right to where the water exits the through, the tube worms get less to where the water goes back into the tank and there are hardly any tube worms. Like everything else, this is just a theory and also like everything else, the theory is probably wrong or just fantasy. Like the idea that Christie Brinkley is about to come knocking at my door. When I get time I will try to get a picture but in the meantime just picture a trough filled with tube worms (and moose hair) :wave:

MJT82
08/03/2014, 11:17 AM
Can't wait to see a pic!!

Paul B
08/03/2014, 11:22 AM
I tried to get a pic of Christie Brinkley but even for a tall girl, she moves fast.

snorvich
08/03/2014, 11:47 AM
I have a gazillion (perhaps slightly fewer) of the mini tube worms in the cryptic area of each of my refugia. Never thought about the subject, however.

Paul B
08/03/2014, 12:19 PM
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/2014-08-03130053_zps17506ba2.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/2014-08-03130053_zps17506ba2.jpg.html)

Paul B
08/27/2014, 05:40 AM
1:30 this morning I got up and had a thought. Maybe these tube worms also eat paracites. I have no idea, but my tank is never bothered by paracites even if I put ich infested fish in. I also don't have the equipment to see if this is true but it would be a great boon to this hobby if we could find a natural way of eradicating those little pests while accidently making the water healthier. My tank uses a reverse under gravel filter (yes there are such things) and the gravel is loaded with tiny tube worms. The algae trough is also filled with them so the water doesn't have a choice and must flow past millions of these feathery tentacles every day. I would imagine they would be able to remove paracites from the water. It is just a thought so don't hit me with all sorts of scientific theories from scientists who have never owned a fish tank or gone swimming.
I feed clams every day along with some of their associated clam juice and I am sure this helps promote the lives of these worms. They also act to clean the water of any particles. Every day I stir up the substrait a little with a baster looking thing which I am sure also feeds these guys (or girls).
These tube worms are never discussed but may be why older tanks don't have any problems with diseases, mini cycles, algae or bacterial blooms.
Maybe we don't give tube worms enough credit. It's just a thought.
References:
Me :wave:

PeterBel
08/27/2014, 03:20 PM
Is the tube worm look like this? I just saw this one today in my tank for the 1st time, he probably came with some corals i bought yesterday. I was wondering if it is a pest or i should try to catch it?

http://peterbel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/worm3.jpg

Paul B
08/27/2014, 05:51 PM
It's a tube worm. Leave it there until you get 75,000 of them. They are good. And very smart.

Buzz1329
08/28/2014, 04:32 PM
Hey Paul,

The dead moose had me laughing.

Your tubeworm trough sounds (and looks) pretty interesting. But I'm having a hard time picturing how it directs water from the outflow of your skimmer back to the DT. Can you provide more details on this?

Thanks,

Mike

Paul B
08/28/2014, 04:41 PM
See the white thing? That is the trough. The left side is where the water from the skimmer feeds into it, then being it is on a slight angle, it flows to the right and the right end is open so it flows back into the tank.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/IMG_1092.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/IMG_1092.jpg.html)

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/IMG_1821.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/IMG_1821.jpg.html)

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/2014-03-12091146_zps248fac82.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/2014-03-12091146_zps248fac82.jpg.html)

This is an old picture from the end where the water goes in to it. I threw out those MH lights, stupid invention.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/Gobieggs017.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/Gobieggs017.jpg.html)

kenman345
09/04/2014, 10:59 AM
I was wondering what those things were. I guess it's good I see them in such a new tank