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11/30/2011, 04:31 PM | #1 |
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ID this worm
I found this guy underneath my large zoanthid rock so I am assuming he is what was eating them one by one.
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equipment: Eshopps psk-200 skimmer, Mag 12 pump, 30gal sump, 2x 300w Finnex heaters, glass-holes 1500gph overflow kit with 3/4" return kits, 72" 8x36w t-5 AquaticLife light, 66lbs of LR, 150lbs of tropic eden reeflakes, 2 Koralia Evo 1400, JBJ ATO, BRS dual GFO/carbon reactors, Hydor smartwave Current Tank Info: 125gallon |
11/30/2011, 04:36 PM | #2 |
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Standard bristleworm (polychaete). They're garbage disposals. They will absolutely clean up dead and rotting tissue but it's very unlikely that the worm is eating healthy polyps. Removing this worm won't "hurt" your tank but you should keep looking for other reasons your zoas are disappearing.
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12/01/2011, 09:20 PM | #3 |
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oh! Yes, i've got some too in my tank. They eat excess food, or dead things. The only time i've seen them eat a zoa was when the zoa was already in necrosis because of predation from nudis or zes. Oh you'll see the worms on or under a zoa colony now and again, but it's only 'stepping on them' on the way to what it's really wanting. Honest to God, i thought they were awful things too Lynne when i first saw one but i asked around and i also watched it with those magnifying glass things, and it turned out that they would only eat the polyps that the spiders had already got to, and only after necrosis started to set in. So then i was okay with them. Now that my zoa colonies are healthy, a passing bristleworm might make them closeup but it's not hurting them, the zoasjust open up again once he's done crossing over them on his way to some tasty garbage.
The're ugly as heck but a good part of a 'cuc'. ps. The worms life/death cycle is self regulating too. Meaning they die off when there's not enough detritus to eat.
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12/03/2011, 04:13 PM | #4 | |
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Quote:
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equipment: Eshopps psk-200 skimmer, Mag 12 pump, 30gal sump, 2x 300w Finnex heaters, glass-holes 1500gph overflow kit with 3/4" return kits, 72" 8x36w t-5 AquaticLife light, 66lbs of LR, 150lbs of tropic eden reeflakes, 2 Koralia Evo 1400, JBJ ATO, BRS dual GFO/carbon reactors, Hydor smartwave Current Tank Info: 125gallon |
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12/05/2011, 04:02 PM | #5 |
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To be honest that does not look like a bristleworm to me...or at least none of the ones I have in my tank.
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Jared 60 Gallon cube, 10g sump, 2 AI Sol Blue, SeaSide Aquatic CS3.5 Skimmer |
12/05/2011, 04:17 PM | #6 |
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Bristleworm doesn't really identify a specific creature. It identifies a class of them. There can be a bit of variation across that class.
This one looks a little bulkier then usual in the 3rd pic, but still matches the general features of a Bristleworm (bristles). |
12/09/2011, 12:41 AM | #7 |
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Is that the head or butt end in that second pic? Looks normal to me but it also looks really scrunched up/defensive mode. If it was in a clear jar with good water and looking around you might get a better shot of its head and mouthparts, which helps a lot in finding out if it even can hurt something, let alone might.
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