ID this worm

Lynnmw1208 · 11/30/2011, 04:31 PM

I found this guy underneath my large zoanthid rock so I am assuming he is what was eating them one by one.

BlueCorn · 11/30/2011, 04:36 PM

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.

IridescentLily · 12/01/2011, 09:20 PM

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.

Lynnmw1208 · 12/03/2011, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IridescentLily

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.

Thanks! I am still not sure if he was good or not, but it's too late now since he's gone. After I took him out though, the zoanthids seem to be recovering. So who knows

at this point if it's near the zoanthids I have been yanking them! lol they only bug the miami hurricanes too...

J2T · 12/05/2011, 04:02 PM

To be honest that does not look like a bristleworm to me...or at least none of the ones I have in my tank.

Khemul · 12/05/2011, 04:17 PM

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).

mndfreeze · 12/09/2011, 12:41 AM

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.

11/30/2011, 04:31 PM	#1
Lynnmw1208 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Brunswick, Ohio Posts: 3,306	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. __________________ 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
BlueCorn Retired Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,908	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. __________________ Doug [I]Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made when establishing tonal relationships. ~ Ansel Adams[/I]

12/01/2011, 09:20 PM	#3
IridescentLily Editor-Reefkeeping mag Join Date: May 2008 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Posts: 3,858 Blog Entries: 5	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. __________________ ~April Editor-Reefkeeping Magazine Last edited by IridescentLily; 12/01/2011 at 09:28 PM.

12/05/2011, 04:02 PM	#5
J2T Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 952	To be honest that does not look like a bristleworm to me...or at least none of the ones I have in my tank. __________________ Jared 60 Gallon cube, 10g sump, 2 AI Sol Blue, SeaSide Aquatic CS3.5 Skimmer

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12/05/2011, 04:17 PM	#6
Khemul Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 988	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
mndfreeze Invert Sexy Time! Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 2,255	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.