OMG What Is This Horrible Creature???

[dakota9]

Now, usually with title like that, I'd just paste a pic of Loren or Gary in the thread and call it a laugh..... NO SUCH LUCK TODAY........

I found this in my tank a few weeks ago, but couldn't get a clear pic of it until today as when it sees me, it slithers back under the rocks, which tells me its no regular eye-less worm.......

Unfortunatly, its home is right under my RBTA and I'd rather not disturb the anemone unless I absolutely have to.

Just guessing, I'd say this worm is 6 to 7 inches fully stretched out, and when retacting, the head looks kinda snake-head (diamond? Arrowhead?) shaped........ (please , no quote/edit, its just too easy.......)

What is it?
Will it sting?
Will it kill anything in my tank eventually?

Can you see it in the pic?

 

[weaglereefer]

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[bobz]

Looks like a very healthy Bristle Worm to me! http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/images/BristleWorm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/bristleworm.htm&h=306&w=384&sz=30&tbnid=fmv789t1kH_PkM::&tbnh=98&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbristle%2Bworm&usg=__djcusfWecRwlFqykZENc0j6DRsw=&ei=j_rcSeO-MofeyQWppf3TDg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image">http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/images/BristleWorm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/bristleworm.htm&h=306&w=384&sz=30&tbnid=fmv789t1kH_PkM::&tbnh=98&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbristle%2Bworm&usg=__djcusfWecRwlFqykZENc0j6DRsw=&ei=j_rcSeO-MofeyQWppf3TDg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image</a>

BZ

 

[dmahoney82]

bobz;323797 wrote: looks like a very healthy bristle worm to me! http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/images/bristleworm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/specimensheets/bristleworm.htm&h=306&w=384&sz=30&tbnid=fmv789t1kh_pkm::&tbnh=98&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3fq%3dbristle%2bworm&usg=__djcusfwecrwlfqykzenc0j6drsw=&ei=j_rcseo-mofeyqwppf3tdg&sa=x&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image">http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/images/bristleworm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.reefcorner.com/specimensheets/bristleworm.htm&h=306&w=384&sz=30&tbnid=fmv789t1kh_pkm::&tbnh=98&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3fq%3dbristle%2bworm&usg=__djcusfwecrwlfqykzenc0j6drsw=&ei=j_rcseo-mofeyqwppf3tdg&sa=x&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image</a>

bz[/QUOTE]

+1

 

[mustangcaleb]

thats a bristleworm all the way. im amazed at the size of some of them i find in my little 29g. and no they wont hurt tankmates, but they can sting you

 

[rockdog]

no clue but it looks like good fishing bait!!

Jason

 

[dakota9]

Yuck! I just figured out I have a lot more of them.... just much smaller.......

They come out when I feed the tank...

 

[dmahoney82]

Ya they will be everywhere now that you know to look for them. If I come across a big one I usually pull it out if possible

 

[spike]

Man, the sight of that worm just makes you want to stick your hand in the tank; into some dark secluded spot and get the s#!^ stung out of you.

 

[bobz]

They will clean up uneaten food so they do help some.

 

[dakota9]

It's huge..... I thhink its bigger than I thought, just the part I can see stretches over 8 squares of eggcrate........ I wonder how much Danny Bradley would charge me to erradicate it......

 

[twocute2b4u]

Dakota, I hope like heck I didn't give you worms

Seriously, is this in the 14 gallon that I sold you?

 

[dakota9]

yeah, this is in the 14g (my only tank)......

I think this came from a piece of live rock I got from Mark (flyingarmy) as that one piece of rock hosted about 800 worms, seastars, sponges, zoanthids and even a gorilla crab.

 

[dakota9]

IamRit;323837 wrote: Reach your hand in there quick and get it out!!!! :eeek:

Rit, you're small, can't you climb into this 14g and fish him out?



"Here wormy wormy"........

 

[dakota9]

bobz;323813 wrote: They will clean up uneaten food so they do help some.

I think this one could clean up left over pizza......

When hes retracted, you can see two definate red stripes across each side of his back. I'm trying to get better pictures. It would be interesting if not for the icky</em> factor........

Yeah, I said it....... ICKY! I'm havin a girl moment</em> right now!:blush:

 

[reeferj]

Sorry to jump in here but... they are harmful? or not so much? I just noticed a couple while doing some night time feeding last night.

 

[acroholic]

I don't think they're harmful. I'd be surprised to see a reef tank that doesn't have them.
Dave

 

[geno]

Yep -- it's a Bristle Worm -- just pulled one out of my sump that was about 4 to 6 inches.

As you would expect -- there are different views on them -- some say they be bad dudes -- others have no problem with them.

I pulled mine from the sump because I could -- not because of any real fear of harm.

I'm sure if I have one, I have others.

 

[hayabusa72]

i haven't had any of these to yet .but i know scott bought a bristleworm trap and caught a couple of these .

 

[coolsurf]

Bristle's have been given a bad reputation but moreso because people "just hate them in their tanks"! All in all, if you keep your tanks clean, the population will stay low. If you don't maintain your tanks and overfeed etc, they will thrive and reproduce quite quickly. They are actually beneficial by eating excess food particles (like Bobz said). They are also a too common hitchiker.