Bristle worm from H-E-double-hockey-sticks

[GaryL]

I am amazed and worried i just saw a 7" bristleworm in my tank and as wide as a pencil. when i worked at the invert exhibit at the zoo we had one we called moby worm but i think this one beats this one hands down.  i am worried about my clam, does anyone know what type of worm goes after them? im thinking as big as it is if it wanted the clam it would have taken refuge in it along time ago. this is also the first time ive seen it out with the lights on. i seen it once but didnt know how long it was.

 

on another note i saw my brittle star's disc doing some weird movements. looked like it was morphing like you see the aliens faces do on some sci-fi movie.

 

any thoughts on this?

[xeon]

I'm no worm expert, but in my reading there are thousand of worms of the "bristle variety".  The general consesus is that when/if they get large it is best to remove them.  In line with the crab theory, they can be opportunistic omnivores.... or worse... extreme predators.  IMO, I'd try to remove it even though it doesn't appear to be trouble at the moment.    

 

BTW, I ran across a website recently with pictures of a 7' (yes foot) bristle worm.  It had taken up camp in a 3/4" PVC structure to support the tank's rock work.  As the page noted it was a tight fit inside the 3/4" PVC... yikes!

[Tri Bui]

I am second to that, It would be best of your interest to remove it specially when you have clams.  IME Bristle worm usually suck at the foot of the clam until the clam die not right the away thru out the period of time couple weeks or months depend on the clam size, it happen to me.  good luck!

[xeon]

I was a bit off.. maybe it has been longer than I thought that I read the "great worm story".  I had saved it in my bookmarks and it was actually a Eunicid worm... not a "bristle worm".  

 

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

 

Something else came to me, I seem to remember reading a very nice artilce by Ron Shimek on worms we may encounter in general.... might be on Reefkeeping.com?

[Lee Stearns]

I tried figuring out if they would be good food puried, dippped in selcon chopped diced whatever- And I found nothing in my tank would eat it- they hit the trash can in my house now- Also I found one of the best bristle traps is a colony of zooanthids on a rock that I have. I just take the rock every  now and then and when the polyps close up there they are - easy tweezer pickins!

[GaryL]

I was a bit off.. maybe it has been longer than I thought that I read the "great worm story".  I had saved it in my bookmarks and it was actually a Eunicid worm... not a "bristle worm".  

 

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

 

Something else came to me, I seem to remember reading a very nice artilce by Ron Shimek on worms we may encounter in general.... might be on Reefkeeping.com?

wow!! thats freaky dude!