Getting a bad worm out of my live rock

[miggs76]

I have a BC14 and only 3 pieces of live rock in it. My biggest piece is about 7 pounds....unfortunately there is a worm living in it that needs out. It is definitely a bobbit/eunicid worm---it hasn't killed any YET...but I plan on adding some sps corals after I upgrade my lights so I am pretty sure this guy has to go. I've tried to trap it with no luck. I am going to do a stake-out this weekend and when it pops out to grab some food I am going to try and use my forceps to grab it. I know my chances are slim so........I really want to keep this piece of rock. It has coraline on it and it is a premium figi piece. It is extremely porous which I think is good for live rock. I actually tried to dip it in coral rx and the darn worm wouldn't come out after an hour! So what can I do? Should I try hypersalinity? Here are my choices:

 

1) Totally take it out and let it rot (don't wanna lose the rock)

2) Smash into pieces and get the worm (don't wanna ruin the rock)

3) Hypersalinity?

4) Try coral RX one more time?

5) Put the rock in a bucket of RO water for a few hours

 

Will choices #3 or #5 kill off all the good bacteria on the rock?

 

Any suggestions are very appreciated.

[John]

I know there have been previous threads on this, so it might be worth searching for them. I would always put the piece in the sump (no light) and eventually the pest would evacuate. I think people have had success removing the rock and pouring carbinated water over the rock to evacuate pests.

Edited November 10, 2011 by John

[surf&turf]

^^^^^^^+1^^^^^^^^^^

 

Soda water will run that bad boy out.

[zygote2k]

I suggest watching it grow. IT's not likely to hurt anything especially sps corals. It's more likely a detritivore that will consume uneaten foodstuffs.

[miggs76]

I suggest watching it grow. IT's not likely to hurt anything especially sps corals. It's more likely a detritivore that will consume uneaten foodstuffs.

 

 

Really? From almost everything I have looked up online people have said before they found this little monster in their tanks they had zoas, sps, and small fish disappear........If it is good for the tank I would absolutely keep it---its very bizarre yet intriguing----but I think I want to be safe rather than sorry......

[SunWyrm]

The worm you named is a nasty, most people on here like bristle worms and think they are beneficial. There are some that are and some that aren't. ID it properly and decide if you want it to go or maybe just move it to a sump/fuge where it could potentially do a lot of good.

 

I cant find the site I found that listed them all, but there are thousands of species of bristleworms. Some are beneficial to our tanks and some are so not.

 

If it's definitely a bobbit (google image is scary!), get it out and maybe offer it to someone who would like to dedicate a tank to it and watch it grow. If it's a very fuzzy (blue or pink) worm I've heard of them licking corals for food but haven't seen any noticeable damage from the big guys in my tank.

If it's just a thin pink (may have a hint of purple or blue on it) and moderately fuzzy then it is a happy bristle worm and perfectly safe to stay in your dt.

 

If you feed just before lights out generally they will come out to scavenge soon after the lights go off and you can get a good look at them. If you can get a good picture of him more's the better. If not just try and get a good look and then research it to death.

 

Hope this helps,

[miggs76]

The worm you named is a nasty, most people on here like bristle worms and think they are beneficial. There are some that are and some that aren't. ID it properly and decide if you want it to go or maybe just move it to a sump/fuge where it could potentially do a lot of good.

 

I cant find the site I found that listed them all, but there are thousands of species of bristleworms. Some are beneficial to our tanks and some are so not.

 

If it's definitely a bobbit (google image is scary!), get it out and maybe offer it to someone who would like to dedicate a tank to it and watch it grow. If it's a very fuzzy (blue or pink) worm I've heard of them licking corals for food but haven't seen any noticeable damage from the big guys in my tank.

If it's just a thin pink (may have a hint of purple or blue on it) and moderately fuzzy then it is a happy bristle worm and perfectly safe to stay in your dt.

 

If you feed just before lights out generally they will come out to scavenge soon after the lights go off and you can get a good look at them. If you can get a good picture of him more's the better. If not just try and get a good look and then research it to death.

 

Hope this helps,

 

 

It is definitely not a bristleworm......I search and found an exact picture of it...same color/markings/ect....and that would be a bobbit or eunicid worm. I am going to try and get it out this weekend using the carbonated water trick. If it comes out and survives I would be welcome to give it away to anyone who wants it. I am just concerned that I won't be able to put that live rock back in my tank after I mess with it and put soda water in it......

[hypertech]

The rock will be fine. The thing may crawl out on its own before you even hit it with the water.

 

When I take a big rock out and frag zoos off it, after a minute or two, all the bristle worms start crawling out trying to find the water again. I have to be careful not to get bristled.

 

II would go in this order:

 

1) Just take it out and let it sit for 10 minutes

2) Dunk in RO or carbonated water

3) Throw it in a muriatic acid bath

[SunWyrm]

How big is it? PICS when you take it out! Good luck!

 

 

A bobbit worm is the stuff of nightmares - nature you scary!

[zygote2k]

if you haven't seen it eating fish or corals or inverts, it'll probably be fine.

If you believe all of the hype, then you should kill it.

[hypertech]

If it is what he says it is it won't be fine and it should be removed.

[SunWyrm]

Yeah, if I saw an actual bobbit worm there's no way I would wait for it to claim a victim. Although I don't know if running around screaming like a little girl before I got the courage to demolish it counts as waiting... huh.

[zygote2k]

If it is what he says it is it won't be fine and it should be removed.

I'm pretty sure it's more hype.

people say the same thing about mantis shrimps and I've kept peacock mantis in reef tanks with no issues. the same goes for the green aussie bristle stars- supposedly they are fish eaters, but I've never seen them do it.

there's so many just plain unlikely scenarios with the "pests" that come in with rock.

It's more likely that the worm will only eat an occasional snail or hermit and leave larger, faster prey alone.

[SunWyrm]

Peacock mantis like to feast on inverts more and can usually be kept with fish with no problem. The fish are more of a danger to the shrimp, especially his eyes. However, I don't think you would put a spearer mantis in your tank and think everything is going to be fine. Large green britttle stars ambush sleeping fish at night. It would make sense that you haven't seen one eat a fish and granted if you keep it well fed it may be fine for awhile. Sure they do a great cleanup job when small, but the larger they get... why take the chance?

 

Bobbit worms are ambush predators and eat fish, crabs, even corals (fast moving prey as they are fast movers themselves). We're not talking cute, fuzzy-pink bristle worms anymore.

You wouldn't keep a lionfish with your prized baby clowns. These are known predators and should not be given the chance of wait and see.

 

 

Hype is more like saying a tiny bristleworm killed my tang - I saw him chewing on it. I get that we shouldn't encourage killing things just because people may think it's a disgusting hitchhiker that may or may not be a danger to our fish. If it is indeed a danger, but a beneficial creature, put it in the sump where it can do good. Keep in mind this is a predator that will need to be fed and cared for, not something that can get by on detritus. There are no benefits to keeping a bobbit worm in our reef tanks, these grow to be large creatures of 9 feet or more.

 

http://www.oceanfootage.com/stockfootage/Bobbit_Worm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbit_worm

 

Miggs - Watch your fingers! Don't touch it as their bristles may leave more permanent damage than our friendly neighborhood bristle worms. Also, watch our for it's jaws. Please be careful.