Need some help

[carlinsa]

decided to look in the tank at night and found a worm that looks like a bristle worm but its green and looked as if it were eating a snail. i have never seen one like this. anyone have an idea of what it is or if it needs to come out.

here is a pic not the greatest but a little better than just trying to describe.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/wnta31frd/photo-2.jpg

[carlinsa]

update the snail it was poking around on is now on its back and not trying to hide. seems to be getting ate now

[corruption]

I'm bad with invert id's, but looks like one of the predatory worms that are not uncommon... if feasable, I'd try to remove it -- carefully. :)

Good luck!

-Justin

[carlinsa]

thanks justin i would take it as since you are the only one to respond to this in almost 24 hours and 40 views you must be right. thats cool i will try to pull it out good or bad

[FireWater]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php


This article might help a little. I am still looking for some more pics to match up to yours. Is it possible it was chowing on the snail because it was already dead? Oh ya sorry I had to look at the post 49 times before I replied.

[carlinsa]

thanks for the help though its appreciated

[Big_Pun]

have you pulled it out, i was talkin to Ed about it he said they about 1-2 feet long and are predators

[carlinsa]

tried. since we tried sucking it out with that feedeer i havent seen him but once more and i couldnt catch him

[hobogato]

i think i have one in my tank as well carl, caught a glimpse of one end last night and it looked just like your pic. that might explain why i have found some empty snail shells lately...

[corruption]

Again, I'm terrible at direct invert id's -- but it looks like a known predatory worm I've encountered a couple times... the spines on the side are the indicator for me. I'm pretty sure an identical worm is implicit in my 2 or 3 bifurcated fish that I've had over the course of the last 5 years -- the closest ID I could find to mine was known to dart from holes at speeds fast enough to bifurcate fish.

Perhaps a fish/bristleworm trap would assist...

-Justin

[dipan]

I have at least two large 1-2 ft worms just like that in my tank and just assumed they were large bristleworms. I have had snail deaths (some turbos), but just assumed that they were from not having enough algae for them to eat, and the said detrivores were just cleaning up I believe. I managed to get one with some surgical forceps when I was feeding mysis, but he was STRONG and pulled away into the rock. I was shocked at how strong he was.

I have been toying with the idea of a hypersalinity dip for the rock to get them out ...

[jroescher]

You couldn't pay me enough to stick my hand in a tank with a 2 foot bristleworm.


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[corruption]

Not even for.. *insert obligitory Dr. Evil photo* One billion dollars? :)



I would have to agree -- these suckers look pretty mean in person, i never wanted to get my hand near it... The rock i knew it was in got dried out after that tank came down :)

-Justin

[Big_Pun]

dang that might explain all my snail deaths latley, thought it was my yellow wrasse but i dont see him mess with them that much, goin to have to get a trap and pass it around maast.

[dipan]

If you're thinking about one of them little green tubes that you can find at some LFS's, don't bother. I've tried without success. If you think about it, that little green tube might work for some smaller worms, but the big ones won't fit in there. You can make yourself a trap and many have been described by diy'ers ...

[Big_Pun]

i was goin to use a coke bottle or small jar

[jrodriguez]

wow, thats crazy. I love to look at our tank at night but like everyone i have found wierd things too. Good Luck Trying to catch that little thing.

[Mr Cob]

I always hate digging around in my sump...especially in the stack of rocks that never gets any light...kind of spooky.

[jpond83]

i found a large worm in my tank before that looked like one of he worms from that movie tremors.

[carlinsa]

yeah saw him during the day an he was eating the dead snail that he killed the night before. i tried catching again but no luck he is part ninja i think.