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  #1  
Old 12/09/2006, 01:39 PM
LeslieH LeslieH is offline
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predatory worm info

Hi everyone --

If you have images of worms attacking or feeding in your tanks I'd love to see them.

I'm interested in learning more about what polychaetes eat. Scientists don't have much information about what worms eat in nature. Lots of reefers have reported their worms attacking this coral or that snail so I thought it would be really useful for the hobby to make a record of their observations. Afterwards we'll have a much better idea about which worms are dangerous predators & which are reef safe.

What I need are reliable observations and photos. It doesn't help to hear that someone's bristle worm attacked their soft coral. that doesn't tell me exactly what worm it was & what it will eat. On the other hand, if people post pictures of a worm chowing down on something I can identify it. If the food item is a coral you'll have to tell me what it is - I don't know much about them.

So please, post away! I'm hoping for lots of good pictures & info! If there's enough I could put together a slide show for Reefkeeping Magazine everyone can use.
TIA, Leslie
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  #2  
Old 12/09/2006, 02:17 PM
Sk8r Sk8r is offline
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My certified Pacific bristleworms [about a cupful in my 52g] will beeline for a dead snail, the smellier the better, and will carry off Formula One Sinking Pellets with Garlic if they can reach them. Outside of that, they must live on pure detritus, because I never catch them eating out in the open.

I have sps, lps, discosoma mushrooms, sponges, gsp, and a crocea clam that lives on the substrate. I have never had a worm bother any of these. My purple firefish occasionally gets a faceful: he argues with one of my 10"-ers for nighttime sleeping quarters.
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  #3  
Old 12/09/2006, 03:34 PM
LeslieH LeslieH is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sk8r
My certified Pacific bristleworms
Sk8r - thanks both for the info and an example of why pictures are important. I know you're probably talking about amphinomids but "certified Pacific bristleworms" doesn't tell me if they're Eurythoe, Hermodice, or another genus. People are always arguing about whether amphinomids are reef safe. We now think Eurythoe is good and Hermodice is bad but that's not absolutely certain. If we can get enough posts with pictures showing what worms are eating then maybe we can find out for sure.
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So many worms, so little time...
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  #4  
Old 12/09/2006, 03:42 PM
Sk8r Sk8r is offline
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Leslie, right. I'll get you a pic of mine. Not the greatest, but it is pretty representative of the view I get of them. Stand by. This is Sam, about 10" long.
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  #5  
Old 12/09/2006, 06:48 PM
LeslieH LeslieH is offline
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It's a fuzzy shot but that guy looks more like an Oenone fulgida! See why I want good photos
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So many worms, so little time...
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  #6  
Old 12/09/2006, 07:10 PM
Sk8r Sk8r is offline
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Well, I'll see if I can get some shots of my more common red/black ones. These 4 guys are shiny, with a kind of a bluish sheen to their segments, have their bristles in neat distinct clumps, and generally don't bother anything. The more present ones are smaller and their gut shows through as dark, as far as I can guess. Their bristles are more bushy, one clump touching another. They get along fine with the ones you call oenone, by all appearances, feeding together as far as nabbing pellet food.
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  #7  
Old 12/09/2006, 08:27 PM
Salamander Salamander is offline
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I some like Sk8r posted. I had also identified them as Oenone fulgida. Definitely something I wish I did not have. They seem to be snail predators and I have caught them on many ocassions munching a mollusk. I'm afraid to get a clam.

I'll be tearing my tank down in three weeks to move in to my new house so I might find some and I'll see if I can get good pics.
It might help if you PM me so I remember.
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  #8  
Old 12/09/2006, 08:52 PM
JokerGirl JokerGirl is offline
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I've never been able to get a photo of the bristleworm in my tank but it looks exactly like this one found at cdislands.com

I don't know what kind it is but I just ordered my first piece of coral so if anyone knows if it is a bad kind towards anything I'll be putting in my tank eventually please let me know.

  #9  
Old 12/10/2006, 12:53 PM
LeslieH LeslieH is offline
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JokerGirl - From the photo all I can say it's a fireworm, either Eurythoe, Hermodice, or Pherecardia. Hermodice is known to eat polyps while the other two are considered beneficial scavengers. Take a close look at the head end of yours. If it has a large puffy red structure then it's Hermodice (see the images in this Reefkeeping article: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php)
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So many worms, so little time...
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