BIG worm <pic>

[rhwimmers]

I saw this guy last night, man he has grown! This thing is probably a good 16"...stretch him out and im sure he is over 2'!!!
Pretty creepy lookin!

[3_high_low]

Looks like a cobra, ready to strike:lol:

[finatic]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[absolutc]

Anything like that in my tank - its coming OUT!

I have had horrible dreams about "snake like" things getting out and "hurting" me. Just a dream but I hate snakes and anything like them.

Sends shivers up my spine.

[Leopardshark]

Looks like you have a marine snake in your tank, better call the crocodrile hunter!!!!!!!:celeb3: :thumbsup: :wavehand: :celeb1:

[rhwimmers]

yeah she's a biggie! biggest ive seen! just a bristle worm of course...i would rather him be in main tank then sump...always reaching in the sump for rubble rocks...DONT want to pick him up by accident!

[puma]

Ok he look´s like polychaeta member, is not good, they are carnivorous, hers some info:

Philum: annelida
Class : Polychaeta( all the worms including those nice tube worms)
Subclass: errantia( all of them eat´s other animals)
Genus: Many genera exist around the world.
species: unkown.

They are big worms, with scary jaws, for better id check if the worm have very very small spines in every segment of the body.
In these case the best is remove the worm and preserve it in formol:smokin: 70% other wise he can damage clams, corals and even fish( check the book, coral reef animals of the indopacific, there is a photo of a fire worm eating a fish).

No spiny segments? dont worry its just a nemertean worm:bum: Happy holydays from México:beer:

[rhwimmers]

well, im not sure what you mean by spiny segments...but from what ive heard, its just a plain ol' bristle worm that cause no harm. I cant see one catching a fish either...really slow guys.. They eat food that falls on the ground etc..never seen it do anything else but that...I had a damsel die and sink...he was starting to eat that, but no harm done there..
Here is another pic...

[puma]

Fire worm:eek2: believe me:eek2: these guys are terrible, fire worms are predators of fish and inverts, (check the image for a reference of the mouth of one of them)
-They eat dead stuff, no problem.
-:eek2: They love clams
:eek2: Adn any thing they can eat, that´s why the grow so fast.

Be carefull:eek2: and try to put them out, a friend of mine tray to put out one of these worms and it was so so hadr to remove, because he hide in the rock all the time.:eek: Dont frag the worm or you going to have two:confused: .

:bum: Any way fire worms and poychaeta menbers are beautifull menbers of coral reefs, some people have aquariums for mantis why not for fire worms?:smokin:

[puma]

Hi:bum: check these out, it´s not tender?:lol:

[SawCJack00]

We're gonna need a bigger boat...

[afss]

I have had one of these in my tank for almost 2 years now. At fiorst it was 9-10 ionhes, now i think its aproaching the 2' mark.. hard to tell I never see its body al at once. It IS afraid of fish and hides when the swim by. I still have ALL my corals and ALL my fish accounted for. I have had dead fish but they were accounted for with ich or just floating or carpet surfing :-), no sudden dissapearences. I have never had a clam yet, but i doubt if it would bother a healthy clam either. IMO you are fine to leave it unless you notice that it is eating corals or fish start to dissapear with no reason.
Scott

[Staceon]

They are harmless creatures...try this thread for more info:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16981&highlight=Fire+worm+or+nemertean

[dragon0121]

Yet another thread on Dr. Ron's forum, to help stop the spread of mythinformation!!!!

READ IT!

worms!!! (http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=50908)

[Quiverfull]

I had one also. Exactly the same as yours. It had large pincher type jaws like the above drawing. It ate my mushrooms and zooanthids and xenia like there was no tomorrow. I also lost some fish and could never findout what happened to them. It make slimy tunnels around the liverock and moved from rock to rock. It was too fast for me to catch but I finally took out the rock and did a freshwater dip. It came out and I disposed of it. Reeked alot of havoc on my tank. I identified it as a "Paola worm" from different websites. I would suggest removing it

[Staceon]

What you have does not sound EXACTLY like what Ross has. Your sounds like the worm Oenone fulgida. More info on them here:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35827&highlight=Fire+worm+or+nemertean

http://www.aquarium.net/0198/0198_2.shtml

[puma]

Ok, any way, i think we have to identifie these fella some body?;)

[rhwimmers]

hmmm, now I dont know what to do!!! Ive had this guy in there, along with other smaller ones...other than being slightly ugly...has done NO damage...been in there for the life of the tank (actually 2 tanks now) which is about 1.3 years...
hmmmm

[Reefette]

if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Unless you can attribute definite damage caused by the worm (which it sounds like you haven't), let him be. :p

p.s. awesome pictures!

[Quiverfull]

Staceon:

That second reference was awsome. I think the one I had was a Eunicidae sp. When I finally pulled it out, it was about 18 inches long. Since removing, my zooanthids have been fine.

[Dragonlady]

That is a cool picture of your worm, rhwimmers.

[I_THE_PEOPLE]

ewww that thing is *** ugly, my god its big though
how big was it when u got it?
ill give ya $5 to touch it, com on touch it!

[rhwimmers]

yeah, i see him every so often, but never fully exposed, saw him the other night climing up into that algea (anyone ID that for me?) Thought it would be a cool shot!

Touch it huh...ehhh, nah...I do know what to do after reading that article thought-duct tape, yet another great use of the stuff lol. Thanks Staceon! Go PACK!

later
Ross