# What kind of worm is this?!?



## SarahSuth (Apr 21, 2014)

At work today and my husband sends me this picture. Massive bristle worm? Good? Bad? Should I try and remove or catch it? Please share your thoughts. 
Thanks









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## mmatt (Feb 12, 2012)

Yep. Bristle worm. I'd get that bastard out. Damn tremors in your tank! Argh I hate those things. In my opinion the little ones are fine but when they start getting large like that I get them out as soon as I see them and can. I had one eat a hole threw my dotty back. The fish ended up dying a few days after.


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## SarahSuth (Apr 21, 2014)

I think it's a fire worm now due to the size and my constantly disappearing corals. Has anyone used the pantyhose with shrimp technique to remove? I may have to rip up my aquascape. 


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## jamie1985 (Oct 11, 2012)

Definitely a bristle worm...cut down on the food in the tank or feed every two days instead and they will starve out....main cause is overfeeding from my experience anyway!

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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

I use a bristleworm trap. 5.00 works great as my nano tanks seem to be a breeding ground for large bristle worms. I don't have an issue in my large tank cause there are enough predators to keep them in check, but my nano tanks the fish are smaller than the worms.
I use frozen mysis as bait and as long as I remember to check the trap frequently I can catch the big guys. They can make their way out of the trap once they are in.

Tearing your tank apart won't help. They can survive fresh water dips, coral Rx and just plain taking the rock out and letting it sit dry awhile.

My sense is you would do more harm than good if you tried to rip your tank apart to get the worm out.

Try lodging the trap right where you know the worm lives. But don't try moving the trap until the worm is entirely out of the rock or it will escape. Been there, done that.


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## SarahSuth (Apr 21, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your advice. I only feed every 2 days and I think he is quite full on my zoanthids. Lol. Crayon are u referring to the green tube? I think this monster is wider than its diameter. I have some clear vinyl 1.5 inch tubing I may put some pantyhose on one end to close it off and some bait inside. 


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Bristleworms won't eat your zoas. The most they will do is disrupt them to the point that they die off, but they don't eat them.

That one seems pretty big and will be a bit harder to get out. 
Good luck!


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## darcyr (Jan 24, 2014)

I used to trap and flush these guys then I just stopped caring because I don't think they harm anything, my fuge is full of them. If you do want to trap for cheap, use the container that superglue tubes come in, drill a hole in the lid and put a bit of clear tubing through it. Toss some food in and a string around it to pull it up. Ive caught more than 10 this way.


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## do_0b (Mar 3, 2008)

i got a big one ~3" long in my tank that i saw last night. jus gonan leave it, dont think they do any harm in my tank.


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## SarahSuth (Apr 21, 2014)

That is a great trap suggestion. No luck so far. I think this f-er is massive and mega thick. Scares me poopless. I am confident it is the reason I have lost so many corals and snails as well. Also thinking he made the scar on my kole tang above her eye. 


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## darcyr (Jan 24, 2014)

The biggest I've ever seen in my tank is 10 inches but never wider than 1/4 inch


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

While it's large, it's not uncommonly large IMO. I don't believe this guy ate your zoas and snails.


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## nanoreefwanabe (Nov 4, 2016)

Personally I would say that worm is nothing to worry about. .. it is a harmless scavenger bristle worm. . It will only eat dead or dying things. .. if your zoas were stressed possibly dying it may have eaten them same goes for the snails. .. otherwise it is more then happy eating the crazy amounts of dead material floating around your tank. .. feed less and the fire off. ..

Your pic is too zoomed in to give it context. .I would say that worm is maybe 3" long. ..pfft I have had 5" plus in my 5 gallon tank


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## 12273 (Nov 3, 2012)

My tank is crawling with these things. And I don't over feed. I have two clowns and generally only feed what they eat. So not much left over food. 

I gave up. They don't seem to bother anything. 


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## SarahSuth (Apr 21, 2014)

Thanks for the input all. He came out again today and I was at work


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