Couldn’t you just hug this guy

[Cliff]

I found a 6 to 8 inch bristle worm in my 120 gallon tank this morning. I never did get a good look at him while he was in the tank, so I grabbed the tweezers and pulled him out,... well... at least a part of him anyways. It wasn’t until I got him out of the tank that I noticed he was just a bristle worm.

But man, do those things ever look like something you would expect to see on a science fiction horror movie when you get a chance to look at them out of the tank and up-close in real life.


http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad226/Cliff_Erhardt/Cliff%20fish%20tank%20pics/120%20FOWLR/worm1of3_zps636f1ef0.jpg


http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad226/Cliff_Erhardt/Cliff%20fish%20tank%20pics/120%20FOWLR/Worm2of3_zps93f1825a.jpg

[Goes to 11!]

Wow... :think:... I am curious though Cliff, How did it get its name? :shifty::14: :hmm3grin2orange:

[Cliff]

Hmmmm....... I don't know.....

http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad226/Cliff_Erhardt/Fun%20stuff/Greenb.jpg


LOL :hmm3grin2orange:

[ScottishFish]

Aye, its very, er aye, cute :hmm3grin2orange:

[Lady Hobbs]

:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange: Gads. You guys are nuts. That thing is ugly. Is this the only one you have, Cliff?

[Cliff]

LOL, no, I'm pretty sure these guys are like rats, for every one you see there is likely 100 more in hiding. That;s a good thing tho. Bristle worms really do help keep a tank clean.

I just didn't recognize him as a bristle worm at 4am. All the other ones that I have seen were 1 inch or less.

[madagascariensis]

no saltwater person but what happens to "the rest" of him that still is in the tank? does it regrow the lost portion like an earthworm?

[jeffs99dime]

Looks like someone's been playing Super Mario Brother's a little too much:
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fishpictures/data/500/il_570xN_312847907.jpg
...And I think I would probably pass on the hugs.

[Lady Hobbs]

Did you see this?

http://www.salt-city.org/showthread.php?667-KB-Bristleworms-Fireworms-Friend-or-Foe

[Shidohari]

all i can say to that article is OUCH

[Cliff]

That's a pretty good link Lady Hobbs, thanks for posting it

I didn't see that one before, but I knew the bristles are toxic. That is why I used tweezers. There not too much in a reef tank that is safe to touch with your bare hand, and IMO, rubber gloves

[genocidex]

hmm i hate to say it but that might just scare me off of sw tanks... that thing creeps me out horribly.... lol

[Cliff]

no saltwater person but what happens to "the rest" of him that still is in the tank? does it regrow the lost portion like an earthworm?

I do beleive they do. The rest of him wasted no time in crawling away at speeds that were very fast for a bristle worm.


hmm i hate to say it but that might just scare me off of sw tanks... that thing creeps me out horribly.... lol

LOL, I've seen pictures of even creepier ones than that one.

[Lady Hobbs]

I ended up reading about this darned thing last night before going to bed and then dreaming about them. But I read about trapping them by putting a closed container.....like a Glad container with the lid......cut an X in the side about the size of the worm and push the X inward. That way the worm can get in but has a hard time getting back out against the points of the X. And stick some raw shrimp inside the container to lure the worm in.

I'd have to kill them all. Who wants a 20" worm like this in their tank. *Hobbs shudders*

[kaybee]

I've got something very similar residing in my reef tank:

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=63332

[Cliff]

OMG Kaybee, that worm is hugh. Cool pics.

After doing a lot more reading, I have found out that he bristle worm that I have is a fireworm. Still safe and all so I'm OK with that

I even tried to find him again this morning, not to remove him, but to get a few pics.

[homemadepopcorn]

I've found my new cuddle buddy.

[Strider199]

The neat things I have to look forward too.

Rubber gloves for tank maintenance???? Never even crossed my mind.

[Cliff]

For water changes, gravel vacs, and sump maintenance, I don't use gloves. No chance of critter contact there as I use filter socks and only dry rock was placed in my sump. When fragging corals or handling rock I will. Whenever I can use tweezers or something like that I will. Better safe than sorry.

[rageybug]

Bristleworms are great for cleaning up the tank, but when they get big they often start eating the base of corals. The will usually come up through a hole in the LR so you don't ever know why your coral is in distress until it dies and you find the hole chrewed through it.

[rageybug]

Cliff, not enough Canadians here to appreciate the Green Bastard reference! "Parts unknown..."

[Drumachine09]

Never seen one quite that big, and just through the computer it gives me the willies! Learned my lesson the hard way a few years ago. Got stung by a little bitty guy, and still hurt like hell. Gloves from then on!