Pink and Orange Worm - ID? - Photo for gallery

[drewread]

Background:

130 gallon reef tank.. running for about 4 1/2 years.. sat unattended for 1 year while my new house was under renovations so gained massive hair algae problem and most livestock was lost.

About 6 months ago the tank was moved into its new home and I started to clean it up about two weeks ago. Added 100 hermits, 50 Aestra snails, 5 emerald crabs and am currently watching the algae vanish before my eyes...

Now that the algae is being thinned out in a massive way I noticed this dude this afternoon... he looks pretty big! I saw about 2 inches of him and the photo shows about 1/2 to 1 inch or so of his length...

Any ideas on what this guy is or what he eats?

 

[drewread]

Update: Later this afternoon I took out the flashlight and was able to see about 6 - 8 inches of this worm... It isn't in a good place to get a picture (unfortunatley) but the camera is now by the tank.. so I'll try to snap one..

Also, I haven't seen both ends of it either...!

 

[Mihai]

I think that it's a bristleworm - harmless detritivore. They are very hardy and multiply in large numbers if you will overfeed the tank (enough to support a large population of it).

M.

 

[drewread]

Just to confirm.. has anyone ever seen a bristle worm that is AT LEAST 6 - 8 inches long?

Also, I just went down and tried to find it in the darkness with my flashlight... no sign of it.. do bristle worms normally only come out in the day?

Thanks.

 

[drewread]

Just to confirm.. has anyone ever seen a bristle worm that is AT LEAST 6 - 8 inches long?

Also, I just went down and tried to find it in the darkness with my flashlight... no sign of it.. do bristle worms normally only come out in the day?

Thanks.

 

[Mihai]

I have a few that are even longer (10"). But I hope others will chime in.
M.

 

[Anonymous]

Just to confirm.. has anyone ever seen a bristle worm that is AT LEAST 6 - 8 inches long?

 

[Anonymous]

The bigger ones are sometimes known to eat coral. It might be an idea to try and watch the tank at night with a torch with red saran wrap over the lens (red light doesn't scare away the beasties) and observe it's behaviour.

If it's causing problems, then you can either pull the rock and remove it that way, or use a trap.

 

[Anonymous]

Just to translate

torch = flashlight :wink:

Sorry couldn't help myself.

 

[Anonymous]

Just to translate

torch = flashlight :wink:

Sorry couldn't help myself.

Ah. Learn something new every day. I guess torch just means a piece of burning wood in a horror film (movie) to you guys.

 

[JKDMan]

ive heard of bristle worms over 15 inches long but those r usually brown
i ve also heard of red or pink ones being poisonous(idk if thats true) but it if was in my reef id want it out

 

[Anonymous]

There are a few Bristleworms that have venomous "bristles". I've never heard of a poisonous one though. The longest Bristleworm I've ever seen was about 12 feet long, it wasn't in an aquarium though. Steve Weast had a big one, somewhere around 8 or 9 feet I believe.

 

[Anonymous]

Just to confirm.. has anyone ever seen a bristle worm that is AT LEAST 6 - 8 inches long?

Oh yeah, way bigger than that when taking down a large sump.

 

[Charlesr1958]

Thats a great looking worm, and if you can see the details of its head structures, you might be able to find the family/genus it belongs to.

Chuck's Hitch Hikers

 

[LeslieH1]

Do you like your snails? Are they disappearing? Are you finding empty shells covered with slime? That worm is the mollusc-eating polychaete Oenone fulgida.

 

[SnowManSnow]

Just to translate

torch = flashlight :wink:

Sorry couldn't help myself.

nah.. use a torch it puts off a nice red glow