- Location
- Warren, OH
Hey Reefers! Let's talk Christmas Tree Worm Rocks!
We are sure many Reefers reading this are probably thinking, what in the world is a Christmas Tree Worm Rock? Christmas Tree Worms are colorful, spiral shaped, tube worms from the waters surrounding Australia. These little inverts can come in droves, and can cover an entire reef rock, where they become one of the most stunning parts of a living reef!
How do they get their unique name, you might ask? They are called Christmas Tree Worms because of their fuzzy, cone-like bodies resembling colorful Christmas Trees! Beautiful shades of red, blue, pink, yellow, purple, and orange combine together to create quite a center piece! Almost looking like a miniature, colorful Christmas tree farm! The rocks they inhabit are usually covered in an bright SPS coral. Which is the reasoning for their vibrant colors, natural camouflage! This helps them blend in on the reef to avoid predators! We've seen stunning Montipora, Cyphastrea, and Porites living in harmony with these little invertebrates, adding even more color to a crazy, bright piece of live rock!
Like clams, these inverts are light and movement sensitive. Shooting back into their calcium carbonate tubes at the first sign of a shadow or predator! While they are pretty quick, it is best not to have them present in reef tanks with nipping fish (some Wrasse, Butterfly Fish, & Tangs can be culprits)! Unfortunately, sometimes fast, isn't quite fast enough! Check out an awesome video down below of the worms reacting to a shadow here at the shop! So cool to watch!
When it comes to keeping Christmas Tree Worm rocks, their parameter and placement needs are crucial. We recommend to keep your water parameters around 1.024 – 1.026 specific gravity for salinity, at 76-78 degrees F. Calcium should be 380 – 450 ppm, Alkalinity of 8 -10 dKH, Magnesium of 1250 – 1350 ppm, as well as the lower end of Nitrates/Phosphates. High Nitrate levels can be especially hard on inverts like Christmas Tree Worms. Nutrients such as calcium are essential to keep level, as it is used to help them build and maintain their calcium carbonate tubes!
We keep our Christmas Tree Worm Rocks in low to moderate indirect light. We've found this is the sweet spot, as it is just enough for the SPS coral, and for the worms to stay open. Since these worms are filter feeders and non-photosynthetic, they cannot sit stagnate. This will hinder their ability to efficiently capture food in the water column. They also can't be blown around by too much flow, otherwise they won't be able to open! Moderate, indirect flow is perfect for them. Broadcast feeding several times a day is a great way to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need, along with the rest of your reef tank!
We always enjoy our Christmas Tree Worm Rocks! Unfortunately, we only get them in a few times a year, making them extremely hard to come by. Thankfully, we currently have lots of New Christmas Tree Worm Rocks in stock, but they won't last long! They're all 25% off right now during our Colony Craze Sale!
Thanks for checking out our Saturday Spotlight, & have a great weekend! ~ Corals.com
We are sure many Reefers reading this are probably thinking, what in the world is a Christmas Tree Worm Rock? Christmas Tree Worms are colorful, spiral shaped, tube worms from the waters surrounding Australia. These little inverts can come in droves, and can cover an entire reef rock, where they become one of the most stunning parts of a living reef!
How do they get their unique name, you might ask? They are called Christmas Tree Worms because of their fuzzy, cone-like bodies resembling colorful Christmas Trees! Beautiful shades of red, blue, pink, yellow, purple, and orange combine together to create quite a center piece! Almost looking like a miniature, colorful Christmas tree farm! The rocks they inhabit are usually covered in an bright SPS coral. Which is the reasoning for their vibrant colors, natural camouflage! This helps them blend in on the reef to avoid predators! We've seen stunning Montipora, Cyphastrea, and Porites living in harmony with these little invertebrates, adding even more color to a crazy, bright piece of live rock!
Like clams, these inverts are light and movement sensitive. Shooting back into their calcium carbonate tubes at the first sign of a shadow or predator! While they are pretty quick, it is best not to have them present in reef tanks with nipping fish (some Wrasse, Butterfly Fish, & Tangs can be culprits)! Unfortunately, sometimes fast, isn't quite fast enough! Check out an awesome video down below of the worms reacting to a shadow here at the shop! So cool to watch!
When it comes to keeping Christmas Tree Worm rocks, their parameter and placement needs are crucial. We recommend to keep your water parameters around 1.024 – 1.026 specific gravity for salinity, at 76-78 degrees F. Calcium should be 380 – 450 ppm, Alkalinity of 8 -10 dKH, Magnesium of 1250 – 1350 ppm, as well as the lower end of Nitrates/Phosphates. High Nitrate levels can be especially hard on inverts like Christmas Tree Worms. Nutrients such as calcium are essential to keep level, as it is used to help them build and maintain their calcium carbonate tubes!
We keep our Christmas Tree Worm Rocks in low to moderate indirect light. We've found this is the sweet spot, as it is just enough for the SPS coral, and for the worms to stay open. Since these worms are filter feeders and non-photosynthetic, they cannot sit stagnate. This will hinder their ability to efficiently capture food in the water column. They also can't be blown around by too much flow, otherwise they won't be able to open! Moderate, indirect flow is perfect for them. Broadcast feeding several times a day is a great way to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need, along with the rest of your reef tank!
We always enjoy our Christmas Tree Worm Rocks! Unfortunately, we only get them in a few times a year, making them extremely hard to come by. Thankfully, we currently have lots of New Christmas Tree Worm Rocks in stock, but they won't last long! They're all 25% off right now during our Colony Craze Sale!
Thanks for checking out our Saturday Spotlight, & have a great weekend! ~ Corals.com
