HUGE worm from live rock!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

eshelton

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Feb 19, 2018
Messages
2
Location
East TN
IMG_1658.jpgIMG_1511.jpg
The second picture is a close up of his back. He is around 4-6 inches long depending on whether he is stretched or scrunched. I’m assuming some kind of bristle worm... although he dwarfs the other bristles in the tank. I have affectionately names him Herman Munster. Does he appear to be a safe type of worm? He is currently inhabiting my 30 gallon and I’m working on setting up/cycling my 60 gallon. Should I leave him in the 30 or would he be ok to move in the 60 that I am going to SLOWLY build into a reef? Thanks in advance for any help.
 
It’s a bristle worm alright. They get as big as there is a food supply. They get big from lots of uneaten food or poop on the system.
Has the system been set up long or is the rock new to the system? It could have been carried into the system as well.
In my system I have lots of small ones and a couple larger ones, though not quite that size and don’t see them very often.
These guys are still quite harmless aside from you getting the bristles stuck in your hand...though more of an annoyance than anything imo.
You could remove it with a bristleworm trap. Lfs sometimes have them to lend out. I’m sure there are diy ones out there as well. I still wouldn’t bother with it if it was in my tank. But up to you. Some people are weirded out by them.
 
It’s a bristle worm alright. They get as big as there is a food supply. They get big from lots of uneaten food or poop on the system.
Has the system been set up long or is the rock new to the system? It could have been carried into the system as well.
In my system I have lots of small ones and a couple larger ones, though not quite that size and don’t see them very often.
These guys are still quite harmless aside from you getting the bristles stuck in your hand...though more of an annoyance than anything imo.
You could remove it with a bristleworm trap. Lfs sometimes have them to lend out. I’m sure there are diy ones out there as well. I still wouldn’t bother with it if it was in my tank. But up to you. Some people are weirded out by them.



Thank You! I overfed a lot in the beginning, it is a 30 gallon with 2 clowns and they don’t need nearly as much food as I thought they did. I have scaled back on feeding, but, I do occasionally throw in one of the little frozen clams late in the evening to see Herman venture out. Him and the one with him are the biggest, any others are quite tiny. My tank has been going about 6 months, and Herman has been close to this size since I first saw him about 3 months in. Since he is harmless, I’m keeping him, and will transfer him and his rock over to the 60 when it gets ready. I’ve had freshwater fish for years, but salt and all these little critters is new to me. Ive been lurking around here for a over a year trying to learn enough to do this right.
 
You shouldn't need to worry about feeding him, but if you enjoy it that is all that matters. Just make sure you're keeping ahead of the nutrients you're putting in with your water changes. Hate problems that creep up from them.
 
Nice close up pic!!!

Herman is kind of attractively colored - But ewww. The big ones do creep me out but their bristles clean the rocks.

A word of caution in addition to their stinging bristles, they have big pinching, grabbing mouths, so tiny critters might disappear in there.
 
Back
Top Bottom