Pics of bristle worms??? Maybe

[b3noodles]

Hey all here are the pics of what we think are the worms. Could anybody tell us for sure what they are... They are flat and have spikes down both sides of their bodies... Thanks Sue

 

[hackteck]

fire worms? i think i saw a member post pics of those and he said they were fire worms, dont quote me heh, those are huge how big a tank do you have? and how did you get it out

 

[b3noodles]

The tank is a 55 gallon and my hubby pulled them out using hemostats...after he lifted the rocks and saw them..Yuck!!! Sue

 

[lando]

Looks like a Caribbean beared fireworm. Very bad...nice catch.

 

[b3noodles]

Lando...could these be what is eating our crabs and snails? We have also lost 2 cleaners and a jawfish over the last couple of months..Thanks for responding... Sue

 

[lando]

Indeed. They are voracious perditors and are very destructive in the home tank.
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=292

 

[hackteck]

hope i dont have any in my tank

 

[lando]

They commonly are introduced as small hitch hikers in LR. They grow and grow and grow...Mostly only come out at night so many people never even know they have them

 

[BigTruck6o2]

I just found 3 in my tank as well, im redoing the plumbing and drained my overflow sections to redo the bulkheads. In the bucket of water i found 3 3" worms in there. Atleast they couldnt do any damage since they were stuck in my overflow section but i know since i saw those there are more that are in my main.

 

[b3noodles]

We never knew until hubby went looking for a mantis...we do hear a popping but I am wondering if those are the pistols since he did see 2 of those...any thoughts??? If there were 3 should we tear apart again and look for more or do you think it is safe enough again to add another cleaner? Also any fish or crustations to help get rid of our worm problem? Just a side note those things are hardy..hubby got them out of the tank at 5 pm yeaterday and we have them in a glass they are still alive with no heating or anything...creepy. I just cant bring myself to flush thm..lol thanks again all!! Sue

 

[hackteck]

what type of rocks do these usually come from or does it not matter, what type of rocks do you guys have? , i have fiji

 

[lando]

we do hear a popping but I am wondering if those are the pistols since he did see 2 of those...any thoughts???

Could very well be the pistols.
Nothing comes to mind that will help with the fireworms. Simply manual removal. There are many other species of bristle worm that are beneficial. I have a lot of aquacultured LR from around Florida, bearded fireworms are common in this type of rock.

 

[b3noodles]

We did get ours from liverocks.com it is Figi, I believe they are out of Florida too. We will continue to look for more hopefully there won't be any !!! We do have other smaller bristle worms that we see in the cc on the bottom and also what I think are peanut worms after lots of searching for worms on here. Those are harmless right?? I really do apperciate all the help... When do you think we could add another cleaner...I dont want my fish to get sick... Thanks again so much!!! Sue

 

[lando]

liverocks.com is out of Florida and they sell aquacultered LR from the Gulf or the Keys. Fiji rock comes from Fiji. The smaller bristles that you see pose no threat to your tank, in fact, they are a good sign and wonderful cleaners.

 

[b3noodles]

Ok your right I am sorry we did get from live rocks and we did buy some locally that was Fiji...LOL glad to know the other ones are cool to keep in the tank... Sue

 

[lando]

I have both in my tank as well. I like the Fiji because it is so pourous and has lots of surface area. The FL LR is great for color and hitch hikers (hmmm...except for the fireworms.)