How do I remove a 4' Eunicid worm?

[mysterybox]

I have a 48 inch 55 gallon stony reef tank, and I've noticed that I had an Eunicid worm for sometime now. It's at least 4 feet long. I wasn't too worried at first, but lately my fish are all huddled up on the left front of my tank at night where only my clowns "slept". One of my chromis looks likes it's been in a fight. Tonight I noticed the worm (located deep inside a bottom rock on the right side) slithering all the way toward the left side (behind & underneath the rock of course!) where my fish are. I can't take the rocks apart due to a clam, & stony corals that are on the rocks above. Do you have any suggestions on how I can catch, kill, eliminate this creature?

[PhotoJohn]

holy smokes! the normal worm traps are not going to work for you. what about using latex gloves and some metal or plastic tongs?

[poppin_fresh]

You could try emailing Steve Weast and see if he has any ideas. Heres his website with his Eucinid ordeal.

Oregonreef.com (http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm)

[CarmieJo]

:eek: A four footer! I've never caught one and I don't know how big in diameter it is but maybe you could make a 2 or 3 liter bottle into a trap, bait it with something and stick it in the tank at night. You might have to construct a lobster trap type opening to keep it in the bottle.

[mysterybox]

What's the going rate for a 1 of a kind FOUR FOOT (STRETCHED) EUNICID WORM! It has more poison quills than Medusa herself! From Fiji. No feeding necessary (self feeding!)! She writhes like a snake, and is as quick as M. Vick Losing 105 million.

best offer!
pick up quick!
Ralph

[mysterybox]

3 hours of "cat & mouse" (more like Sigourney weaver & Alien)

seriously, I lost 2 corals, 30 strands of hair...............I picked up the rock that she was in; I watched it the entire time, I dropped it in the prepared bucket, raised salinity, watched 30 minutes. nuthin'. I picked up the rock below that was below it , there she was! i dropped it in the bucket; nuthin'! I watched the rock the whole 12 inches to the top of the tank because I was afraid of getting stung or bitten! I mean it's 4 feet long! Not there..........I look at the tank; I look at the rock; I turn & turn....................nope...........can't find it. I get down on the ground & point my trusty flashlight up at the bottom of the roof at one of my caves, & "low & behold".............it's the alien creature slithering on the "ceiling" all looking like a boa constrictor. I pick up that rock...........it makes a run for it on the sand......I take my tongs & yang it up............it starts wrapping & contorting up the freakin' tongs toward my hand. I rip it out of the tang & drop it. It lands 1/2 on the floor & 1/2 in the bucket. I yank the other 1/2 in............& I'm tired & what a freakin' mess I have.

[CarmieJo]

Wow! That was an adventure, I'm glad you caught it.

[3mm3]

Oh man! I have one of those nasties in my sump. Much smaller though. Just knowing the size of jaws that thing has creeps me out. Nice snag. The fish are probably happier now:clap:

[fat walrus]

Use tongs and don't be afraid to twirl like it was spaghetti. Just don't do it too fast or with too much force. :eek:

[lReef lKeeper]

holy crap !! that sucker is huge !! good catch.

[3mm3]

You should have it stuffed and mounted above the aquarium!!!:eek:

[mysterybox]

So I was harvesting my caulpera in my fuge/sump & cleaning my skimmer..............Finished.........turn sump on, & WHAMM! CLUNK! OUT OF MY SKIMMER COMES THE FRONT 1/2 OF THAT FREAKIN' WORM LIKE AT "BAT OUT OF HELL" DIRECTLY INTO MY FUGE & WEDGES ITSELF IN THE LIVE ROCK! (minus an inch that just got chewed off) I'm glad my hand was only in there for 30 minutes!
Ralph!

[CarmieJo]

:eek: That is scary!

[mysterybox]

what kind of sting, bite, or poisen does that have?

[CarmieJo]

Their bristles can sting and some varieties have "hooks" in their mouth and these can also sting. I don't think they bite per se. Here is a good article Polychaete Annelid Identification, or “You Can Always Tell A Bristle Worm… by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php) about them.

[mysterybox]

Well, after my godchild's graduation at UGA, (very nice, by the way), I came home and now I got the warm just chillin' ..............................in my freezer. It's only about 1 foot of the front left, maybe 1 1/2 foot stretched. See ya!

[mysterybox]

Hi Ralph,

It is over - Provided you have all the pieces. These worms have pretty good powers of regeneration, and an anterior section may be capable of regeneration of - effectively - the whole worm.

Ron Shimek
Invertebrate Zoologist, Marine Ecologist

[JustDavidP]

Hmmm....that would make GREAT striped bass bait :)

[Reefbaby]

geez.....how did it "come back" by the way??? How did it get in the sump after you had removed it from the tank?! man..I'm going to be having nightmares of this thing!

[Amphibious]

Yikes!!! Just when you thought it was safe to have children around the reef tank again.

[mysterybox]

OOPS! missing story


12/09/2007
my daughter saved it. She moved out not too long ago, but has a passion for the ocean like me..........anyway, I'd get up at night sometimes to get a drink of water at 2am (or whatever), and I'd see her crunched at the fish tank mesmerized at this creature. It was toast, but she has to see it first..........so I put it in my fuge hoping it doesn't crawl into my skimmer pump & gets pureed! I have some requests for shipping it for sale..........I don't know..........



12/10/2007
I came home this evening, skimmer overflowing...........toast! She tried "Door number one" (the skimmer power head) oops! I took out the back half (3/4) and put it on my terrace wall to dry. The rest of it were CHUNKS from the ASM pump blending it! what a smelly mess! TOAST!



12/14/2007
it's baaaaaack!


So I was harvesting my caulpera in my fuge/sump & cleaning my skimmer..............Finished.........turn sump on, & WHAMM! CLUNK! OUT OF MY SKIMMER COMES THE FRONT 1/2 OF THAT FREAKIN' WORM LIKE AT "BAT OUT OF HELL" DIRECTLY INTO MY FUGE & WEDGES ITSELF IN THE LIVE ROCK! (minus an inch that just got chewed off) I'm glad my hand was only in there for 30 minutes!
Ralph!

[CarmieJo]

Yikes! That is one tough worm!