# ID that bristleworm plz.



## -=BOB=- (Mar 6, 2003)

Hi,

Any of you guys know this worm? . Say could that bristle cause any danger to my new anemone ?










I know that most of them are harmless and needed in the tank for cleaning purposes, but some of then feed on anemones.. hope thats not the one


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

yikes that a nasty bristle worm..i do not know what kind,but i would try to remove it just to play it safe..


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## -=BOB=- (Mar 6, 2003)

Thats the same I was thinking. It came as a shock to me when I saw it. It was one year in the tank without me noticing it and it is more than half meter long..









but some pro from ReefCentral ID it for me:

"Hi Mario,

The animal in question is the common fireworm, Eurythoe complanata. They are exceptionally beneficial scavengers and will not harm anemones - or any other animal. See my article about them in the April, 2003, issue of Reefkeeping Magazine. " http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.htm

It is staying inside, I guess









I made more photos of that aquarium and if some of you guys like to see them:

http://www.geocities.com/parkic11/slano/

Mario


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## sweet lu (Oct 3, 2003)

if you are worried about it then you can get one of those $8 traps for them


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Here's a bit of useful info on them. You make your own decision.
Here's the link to the site i gotten it from.www.aquarium.net

Unintentionally Added Worms - Marine Aquaria 
Worms are unintentionally added to marine aquaria through the addition of live rock or live sand. Additionally, holes in the bottom of pieces of coral or other calcareous material often contain hitchhikers. Although many different types of worms can be added in this, only two or three different types generally become either large enough or common enough to be noticeable.

Probably the most common of these unintentional worms are the so-called "bristle worms" or "fire-worms" of the Family Amphinomidae, and two genera, Hermodice and Eurythoe, often seem to make it into aquaria (Shimek 1994). These worms are normally either carnivorous or carrion-feeders, and unfortunately the carnivorous species such as Hermodice carunculata browse cnidarians such as corals and gorgonians (Vreeland and Lasker, 1989). Most of the bristle worms I have seen in aquaria are from the species Eurythoe complanata, which has been shown to mostly be a scavenger or carrion-feeder (Fauchald and Jumars, 1979). Basically nocturnal, Eurythoe hides during the day and comes out to feed at night. Bristle worms get their common name from the conspicuous tufts of white, calcareous, hollow chaetae or bristles found along their sides. The hollow bristles are filled with a venom, which depending on the species of worm and the sensitivity of the victim can cause sensations in humans ranging from mild irritation to severe burning. These venom-filled bristles seem to be a very effective deterrent to predation, and few animals that are kept in aquaria eat the worms.

These worms can reach lengths of 50 cm or more, although the average size in most aquaria is much smaller. Their nocturnal behavior and their ability to hide in small holes or under objects allows many of them to go undetected. Often the populations in an aquarium can reach many hundreds or thousands, most of which are never seen. They seem to asexually reproduce rapidly and this property, coupled with their scavenging habits allows them to build up high population densities relatively rapidly. Although they have the potential for causing problems, generally small populations do no real harm in a reef system. Large individuals or dense aggregations can cause problems, however, and if possible they should be captured and eliminated.

Another type of worm that causes problems can be very large; I have seen individuals about 40 cm long and bright orange. These are thin compared to bristle worms, and although they do have small bristles along the sides, these are generally not apparent. These worms, Oenone fulgida, prey on snails and clams. They suffocate snails with a viscid mucus, and then eat the body, and apparently can bore into clams, such as Tridacna species and eat them as well (Delbeek and Sprung 1994). They live in holes in rocks and emerge to feed, but generally keep their posterior end in their home hole. They are nocturnal and feed in total darkness. When startled by a light they can retract back into their den with extreme rapidity. About the only way they can be removed from a system is by removing their piece of rock and manually pulling the worm out if it possible.

Many other worms are often unintentional additions to marine tanks, but generally they are either benign or not particularly abundant, so their presence is not a problem


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## -=BOB=- (Mar 6, 2003)

Thanks fot the input, thats the article from Dr. Ronald L. Shimek, he is expert in the area of invertebrate zoology, marine ecology especially sandbed ecosystems, and the guy gave me a positive ID on that worm.

I'm confident that it won't do any damage if the man said so.. In some other article he mentioned:

"..Eurythoe complanata, and are exceptionally diligent and beneficial members of the guild of scavenging animals found in our aquaria. Large Eurythoe individuals are adept at remaining out of sight in the interstices and internal cavities of reef aquarium rock work; it is often only when the tank is being remodeled or broken down that the big worms are found......."

Thats exactly what happened, I was redesigning tank with idea to increase watercirculation (for my green hair algae prob.) and than I saw it..

Talking about worms, I'd like to buy one nice Feather Duster for my tank and that is going to be the last organism I planing to add at this time..


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