Coral Eating Sand Tunnel

[CaliforniaCrisp]

Sounds crazy, I know.... But something is living in a piece of rock and it builds a tunnel of sand over night, and devours coral! QUICKLY! I have lost chalices, zoas, and more.... I can't give up the rock. It was my first piece of LR from when I was 9. (22 now) and its been from Cali to Michigan and back to Cali with me. I've dipped the rock in Coral RX. Blasted it with a turkey Baster. As soon as I list the sand tunnel, nothing is there... It is eating a flame thrower chalice now as I type. Attached is it devouring some pink elephants....

-ADub

 

[3Twinklets]

Anyone?

 

[Kworker]

I had something similar although the only coral that i was losing was zoas and that was due to a nudi.. but I was having fish disappear and once i removed the rock all the remaining fish are still around plus newly added ones and everyone doesnt look so scared anymore.. who knows. Sorry I cant give you an answer but I did want to comment I was having a tunnel former as well.

 

[Rikerbear]

sadly I have no clue what so ever :squigglemouth:

 

[Aqua fire/medic]

I have these also, but not losing corals to them. All i see are white, very thin, worm like creatures come out every now and then.

 

[mrpillow]

I have had spionid worms build similar sand tunnels but they do not harm my corals. Maybe the tunnel and the coral dying are from different critters?

 

[cliftong]

I have these also, but not losing corals to them. All i see are white, very thin, worm like creatures come out every now and then.

Those are spinoid worms which are harmless. What OP has looks just like them but I've never heard of them eating corals.

 

[Rikerbear]

Well after a bit of research it sounds like you are not alone in this.
Most seem to think it's a Eunicid worm

 

[mrpillow]

Interesting, hadn't heard of those before.

 

[KatyEnochs]

is there holes through your rock or anything? or just the coral? had a similar issue.

 

[CaliforniaCrisp]

It is defiantly not spinoid worms... Same tunnel though. I have tons of these in the tank and see them all the time. Harmless to anything in the tank.

When I google an image of the eunicid worm, It looks similar to a bristle work. But I think I would of seen something like that in my tank.... I'll try and get a better picture. But all I ever see is just a soft tunnel of sand.


-ADub

 

[CaliforniaCrisp]

is there holes through your rock or anything? or just the coral? had a similar issue.

It is a very porous rock. When I blast it with water, a lot of sand comes out. No creatures. And the tunnel will be destroyed and then reappear somewhere else munching on a coral.


-ADub

 

[mrpillow]

Have you tried isolating it once you find it on a coral? How often does it move from coral to coral?

 

[CaliforniaCrisp]

Have you tried isolating it once you find it on a coral? How often does it move from coral to coral?

Yes. I rip the plug off. But then it's just a flexible sand tunnel.


-ADub

 

[CaliforniaCrisp]

I purchased a red light. Hoping maybe I can catch a glimpse one night.


-ADub

 

[Rikerbear]

eunicid worm removal - Reef Central Online Community

 

[mrpillow]

What a creepy looking critter.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Once you isolate where the harmful critter is, you can dip the rock in a hypersalinty water solution (minus coral) and the hitchhiker should come out.

 

[CaliforniaCrisp]

What do you guys recommend? The hyper salinity dip or club soda? The rock it lives in (for the past 8 months that I've noticed) is covered in nice coralline algae. I will have to pull off all the coral on it...


-ADub

 

[slapshot]

Yep Bobbit worm. None of those will even phase it. Not fun, not fun at all. Be careful not to break him because then you will have two! Here is a picture of mine. You will have to remove the entire rock and break it open to get him. They are lightning fast and can have tunnels yards long.

This thing would eat a cap I had like an ear of corn. Start at one end and munch to the end then go back and do it again. Once I found him his lair had enough frag pieces in it to fill a quart jar.