Giant bristle worm issue

Mantis212

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Hello, R2R Members,

Apparently, I have a giant bristle worm living in my ten gallon live rock/shrimp tank. Questions: 1) do I need to take this sucker out; 2) if so, how do I do it; and 3) what do I do with it? (i.e. would anyone want it? Is there somewhere I can take it?)

This dude is probably a foot long, if I had to guess. I only recently saw it when I went to get a glass of water at three a.m....almost dropped the glass. I don’t think it’s of the fire variety, as it when I shined a flashlight in, it appeared rather pale and its appendages were not flame-colored. It must hide in the live rock during the day. I’m going to try to get a photo, but as soon as it sees light, it’s like the creature in Alien—it withdraws and disappears.
 

tautog83

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they sell traps that people 3d print, you can find them on ebay or etsy . throw a hunk of shrimp in there, he definatley will find it:p
 

Idoc

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If it's not hurting anything, it is considered a good member of a clean up crew! If you have a sump, you can always toss him in there as well.
 
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Mantis212

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Oh man, thank you both! I never thought of putting it in the sump for my 80 gallon.
 

smoleral

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Bristle worms being good or bad for tanks has always been contentious... personally I’m not a fan especially when there’s corals in the tank. Getting it out by hand will be impossible, you have to trap it. They sell traps online but I’ve made my own which works better for the big ones. Get a empty plastic water bottle, take off the lid, fill it with tank water, and put a big cube of stinky fish food in the bottom. Drop the bottle in after the tank lights go out and come back in a couple hours, you should see the smell of the food lure the worm into the bottle where you can then pull out the bottle. Just be aware of other favorable livestock that might venture into the bottle, you’ll have to pour the contents and separate the animals out. I hope this isn’t cruel but I dispose of the worms with no remorse lol.
 
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Mantis212

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they sell traps that people 3d print, you can find them on ebay or etsy . throw a hunk of shrimp in there, he definatley will find it:p
Do you think I can put a huge bottle with some shrimp in it and catch the guy?
 
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Mantis212

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Bristle worms being good or bad for tanks has always been contentious... personally I’m not a fan especially when there’s corals in the tank. Getting it out by hand will be impossible, you have to trap it. They sell traps online but I’ve made my own which works better for the big ones. Get a empty plastic water bottle, take off the lid, fill it with tank water, and put a big cube of stinky fish food in the bottom. Drop the bottle in after the tank lights go out and come back in a couple hours, you should see the smell of the food lure the worm into the bottle where you can then pull out the bottle. Just be aware of other favorable livestock that might venture into the bottle, you’ll have to pour the contents and separate the animals out. I hope this isn’t cruel but I dispose of the worms with no remorse lol.
Thanks for the advice. This guy is a heavy. I think I will give the bottle trap option a try. If shrimp end up in there with him, hopefully I can get them out.
 
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Mantis212

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Apparently, I have a giant bristle worm living in my ten gallon live rock/shrimp tank. Questions: 1) do I need to take this sucker out; 2) if so, how do I do it; and 3) what do I do with it? (i.e. would anyone want it? Is there somewhere I can take it?)

This dude is probably a foot long, if I had to guess. I only recently saw it when I went to get a glass of water at three a.m....almost dropped the glass. I don’t think it’s of the fire variety, as it when I shined a flashlight in, it appeared rather pale and its appendages were not flame-colored. It must hide in the live rock during the day. I’m going to try to get a photo, but as soon as it sees light, it’s like the creature in Alien—it withdraws and disappears.
 
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Mantis212

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Bristle worms being good or bad for tanks has always been contentious... personally I’m not a fan especially when there’s corals in the tank. Getting it out by hand will be impossible, you have to trap it. They sell traps online but I’ve made my own which works better for the big ones. Get a empty plastic water bottle, take off the lid, fill it with tank water, and put a big cube of stinky fish food in the bottom. Drop the bottle in after the tank lights go out and come back in a couple hours, you should see the smell of the food lure the worm into the bottle where you can then pull out the bottle. Just be aware of other favorable livestock that might venture into the bottle, you’ll have to pour the contents and separate the animals out. I hope this isn’t cruel but I dispose of the worms with no remorse lol.
Thank you for the advice! I’ve laid a trap tonight, we’ll see what happens. I will post results.
 

Doctorgori

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they sell this liquid acrylic for making novelties like paper weights. Back in the day used to see scorpions et encased in the stuff ...
I suggest the worm would be best appreciated and enjoyed ‘eternalized” in clear acrylic
 
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Mantis212

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The
they sell this liquid acrylic for making novelties like paper weights. Back in the day used to see scorpions et encased in the stuff ...
I suggest the worm would be best appreciated and enjoyed ‘eternalized” in clear acrylic
I never thought of that. I’m still waiting for the worm...refreshed my bait bottle this evening (the shrimp ate the bait, what a surprise). It is proving to be rather wily.
 
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