Interesting Yellow Worm

[wtdenk]

First time seeing it today. A couple inches long. Very fast moving. Great color. On a piece of gulf rock in an observation tank.

Anyone know what it is? Reef safe?

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Maybe one of these?

 

[exnisstech]

I can't help with ID but that is one cool looking worm.

 

[Mushroomsyo]

Oenone fulgida worm?

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

It's a polychate worm. In the same family of bristle worms

 

[Alexraptor]

KILL IT WITH FIRE! That is an Oenone worm, family under Eunicida, and one of the worst worms you can ever possibly get in your tank.

They are predators of other worms, clams and gastropods(snails). I've battled them continuously in all the 17 years I've been in the hobby. My 15-gallon tank is balanced on a razors edge nutrient wise, as I have no possibility of snail-based algae control, due to their presence.

Edit: They secrete a thick snotty mucus that contains a paralytic venom, and are also capable of dissolving and boring through shells.

 

[wtdenk]

Assuming it is an Oenone, all I'm feeding this tank is phyto. There are astreas and limpets and I haven't seen any deaths so far. I can keep it quarantined for as long as I need. How long before it starves or I start seeing it hunt for snails?

 

[Alexraptor]

It won't starve unfortunately, they are highly adaptable and can live off detritus just as well, but they are highly opportunistic.

I've had some success catching them with traps baited with raw scall, octopus or shrimp, with varying degrees of success, at least when it comes to adult individuals. My DIY trap consists of a filter holder filled with coral/LR rubble, with the bait secured within. This tends to make the worms feel a bit more secure, as they can curl up inside the trap and not leave themselves exposed in the open.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Trap it and this is a sneaky worm that gets large
Bait trap with shrimp and trap it, poor off water and place trap with worm in freezer
When it barely moves drop into heavy plastic bag and freeze until garbage day

 

[Tired]

It's a polychate worm. In the same family of bristle worms

This is correct, but "it's a polychate" is only slightly more specific than "it's a worm". It includes everything from teeny-tiny detritivores to the infamous bobbit worms.

To get it out, I'd suggest long tongs and a bait. Grab it, fast, and yank it. Pop it into your sump, or euthanize with clove oil.

 

[wtdenk]

Such a shame. Such a good looking yellow color. I have a worm tube trap ordered

 

[Tired]

Got a spare breeder box? One of those mesh things would probably contain it.

 

[Bucs20fan]

A good ole coke bottle trap will work as well. @vetteguy53081 you are too kind. This is the kind of invader that needs to be fought with fire LOL

 

[TurboTang]

Perhaps it is in this family, but without seeing it's head it is hard to classify
You can get lost here on all the diff types

Worm Hitch Hikers

The identification of Worms found within live rock and live sand

chucksaddiction.thefishestate.net

 

[vetteguy53081]

A good ole coke bottle trap will work as well. @vetteguy53081 you are too kind. This is the kind of invader that needs to be fought with fire LOL

This is my favorite trap:

But this will work:

 

[Hadla]

If it’s an oenone fulgida, it looks like an orange millipede! My biocube has had them for the past 5ish years. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to get a conus regius to take care of the smaller ones. It’s $29 plus shipping which is too much for me now

traps will rarely work because they’re so fast and they almost never completely leave their tunnels.

 

[wtdenk]

If it’s an oenone fulgida, it looks like an orange millipede! My biocube has had them for the past 5ish years. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to get a conus regius to take care of the smaller ones. It’s $29 plus shipping which is too much for me now

traps will rarely work because they’re so fast and they almost never completely leave their tunnels.

It's very bright yellow, I've only seen it once. I hope there is only one. With having them for 5 years, have you been able to keep snails or have they killed them all?

 

[Hadla]

Yes, and two mantis shrimp… trying to figure out how they died being covered by a huge slime blob is how I found out about the worms. The biocube is covered in algae since I can’t put anything in there to take care of it. If you see it again and it doesn’t look like an orange millipede, it’s probably not an oenone fulgida.

I haven’t tried to put anything in the tank in years so maybe they could have died out but not likely. I think I’ll have to move all the rocks and sand out into a seperate empty tank and test a snail in the cube

 

[Tired]

Do the fulgida worms kill urchins? A blue tuxedo urchin should do just fine in a Biocube, in terms of food, though there might be some scratch risk on the acrylic.

 

[Hadla]

Mine is glass but I have the 29 so idk and not sure about urchins