not a bristleworm? help ID

techlifejourney

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Can someone please ID this worm? Its much bigger then a bristleworm or fireworm and only comes out at night. The face is round and has multiple antennas on this head. Anyone know if this guy is reef safe?

IMG_5651.png IMG_5649.png IMG_5648.png IMG_5645.png
 

35ppt

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Eunice worm, maybe KJ is say what kind.
 

OrangeCountyReefer

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Wow that’s a Bobbit worm. It will kill and eat everything in your tank. Must be removed if it is in your main display. They are actually very rare hitch hikers, where did you get your live rock?
 
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35ppt

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There are a few species of bobbit worm. The one with the mandibles are the Eunice species. The one in this picture is a Eunicidae species of bobbit worm.
Eunice is a genus in the polychaete family Eunicidae. The common name bobbit worm refers to Eunice aphroditois, there are many different eunice worms in the genus. I don't believe the one in the photo is Eunice aphroditois.
 
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techlifejourney

techlifejourney

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will it eat my corals? should i try to find a way to take it out? I dont have fish and something killed my two emerald crabs which I no longer see. I'd hate to see corals die because of this critter
 

35ppt

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will it eat my corals? should i try to find a way to take it out? I dont have fish and something killed my two emerald crabs which I no longer see. I'd hate to see corals die because of this critter
There are a bunch of eunice worms and I'm not sure which one you have there but when in doubt take it out!
/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_norvegica
E. norvegica is an omnivore, predator and scavenger.

I would try a bottle trap if he's small enough.
 
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OrangeCountyReefer

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will it eat my corals? should i try to find a way to take it out? I dont have fish and something killed my two emerald crabs which I no longer see. I'd hate to see corals die because of this critter
how big would you estimate it is? And it won’t hurt your corals but all fish and inverts are fair game for it. I would probably treat it like a Bristol worm and make the same trap to catch it. You can find ways to make traps on YouTube or order them online.
 
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techlifejourney

techlifejourney

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how big would you estimate it is? And it won’t hurt your corals but all fish and inverts are fair game for it. I would probably treat it like a Bristol worm and make the same trap to catch it. You can find ways to make traps on YouTube or order them online.
i can only see the head and some part of the body. That was least 3inches in length and maybe half an inch in diameter, the rest of its body was hidden in the sand/rock. I will try a bristleworm trap to catch it. Thanks for identifying!
 

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i can only see the head and some part of the body. That was least 3inches in length and maybe half an inch in diameter, the rest of its body was hidden in the sand/rock. I will try a bristleworm trap to catch it. Thanks for identifying!
You're welcome. :cool:
 

OrangeCountyReefer

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i can only see the head and some part of the body. That was least 3inches in length and maybe half an inch in diameter, the rest of its body was hidden in the sand/rock. I will try a bristleworm trap to catch it. Thanks for identifying!
Good luck. If you catch it you have to post good pictures of it and show us.
 

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