The Spaghetti Worm Incident

305Reefer · Jul 13, 2018

Just a quick update in case anyone is interested. I added a tiny 6-Line Wrasse to the tank and I think it's working. The spaghetti worms have stopped throwing our their tentacle, I think because he's picking at them. The zoa's are doing better. Wonderful success. And because he's so small he's not picking on my Yasha Goby or pipefish. So far so good. Big thanks to the guys that recommended a 6-line, I'm grateful you posted!!

WV Reefer · Jul 13, 2018

305Reefer said:
Just a quick update in case anyone is interested. I added a tiny 6-Line Wrasse to the tank and I think it's working. The spaghetti worms have stopped throwing our their tentacle, I think because he's picking at them. The zoa's are doing better. Wonderful success. And because he's so small he's not picking on my Yasha Goby or pipefish. So far so good. Big thanks to the guys that recommended a 6-line, I'm grateful you posted!!

I’m glad it’s working out. :)

305Reefer · Nov 8, 2018

WV Reefer said:
I’m glad it’s working out. :)

Lol actually long story short, it didnt work. I had to pull the zoas and replace them with LPS. Tank is doing great but the spaghetti worms are still in there and on the rocks instead of in the sand.. The zoas that aren't being bothered by them are doing great. There are a few still in there that get touched by them just a little and they always look somewhat ticked off..

Mark Gray · Nov 8, 2018

Something else you could try is a 5 watt or higher laser if you can see them you can cook them.

User1 · Nov 8, 2018

Mark Gray said:
Something else you could try is a 5 watt or higher laser if you can see them you can cook them.

The worms are pretty small or in rocks, nooks, sand, etc. You may see an arm or tentacle out and about but I don't think a laser is the way to go. I was watching my fox face rabbit the other day picking on some rocks. It accidentally got one here or there and it would try and suck it up like a spaghetti noodle - no pun intended. It just retracted and there today.

I have, literally, thousands of these things in my tank. Maybe not thousands but maybe - let us just lay lots. The only time it is annoying is when they float around (which is daily at the moment). I have nothing that eats them so the population control is self controlled by the abundance of food or lack there of. They are in the sand, rocks, sump, overflow, etc. I just let them be because as the tank matures and I add coral I really won't notice them.

They do wonders eating left over food and other decay so I can't complain. But to the post I don't think I laser is going to work unless you mount it on a fishes head with some crazy Stark nano technology and train it to be a super awesome sauce underwater assassin :)

305Reefer · Nov 8, 2018

saf1 said:
The worms are pretty small or in rocks, nooks, sand, etc. You may see an arm or tentacle out and about but I don't think a laser is the way to go. I was watching my fox face rabbit the other day picking on some rocks. It accidentally got one here or there and it would try and suck it up like a spaghetti noodle - no pun intended. It just retracted and there today.

I have, literally, thousands of these things in my tank. Maybe not thousands but maybe - let us just lay lots. The only time it is annoying is when they float around (which is daily at the moment). I have nothing that eats them so the population control is self controlled by the abundance of food or lack there of. They are in the sand, rocks, sump, overflow, etc. I just let them be because as the tank matures and I add coral I really won't notice them.

They do wonders eating left over food and other decay so I can't complain. But to the post I don't think I laser is going to work unless you mount it on a fishes head with some crazy Stark nano technology and train it to be a super awesome sauce underwater assassin :)

Yeah I gotta agree I dont think the laser will cut it. Ive used really fine tweezers to grab them and pull them out of the tank altogether. But there are ones I can't get to. In my other tanks I have them as well, but they are older tanks that have reached a balance point. Same with vermitid snails. I used to have 1000's and now I only have like 5 lives ones. They just died out on their own. In my SPS tank they are fine inhabitants. But I think if that tank went off for a while like my nano tank did and they moved up into the rocks to try and get air, they would stay there if they survived and could potentially bother SPS or zoas that might get touched by them. The key is keeping them in the sand forever or atleast until they aren't reproducing like man in your tank.