Worm in my Rock

Discussion in 'Live Rock' started by gtrasper, Dec 31, 2008.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. gtrasper

    gtrasper Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2008
    Messages:
    51
    Location:
    Harleysville, Pa
    I just bought another 30 lbs of rock, After placing rock in tank I notice a worm coming out of the one of the pours. I see talk a bout bristle worms and that is what it looks like. Should I pull this out as I see it?
     
  2. Click Here!

  3. chris adams

    chris adams Purple Tang

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2008
    Messages:
    1,828
    Location:
    Port Charlotte, FL
    Well what you could do is take a bucket with saltwater at level around 1.030 SG and put the rock in the bugger will should come out all the way.

    Or you can try to pluck it out but most likely will break off
     
  4. Froc3

    Froc3 Fire Goby

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2007
    Messages:
    1,318
    Location:
    Saskatoon, Sk
    I just use freshwater and they come squirmin outta the rock soooo fast :p The high salinity levels should do the same thing and probably save some of the beneficial bacteria, but salt is expensive here.
     
  5. chris adams

    chris adams Purple Tang

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2008
    Messages:
    1,828
    Location:
    Port Charlotte, FL
  6. newbie

    newbie Bristle Worm

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2008
    Messages:
    147
    Location:
    macon,Ga
    Just be careful when you handle him hes got those bristles for a reason ive got several in my tank i just let them be.
     
  7. =Jwin=

    =Jwin= Tassled File Fish

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2008
    Messages:
    1,968
    Location:
    Chattanooga, Tennessee
    google and youtube bristle worms and that will give you an idea of what one looks like. If it's not a bristle worm, I would describe it in the ID section.

    If it is a bristle worm, they are harmless. Nothing to worry about, unless you get a lot of them. They can reproduce a bit quick, but mostly they sit there and eat the left overs. I haven't seen a bristle worm since we got our six line wrasse, supposedly they eat them. I'm not complaining.
     
  8. Click Here!

  9. gtrasper

    gtrasper Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2008
    Messages:
    51
    Location:
    Harleysville, Pa
    Thanks all! I will try each method, I will let you know how successful I am at removing the worm. I did google bristel worm and confirmed the critter. Also this guy is about 3 inches in length.
     
  10. JK901

    JK901 Skunk Shrimp

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2007
    Messages:
    265
    Location:
    Severn, MD
    Well, I have had some serious battles with Bristle worms. I bought a tank from someone on Craigslist and inherited about 300 bristleworms in a 20 gal tank. That is not an exaggeration. I counted them as they were removed. I manually plucked them out with chopsticks every night for a week. About 50 or so during each session.

    It doesn't sound like you are that bad off right now though. The important thing is to watch your feeding. They are great at picking up scraps, but they will reproduce if given too many scraps too often. And trust me when I say an over infestation is a problem. There were so many I couldn't get them enough food so they started eating my snails. I'd find a snail shell in the morning with 2 or 3 worms twisted up inside of it and no more snails.

    I did the bucket technique with fresh water to remove a bunch, but the small ones deep in a crevice stayed put. The big ones hated it and dropped off. I took every rock in my tank out. Remember I bought into this tank unknowingly. After I removed the big ones that way I used flatworm exit. You can find it cheaper.

    The only reason I didn't start with the poison is that even though it only affects the bristleworms, the dying bristleworms still release a toxin and you need to remove dead ones if you can after using it. Because I had so many I didn't want the toxins to affect my fish or corals.

    IMO, the worms aren't an issue. Overfeeding is an issue and if you don't overfeed I wouldn't worry about it. I still have a couple worms left and they come out when food is around, otherwise I don't see them.

    Good luck with the tank!
     
  11. gtrasper

    gtrasper Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2008
    Messages:
    51
    Location:
    Harleysville, Pa
    Thanks to everyone, at the moment the rock is soaking in freshwater. I have not seen the worm show up. I will post with my results.
     
  12. gtrasper

    gtrasper Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2008
    Messages:
    51
    Location:
    Harleysville, Pa
    Alright here is where I am at, I soaked the rock in freshwater for about 4 hours, the little critter did not show its face. I then soakded the rock in a saltwater mix that I had set a side for what ever comes up. After doing the salte water rinse several times I place rock back in tank. I have not seen worm since. The fact of the matter is I am a newbie and in information over load with all this saltwater stuff. My head is getting ready to explode!