HELP! Is this a fire worm or an ok species of bristle worm?

C

Ceradee

Member
Hi, I would really appreciate some help in identifying this bristle worm that has shown up in my rock. I have no idea how it got there since the rock was in hyposalinity for a while. This is the only piece of live rock that I bought from the LFS, all of my other rock was started as dry and cycled, so the appearance of this worm is a bit of a mystery. The rock is in a 10 gal tank that I was using as a hospital tank, and now only has a sand sifting starfish in it. I was thinking about starting a nano reef in there though, and want to make sure that this worm is not going to eat anything that I add.
Thanks!
Sarah

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a518/Ceradee22/image_zpse5cbff3a.jpg
 
C

Ceradee

Member
Mike Johnson said:
Good photo of a Eurythoe sp. It is a detritivore, which means it's a good worm.
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Oh good, thanks! I was pretty sure that it was probably ok, but I thought I should check with the experts. It is really big! Is it going to keep growing? It stretched out to at least 4 inches with its back end still in the rock! How do you think it got there? Could it have survived in hyposalinity, or could a larva have hitchhiked on my starfish or some Chaeto algae that I threw in there?
 
Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
Well, that's a much better photo Now, I can identify it as a Eurythoe complanata, which is a very beneficial scavenger and is distinguished by its large size and smooth caruncle. They get to 6".
 
Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
What I read is "Eurythoe complanata are exceptionally diligent and beneficial members of the guild of scavenging animals found in our aquaria."
 
C

Ceradee

Member
Mike Johnson said:
What I read is "Eurythoe complanata are exceptionally diligent and beneficial members of the guild of scavenging animals found in our aquaria."
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I readn from the site that you listed:

Polychaete - Eurythoe complanata.
Carribean Fireworm


Suitability: Remove Them!

Diet: Feeds on detritus but may be predatory on desireable fauna.

And from the Ecyclopedia ofLife:
Eurythoe complanata is an omnivorous scavenger. Larger pieces of food (such as two mm pieces of fish provided in one laboratory observation) are ingested by the pharynx, which can increase in size to handle different sizes of food. Smaller food particles are plucked from the water by the everted pharynx. In laboratory observations, individuals only ate fish offered to them. In the wild, this polychaete has been observed feeding on corals and algae as well. Eurythoe complanata seems to consume about any organic matter it can fit into its mouth.

Animal Foods: fish; carrion ; aquatic crustaceans; cnidarians; other marine invertebrates; zooplankton

Plant Foods: algae

Other Foods: detritus

Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Eats other marine invertebrates, Scavenger ); herbivore (Algivore); omnivore ; detritivore

So it seems that while this species, if that really is what I have in my tank, may be helpful in cleaning up detritus, it also may turn on any other inverts that I put in. I am not sure if I want to take the risk; I can get the same good qualities out of different members of the cleanup crew without worrying about them attacking anything, or me if I happen to touch it accidentally.
 
Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
Personally, I recommend getting rid of any bristleworm over 4". It's your call, I'm just telling you from a scientific viewpoint. People have lots of emotions over bristleworms.
 
C

Ceradee

Member
Thanks for the input; I think that I am going to try to get it out before it gets any bigger. It has now really wedged itself inside the piece of rock, so I will probably have to wait until it comes out to eat again before I have any hope of catching it!
 
Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
"if that really is what I have in my tank". Please, tell me, what it is.

I think you summed it all up with your comment in your video "eww, gross".
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
I have a couple of these worms in my tank. Have had them for over four years. I haven't noticed any issues and I keep sps corals. This is a good article that will describe your species in more detail: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/5/short

As for your question on the anemone ID. I'm not sure about the anemone in front of the rock that you circled, the tentacles are hard to see to determine what it is, but the one in the hole behind the rock looks like a Pseudocorynactis, or ball anemone. You can clearly see the balls at the tips of the tentacles in your photo.

The ones I have in my tank have red/pink starks, have white mouths, tentacles are transparent/clear and w/white balls on tips of tentacles. If you feed it little bits of food, using a skewer, it will color-up nicely.

More Info if you are interested:
A debate continues in academia differentiating among the genera of the Corallimorphidae family, which includes the genera Corynactis, Pseudocorynactis, Corallimorphus, Neactis, Sideractis, and Paracorynactis. Reclassification occurs every few years or so it seems. Mayja posted an article that describes both the Corynactis and Pseudocorynactis (at end of article). Corynactis is restricted to temperate waters (cold waters) with the exception of C. parvula that can colonize some tropical environments. Pseudocorynactis and Paracorynactis are tropical-subtropical genera. (Ocana, 2009)

Some basic general differences of Pseudocorynactis is its large size and solitary habit. One thing that we need to keep in mind is that the family of Corallimorphidae has undergone reclassification of taxa many times over the last two decades or so, and there are more and more species being identified and reclassified based off of biology, ecology, and behavior. Particularly with Corynactis, Pseudocorynactis, and Paracorynactis.

You have one of these species. It is a good anemone, not a pest in that it won't spread or cause havoc in your tank. Many people will just tell you that you have either a Corynactis species or Psuedocorynactis species.
 
C

Ceradee

Member
Thanks for the great info! I can't believe that I have any anemones growing on the rock! The rock was in hyposalinity for at least a week and there is hardly any light in that tank, it just has the stock LEDs that have a par reading of 8, the tank was started as a quarantine tank and has morphed over time into a nano tank, but I thought I would for sure have to upgrade the lighting before anything could grow in it! These little hitchhikers are tough! I didn't have the heart to kill the worm, I'm still reluctant to release it back onto the tank so I put it in a container with a screened lid inside the tank until I can decide what to ultimately do with it. I have to go to the lfs tomorrow, so maybe I'll bring it with me and see what the guys there have to say about it. This has been really interesting and unexpected!
 
C

Ceradee

Member
Mike Johnson said:
"if that really is what I have in my tank". Please, tell me, what it is.

I think you summed it all up with your comment in your video "eww, gross".
Click to expand...

Did the additional pictures and video confirm your initial ID? After seeing all the way out of the rock and looking at all of the info you suggested and I found, it seems pretty solid that it is a fireworm. The little guy is kind of growing on me though, I might just let it have reign of the nano tank. It is kind of beautiful in its own way...
 
Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
To give you a little heads up if you're going to buy "live rock" from a LFS; here's what a "fireworm" looks like.



This worm is at least 14" not stretched out and as big around as my finger. It came from a rock from an LFS that got it after the earthquake in Haiti. It's a Hermodice caruncula.
 
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