It's 1:00 AM and I Just Caught a Bobbit Worm!

Bongo Shrimp

Bongo Shrimp

Member
So a few weeks ago I thought I saw a really large bristle worm late at night when I shined my flashlight in the tank. Until tonight I had not seen it again. So at, yes, 1:00 AM I'm just checking things out to see the late night critters that come out and I see a flash of pink moving really fast. I immediately switch to red light so whatever it was won't see the light anymore and I see it again. I still haven't seen the head yet, just a large pink and fuzzy looking body of a worm. So I have wanted this thing out of the tank since the first time I saw it because a 7 inch worm in a 29g tank is just not a good thing, so I ran to get the turkey baster, flipped the light back to white light so I could see what I was doing, and went to suck it up.
As I was sucking it up, it tried to retreat into a hole in the rock and that is when I realized what it was- a Bobbit Worm. I still can't believe I got it out. I feel luck since I know of other people who have had to destroy their tank and take a rock outside at 3:00 AM and smash it on the driveway to get the 4 foot worm out...

My main concern is, is this a case of "Where there's one there's more?" Or is it usually an isolated incident?

Here's the pics: (he's about 8 to 9 inches long)
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I can't believe I have been putting my hands in there with that- that thing in there!
 
Eric

Eric

Google Warrior
PREMIUM
Lol that is an odd display critter but would be cool to see.

"Flash back worm related"

I was cleaning a tank of rock rubble in the LPS years ago and I grabbed hold of a fire worm, I couldn't see in the tank it was muddy from scooping out the rubble but when I felt the pain and pulled my hand out and saw the spines that looked like shards of fiberglass it wasn't hard to figure out what I had grabbed a hold of. :) I have been bitten buy a 3ft green moray while cleaning a tank and stung by a curious lion fish but this was a pain was intense, one of the worst irritations I have ever felt judging from the 1/4" spines that actually stuck out of my skin I would say this was a huge worm, I never saw it so I assume it must have made an escape into the overflow and down into the sump for an 1100 gallon system. There was no mistaking the spines though or the pain that was almost unbearable for a few hours then still sore and slightly swollen a week later.

Sorry to get off topic, just got me thinking about these worms. ;)

Eric
 
Bongo Shrimp

Bongo Shrimp

Member
Now that the lights came on, I can see the burrow where he tried to retreat to and now I know where my frag of blue chalice went...
 
Frankie

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Nasty worm man!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eunice aphroditois, the Bobbit worm, is an aquatic predatory polychaete worm dwelling at the ocean floor at depths of approximately 10–40 m.
This organism buries its long body into an ocean bed composed of gravel, mud or corals, where it waits patiently for outside stimulus to reach one of its five antennae.
Armed with sharp teeth, it is known to attack with such speeds that its prey is sometimes sliced in half. Although the worm hunts for food, it is omnivorous.
Little is known about the sexual habits and life span of this worm, but researchers hypothesize that sexual reproduction occurs at an early stage, maybe even when the worm is about 100 mm in length; this is very early, considering that these worms can grow to sizes of nearly 3 m in some cases (although most observations point to a much lower average of 1 meter) and 25 mm in diameter. A long lifespan may very well explain the size of these creatures.
The Eunicidae family of worms can be found worldwide, although warmer waters are beneficial. Eunice aphroditois has only been found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Click to expand...
 
Boomer

Boomer

Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard
I hate to pop every bodies bubble but that is not a Bobbit work by a long shot.

Note the head on yours and this one. See th "claws" for capturing prey. Now count the head "tentacles" appendages on yours vs this one. What you have is a Unicid worm and more than likely that is a "swarmer" Epitoke. See that tail and how different it looks than the rest of the worm and is more clear. It is releasing eggs or getting ready to.

Just like this one is a Unicid releasing eggs

swarmer9.jpg



Bobbit
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Yours
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Bongo Shrimp

Bongo Shrimp

Member
First of all there are a few different types of bobbits, not all look exactly like the one you posted. Second of all, whether you want to call it a bobbit or not, all I know is that is ate a few of my frags and who knows what else. So what does that mean? It means it is BAD and doesn't belong in my tank. I found four different frags of SPS and one LPS (small acan frag) near the burrow as decorations. Charming, isn't it?
 
sambrinar

sambrinar

Well-Known Member
Bongo Shrimp said:
First of all there are a few different types of bobbits, not all look exactly like the one you posted. Second of all, whether you want to call it a bobbit or not, all I know is that is ate a few of my frags and who knows what else. So what does that mean? It means it is BAD and doesn't belong in my tank. I found four different frags of SPS and one LPS (small acan frag) near the burrow as decorations. Charming, isn't it?
Click to expand...

Wow,, kinda testy.. Boomer is a "wizard" and is usually right... although not always... but sheesh.. Nap time?? :bouncer:
 
sambrinar

sambrinar

Well-Known Member
Wow Boomer, that thing is creepy looking!! it seems kinda slow tho.. and The movie Tremors comes to mind
 
Frankie

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
No doubt. I can see your point now Boomer. That one you posted is nasty! I would hate to have that thing to catch me on the finger.
 
thearnley

thearnley

Member
Awwwww......how cute! Makes you just want to cuddle with it. :barf:
I had a eunicid worm almost 3 feet long a year ago. Had to tear apart my tank and bust up a huge beautiful piece of live rock to get the complete worm out - after he racked up quite a death toll!
 
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