[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]In closing there is no indication that these worms feed on anything different than the majority of other tube-dwelling serpulid polychaetes do: a mixture of primarily phytoplankton with some small zooplankters thrown in as the worm grows to maturity. However, having said that, I cannot find a single study of prey preference or gut content analyses of Spirobranchus in the wild (so anything is possible, and a new study may warrant a new article). The fact that Spirobranchus are generally imported with pieces of Porites does not mean that they are obligate associates of this coral, nor does it mean that they are feeding off the mucus of the coral. In fact, depending on the source you check, the best coral associate for Spirobranchus is likely to be something other than Porites, and even within the genus Porites, P. lutea, P. lobata, and P.lichen appear to be much better ‘hosts’ than does P. porites. Furthermore, in the hands of experienced aquarists, success with these worms appears to be the same whether the coral is alive or dead (obviously aquarists who are unable to maintain Porites and have a healthy colony rapidly die in their tanks tend to have lower success with the worms in that colony as well). However, our dismal success rate with these animals for more than a year or so in the aquarium suggests that we are failing to provide them with anything approaching ‘proper’ care! That means we cannot delude ourselves into thinking that the animals died of old age if they fade in our aquariums within a year or two (no matter how comforting we may find that excuse), and that is why I suggest they be avoided by any but experienced aquarists who want to experiment with maintaining these beautiful animals.[/FONT]
