worm rock

[JamesFitch]

I just saw the most beautiful rock it had 8 differnt color christmas tree worms on it my first impulse was to purchase it but i needed to research it does anyone know the feeding requirments for this species i know that it needs least amount of lite and great water quality any opinions or anyone have or had this type i plan to purchase it soon iam also doing alot of research but trust you guys more than www

[saltwaterfarm]

I have one. The worms filter feed... It doesn't like really high flow...

[rDr4g0n]

what kinda rock was it attached to? from what ive read the worms live with porites which are sps corals.

[JamesFitch]

Iam not sure on the rock it was it looke like a coral fosil with many pores in it

[JamesFitch]

saltwaterfarm how long have you had yours will any of my tankmates bother it or will they bother them

[Dentoid]

I've read that they are hard to keep fed adequately. They require a large, mature system with refugium and preferably live plankton drips Many times they are associated with an encrusting coral. If the coral dies, they die. My live rock had many of them when I started my system. Now, 5 months later they are all gone.

[Woodstock]

Christmas Tree Worms

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.

[Dentoid]

Nice article! That's why I don't have any.

[saltwaterfarm]

To answer your question... Nothing has bothered them, nor have they bothered anything. I have one rock that fell behind the rocks in my cube. The encrusting coral (whatever it was) does not look brown like it did in the beginning... the worms are still alive. I didn't find it until I tore down my cube. The other one... still has the coral and worms. Doing fine in a small 3 gal pico. I also know someone who had 3 of them which quickly died... sorry to say.

[lcstorc]

I would be afraid of the seahorses eating them. I'm not really sure, but that would be one of my worries.

[saltwaterfarm]

Yeah, Lynn's right. The ponies might. Are there any duster worms in the tank already?

[BHinAK]

I haven't bought the coral inquestion(worms on white rock) But I've had some on other corals / rocks. Butterfly fish will eat them fast, within minutes after put in the tank.

[JamesFitch]

yes i have a few feather dusters they came in on the live rock