How can I get rid of a Eunicid Hitchhiker??

[brikeibur]

I think I have one of these, a Eunicid worm:

(picture taken from here: Worm Hitch Hikers)

The site said this about them:

Some of the larger species, or those that grow to adult size in your aquarium may pose a threat to some sessile invertebrates and possibly some types of coral species. I have at least one large specimen in my aquarium and it has posed no threat to anything.

So my thoughts are, that I want it out.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to remove this thing, as it is inside a rock and is EASILY scared and runs back in at the drop of a hat. I cannot remove the rock and 'treat' it, as the rock is covered in button polyps and yellow polyps...any suggestions??

 

[brikeibur]

*bump*

No suggestions or ideas????

 

[gprime]

i think theyre called forceps or something, or long tweasers just grab it and pull it out, but dont be to rough or you could end up just tearing it in half, i've also heard of "food traps" but dont know how those work lol, sorry im not much help as im new to reefing

 

[D3monic]

I have a small colony of those. They do no harm. If they got giant then I would worry. They do have a strong bite though. I tried for countless hours when I was a fresh nano noob to catch one but it never happened. They are really long and rarely expose 1/8 of thier body.

 

[cbrownfish]

Does it reside in a specfic rock? Can you remove the rock? If so, hyper salinity treatment will get it to come out of the rock.

 

[sevonty]

i think theyre called forceps or something, or long tweasers just grab it and pull it out, but dont be to rough or you could end up just tearing it in half, i've also heard of "food traps" but dont know how those work lol, sorry im not much help as im new to reefing

These things get upwards of feet in length, also they have been known to eat fish and zoos. Don't try the tweezers, those worms are segmented like earthworms rip it in half, and you have two of those freaks. the best way is to start to feed it with the largest shrimp it can fit into its mouth, then after a day or two of feeding in the same spot cut the shrimp open and put in ground up glass broken glass so fine it cant be tasted or felt it will go inside and cut him up bad. continue this till he don't come for food any more and when you see all your clean up crew around the rock were he stayed he dead!:nopity:

 

[Copepod]

These things get upwards of feet in length, also they have been known to eat fish and zoos. Don't try the tweezers, those worms are segmented like earthworms rip it in half, and you have two of those freaks. the best way is to start to feed it with the largest shrimp it can fit into its mouth, then after a day or two of feeding in the same spot cut the shrimp open and put in ground up glass broken glass so fine it cant be tasted or felt it will go inside and cut him up bad. continue this till he don't come for food any more and when you see all your clean up crew around the rock were he stayed he dead!:nopity:

glass? sounds like something from the movie seven.

You could also a lot of night viewing, you may catch him outside the rock esp. if you do some light feeding at night.

 

[sevonty]

glass? sounds like something from the movie seven.

You could also a lot of night viewing, you may catch him outside the rock esp. if you do some light feeding at night.

you are not goona catch this thing without tearing apart your tank period! so just kill himm!

 

[fivel]

I see how the idea would work sevonty - it just sounds so harsh when read back, lol. What if you tried the glass and bait tactic that a lot of people use for catching crabs? Place a glass that is tipped toward the rock with food in the bottom of it and see if they'll come out and slide down the glass to eat it. Once they get down the glass should be too slippery to crawl back out.

 

[sevonty]

I see how the idea would work sevonty - it just sounds so harsh when read back, lol. What if you tried the glass and bait tactic that a lot of people use for catching crabs? Place a glass that is tipped toward the rock with food in the bottom of it and see if they'll come out and slide down the glass to eat it. Once they get down the glass should be too slippery to crawl back out.

they are too long,strong,and they have legs like a miliiped not a crab. just give it the glass trust me!

 

[l3fty999]

Go here and check this worm out. Oregonreef.com

After seeing this, I would remove any worm like that.

Take care
Aaron

 

[RaysReef]

brikeibur, did you remove the 'Eunicid' worm?

I've got one, just posted a pic of it on the General Forums, i'm desperate to get rid of it.

I'm not keen on the glass in shrimp method?

 

[sneaks03]

crazy a 7' worm.

 

[sevonty]

brikeibur, did you remove the 'Eunicid' worm?

I've got one, just posted a pic of it on the General Forums, i'm desperate to get rid of it.

I'm not keen on the glass in shrimp method?

then take every last thing out of your tank, and in the last one or two scoops of sand there it will be good luck with that! just man up and glass the thing where you gonna put it when you take it out the tank? it is gonna die then so save yourself some headach and glass em

 

[Clownfish518]

Yes, Eunice worms can grow to be over 20' in length. Some bristleworms can grow to be over 18' in length.

It is extremely unlikely that you have one of those species. I'd try and trap it to start. My first trap would be an empty bottle of water with its top cut off and inverted into the bottom of the bottle. Put something yummy in it, and see if the work will crawl in.

 

[molsen187]

if you give it the glass to eat, wouldn't the cuc that ate him end up with that glass in them. just wondering it seems like that would be the case.

 

[RaysReef]

if you give it the glass to eat, wouldn't the cuc that ate him end up with that glass in them. just wondering it seems like that would be the case.

I can't take the glass idea seriously. It's not something I would do, despite having no fish in the tank.

 

[thearnley]

I had a 32" eunicid last winter. Finally determined what rock he was in - of course it was the biggest rock in the tank and on the bottom. Had to chisel into it to find the pocket that he was burrowing in. I think I had the heebie jeebies for 2 days after seeing him layed out on my garage floor. :barf:

 

[lcstorc]

I don't know if it would work but worth a shot. Get a clear tube and put a piece of bait in the center. Then put cotton or filter floss on either side. When the worm goes after the bait, then you should be able to grab the tube and get him out.
It will likely involve watching the trap for a while, but it should work.
I actually don't think the glass would work.. Much of our sand is silica which is just ground up glass. It sounds cruel to me regardless.
Totruring it is different than killing it.
JMO

 

[RaysReef]

thearnley, did the worm cause any damage when it was in your tank?

Lynn, I will try that method - I'm keeping my eye on the worm, so far it's not touched anything other than rubble. Thankfully I've not put any fish in the tank yet but my clams and fungia are my main concern.

Thanks for your input guys.