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Michael_Wamsley wrote:
The worst part is I forgot about what can happen if you do not completely break the bristles off before you use the restroom. alt= wrote:<blockquote>
Not sure what that means...?!
Excuse my ignorance... I never seen one, much less handled one that long...
So for those of you that caught these guys/removed them, what method did you use to capture them?
What is really bad is I did the same basic thing 2 years prior to this with a long spine black urchin... talk about PAIN. This is why I had to wait 6 years to have kids
... JK (about the reason, not the pain)!!!
The Polychaete (literally translated as "many chaetae" or "lots of setae" = bunches of bristles... bristleworms) worms are in the Phylum Annelida and are closely related earthworms. Their segmented bodies have an upper and lower bundle of bristles on each side that number upwards to the millions. Free-living bristleworms use their chaetae with their segmented snake-like body to wiggle through the water. It is also their defense against predators and acts very similar to fiber glass. Some Polychaete have modified bristles that carry a venom (Fireworms= Amphinomidae family), the bristles have evolved into highly defensive organs. Some of these guys have a toxin they derive from the corals and sponges they eat.. so they are double bad.
"Most fireworms are scavengers in tropical marine environments, albeit a few of the about 120 species are predatory, and one or two are parasitic.- Ron Shimek"
They have hollow tubes filled with this toxin that they use as a type of syringe. The bristles are fragile and easily broken when you come in contact with the worm. This causes excruciating pain. Fortunately for us the carnivorous ones are very rare in our hobby, the most common of these coming form the Caribbean live rock. Fortunately for me mine was not a Fireworm, but just imagine having fiberglass in sensitive places that were never meant to be unprotected to the "elements".
The bristles found in worms that live in tubes or burrows (sessile or sedentary worms) have often evolved into hooks to help anchor the worm in place. Sedentary worms make a whole variety of homes. Many make a hard calcareous tube (C - Spirorbis), which is attached to a hard surface or even large algae. Other sedentary worms have a leathery tube, sometimes decorated with pieces of broken shell, or sand and mud particles.
Free-living worms include carnivores (mostly the Eurythoe & Eunice) or herbivores/scavenger (the vast majority), but there are also the sedentary worms that feed on microscopic plants and animals or fine particles these include the "feather" dusters. There are also hundred of invertebrates that are highly prized that we do not even notice are Polychaete worms because of the burrows & tubes they create. These guys are what give us the vast majority of natural zooplankton in our tanks.
Most of these guys I would want to keep (like the Nereidae spp,I think, that was originally pictured at the top of this link) just like you want earthworms in your garden. If you just cannot stand the "bristleworms" then there are several commercial traps, but what works best is the same thing that works best to get the bristles out of you skin... pantyhose. Just get some pantyhose, put some fish food in them. When the worms come out to do their job and clean the left over food, they will get caught in the pantyhose and you can remove them. Just remember by doing so you could possibly be removing the most beneficial and effective scavenger in your tank.
If you would like to learn more a great place online is:
http://www.ronshimek.com/
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/index.php
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rs/index.php
These four sites have more GREAT and accurate detailed information (pictures included) on these worms than any where else I know, including my old Invertebrate Zoology books!
or if you are interested in "the bad guys" only is this group check out
http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0198/0198_2.html
Note not all fireworms eat corals, so I do not consider fireworms to really be bad, just good at defense!
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