Bristle Worm that eats zoas!

[Myka]

Are you sure it's a standard bristleworm? Critters like Eunicid worms are known to eat corals (Zoas especially), and look very similar.

[GoFish]

Originally Posted by Myka

Are you sure it's a standard bristleworm? Critters like Eunicid worms are known to eat corals (Zoas especially), and look very similar.

Well it's usually wears a t-shirt saying " IZoanthids" so its hard to get a proper I.D.

I've never seen anything else bother the zoas in the tank. Not nudis, pods, asterinas, pox, fish, nadda, just this little one. Well hermits and snails graze around them, they close, but then open right back up. Once this worm does its thing with them , they die, one-by-one... I've seen it poke his face right into the side of an open, healthy, disease free zoa stalk and doesnt move, Its also was less shy than all the other bristleworms (less affected by light and movement). Not 100 percent certain it actually consumes the zoa and poops it out, possibly trying to explore the inside of them? Somewhere to hide? Maybe its cold?? Either way, whatever its doing to it causes them to die, my best guess though is that its eating the flesh

Heres a pic of the culprit

[Slyguy00]

If it was me, id just put a bristle worm trap right by the hole it stays in. Those things work great. you would be amazed at what you find inside it in the morning.

[GoFish]

Ummm, that coralife thing? Whatever I don't have to place on the bottom, it lives on top of a rock about 6 inches from the sand bed.

[Slyguy00]

The trap is just a small tube. You could pretty much put it anywhere.

[Ryanerickson]

I agree with nick you could even temp glue it in the location if you had to

[Myka]

Those traps work well. You can make one yourself too - I made one out of an epoxy tube and a little funnel I had. It looks like a typical bristleworm, but if it's bothering the Zoas in one way or another I'd remove it!