Pretty Big Worm!!!! - Help identify

[wayner]

My tank has been up & running over 2 years now & I thought I had a pretty good idea what was in it until early Sunday morning, lights were off & it was pretty dark in the basement so I took my flashlight & looked into the tank. I couldn't beleive my eyes, it was stretched out about 15" with it's rear still in the rock, it could of been 2 feet long for all I know, it was brown in color with orange/reddish markings running up the side of it's body, if I remember correctly, it looked like the head had 2 antennas (keep in mind it was early and soon as I put the flashlight on him he retreated back to where he came from).

The body appeared to be flat & I didn't really get a chance to see what he was eating, I have added 11 snails recently & every week or so I seem to find a dead one on the sandbed.

So anyone have an idea what it could be? huge Bristleworm?, ribbon worm?, fireworm?, all my rock is from Figi if that helps.

I was telling my kids & all they want to be sure of is that it can't get out!

[Aquattro]

Wayne, did the dead snails appear covered in slime? I had a three foot worm that ate snails. It would actually grab them and drag them back to the edge of the rock it lived in. I didn't realize what was happening until one morning there were 2 snails in the same spot. I investigated at night with a flashlight and saw the sucker. I made a trap and it dragged the trap to the rock. It built tunnels thru the sand that had a slimy coating to it and the thing could retreat like an elastic band snapping back into it's hole. I removed the rock, but never found the worm. It fits the description of yours though...

[wayner]

Thanks Brad, No, I haven't noticed any slime, the other thing was that it wasn't a lightning retreat, but it wasn't slow either.

The problem is that I think the rock he went back into is in the rear corner of the tank, I think?, fun & games., any ideas how I might bait him out?

I can't beleive I've never seen him before.

[jboy929]

Interesting indeed. My only thoughs would be a big bristle worm, but that is huge!!! I have a rather high snail mortality rate as well (I add about 20 snails every 8 months or so), so perhaps I am having the same problem as well.
I would not have thought that possible, but my LR is Fiji also, and if this worm has been hanging around for two years, who knows?

Good luck, and keep us updated.

Jason

[Doug]

Wholly crap you guys. Sounds like the sandworms in Dune.

[Aquattro]

Wayne, mine came out for any meaty treat, as long as it was dark. It never fully left the rock and I could never catch it. Dr. Ron suggested cutting it's head off, as this type would not regenerate. I was not able to even do that. I spent hours trying to catch/kill this guy, but no luck.
However, if you can't verify that it is in fact eating things, it could be harmless. When I redid my tank, I found a 2 foot worm in the sandbed (it wasn't the same one) that never caused any issues I can think of.

[wayner]

Thanks Brad, needless to say, I'll be on the hunt, when I think back now, there was a small piece of liverock that was moved awhile back, it was on the sandbed & moved 4 or 5 inches. over to where the worm retreated to on Sunday, almost set up as a blockade, when I look towards the back where he went, there are 2 snail shells.

I know I didn't move the rock, would it be capable of doing this?

[chwkreefer]

Last year when I was dismantling my tank to move into a new house I was down to an inch of water with about 5lbs of sand in one corner of my tank. I went to scoop the last bit out and out came a worm which was well over a foot long. It too had two antenae. It freaked me out. The sucker was huge! I should have took some time to study the sucker, but instead I got a fish net, scooped up the sucker and gave him a permanent freshwater dip in my toilet. The thing was so thick for a worm, it was almost like an eel.

So Brad you say your worm consumed snails? that's interesting and could explain my snail graveyard in the back of the tank.

Bill

[BCOrchidGuy]

I had a peanut worm that was over a foot long when it was fully stretched out, as soon as the light would fall on it it was back into the rock.

Doug

[Aquattro]

Doug, these are certainly not peanut worms!!

I'll try and dig up some threads from Doc Ron on these things.