Help, taking apart tank?? Bobbitt Worm

meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by Dive Girl
http:///forum/post/3127428
Ohhh, that would be a cool trade!
I'm nervous about trying to get it out without doing any damage to it or to my tank inhabitants or starting a mini-cycle.
Should be an interesting day.
I am looking forward to updates
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
They so totally creep me out. I can't even look them up in Google images without almost dying at the site of a pageful of them. It's weird, nothing disgusts me like they do.
 
loopy101

loopy101

Member
after seeing this thread it kind of makes me wonder what else we keep in our tanks with out ever knowing?
its kind of creepy but yet pretty cool in the same way. i didnt read all of the articles on the worm but i wonder how is reproduces?
 
lietz06

lietz06

Member
That THING is sooo gross! As stated above I almost barfed in my mouth
But look at it on the bright side, your tank isn't tooo awful big. I have a 200 gallon...I couldn't imagine tryin to find that nasy eewwy gross thing. Goodluck & keep us posted:) You'll have to take a pic once you find it!
 
dive girl

dive girl

Member
We tore the tank apart. Removed all the things I want to keep and carefully stored them into a bucket with water, water-movement, airlines, and a small filter.
We drained the water.
We removed the rock.
We removed the sand.
We could not find the worm.
I know its there. I've got the photo. I've got half eaten or completely eaten soft corals.
I don't know where it's hiding.
All of my live rock is sitting in a bucket, drying out and dying.
At least now, I'm confident that it's not IN my tank (where it is, I'm not sure). So, I've replaced the sand (after sifting it), replaced some of the water with old and the rest with new, replaced the rock (where the worm is probably hiding) with rock from another tank and restarted the filters. I hope the bacteria in there does it's job and is able to handle the bio-load. I'll do water tests in a couple of hours to make sure.
Anyone have any idea of what I should do next???
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Just keep up on testing the water parameters in the tank, and do water changes as necessary. Keep an eye on the bottom of the rock bucket for the worm.
If you don't find the worm in the LR in the bucket, and think it's still in the tank;
Remove all the little fish and any inverts into a temporary tank. Go to the LFS and pick up the largest triggerfish or Lunare wrasse they have. After a week return fish, fatter then ever.
 
dive girl

dive girl

Member
I'm 99% sure it can't be in the tank. The larger pieces of live rock that I put back into my reef tank came from the sump of another tank that I had set up recently. The smaller pieces of live rock were dipped in a hyper-saline solution, left to drain off, and then given a fresh water dip. Each was closely inspected before putting into the tank. The larger pieces of live rock that the worm could be in were dipped in the hyper-saline water and are now sitting in a bin with just a couple inches of water in it.
I know I'm killing my live rock, but I don't know what else to do. I was even thinking about putting the rock out into the hot sun tomorrow to ensure that anything in the rock dies.
I can't go through all this and then unknowingly put the worm back into my tank. I was really hoping to take it alive, but I just don't know how to do that.
If I didn't have the photo of it, I would think that I was crazy and there was no worm.
 
caspervtx

caspervtx

Member
Originally Posted by Dive Girl
http:///forum/post/3128418
I'm 99% sure it can't be in the tank. The larger pieces of live rock that I put back into my reef tank came from the sump of another tank that I had set up recently. The smaller pieces of live rock were dipped in a hyper-saline solution, left to drain off, and then given a fresh water dip. Each was closely inspected before putting into the tank. The larger pieces of live rock that the worm could be in were dipped in the hyper-saline water and are now sitting in a bin with just a couple inches of water in it.
I know I'm killing my live rock, but I don't know what else to do. I was even thinking about putting the rock out into the hot sun tomorrow to ensure that anything in the rock dies.
I can't go through all this and then unknowingly put the worm back into my tank. I was really hoping to take it alive, but I just don't know how to do that.
If I didn't have the photo of it, I would think that I was crazy and there was no worm.
Sounds like it is going to be a protracted war

I read the Michigan Reefers link about the gentleman who had one. The striking quote was - at 18" - the worm found a 1" space to hide in.
I hate to say it but if you are not willing to break the rocks apart. You may have to let them completely dry out to kill it. Alternatively find a 2nd tank (even used) and put the rocks in and watch over a series of nights to eliminate the ones he is NOT in and then sacrifice the one.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Dive Girl
http:///forum/post/3128402
We tore the tank apart. Removed all the things I want to keep and carefully stored them into a bucket with water, water-movement, airlines, and a small filter.
We drained the water.
We removed the rock.
We removed the sand.
We could not find the worm.
I know its there. I've got the photo. I've got half eaten or completely eaten soft corals.
I don't know where it's hiding.
All of my live rock is sitting in a bucket, drying out and dying.
At least now, I'm confident that it's not IN my tank (where it is, I'm not sure). So, I've replaced the sand (after sifting it), replaced some of the water with old and the rest with new, replaced the rock (where the worm is probably hiding) with rock from another tank and restarted the filters. I hope the bacteria in there does it's job and is able to handle the bio-load. I'll do water tests in a couple of hours to make sure.
Anyone have any idea of what I should do next???

They can hide in such a tiny hole...it could be dead and so deep in a rock its ugly body can't be found. Put a soft coral in, a frag of Xenia...something cheap, and keep an eye out. If nothing eats it...you should be fine. If it comes out you grab THAT rock right then...they move around so you can't say ..not in that one I already checked.
 
dive girl

dive girl

Member
Sorry Renee, I was really hoping to be able to take it alive. I really hate to kill anything, especially if someone wants it.
I tested the tank water this morning. Ammonia is 0 and Nitrites are 0. How long would it take for there to be a reading if there was going to be one?
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Ew!!!!!!!
EDIT: Okay, I just got up and had to make coffee....
Double EW!
Give me a couple to wake up...
 
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