will tube worms die during the curing process?

erock412

Member
i saw a tube worm when i was scrubbing my LR off before it started curing, it was dead, but havent seen any more of them since i put the rock into its curing tank. i know that when there is one, there could be a bunch more. will they die if my spike is high enough? why are they bad anyways? i mean they're ugly and frankly i dont want anything in my tank that i didnt invite, but what are their effects on the tank?
 

natclanwy

Active Member
Do you mean bristle worm? Tube worms are feather dusters and other similar species and are usually desirable to have in your aquarium and some are very beautiful do a google image search for a coca worm. Either way 90% of the bristle worms and all of the tube worms that I am aware of that are found in our aquariums are benifitial and harmless to our tanks and coral.
If your ammonia spike is high enough it will kill all of the microfauna on the live rock you just spent big money on, and by buying LR you have invited all of the microfauna that goes with it. Its the microfauna on LR that truly makes it special and a benificial part of our tanks.
 

locoyo386

Member
Hi there,
Sorry to post this question like this, but too curiou to pass.
How big do bristle worms get in our aquariums?
 

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by locoyo386
http:///forum/post/2906012
Hi there,
Sorry to post this question like this, but too curiou to pass.
How big do bristle worms get in our aquariums?
Most bristleworms only get a few inches in length, but there are a few species that get huge. I have read reports of people finding worms 2-3 feet long in their tanks. I am currently battling with a Eunicid worm in my tank that is about a foot long.
Here is a link to the thread I started about my worm: Eunicid Worm
Originally Posted by ERock412

http:///forum/post/2906013
yes, i did mean bristle worm. i always thought they were not wanted in an aquarium.
There are over 10,000 different species of Polychaete worms, most of the ones we find in our aquariums are harmless detrovores, but there are a few that are predatory and will kill and eat fish or munch on corals. 90% of the time the worms you see will be harmless but it is a good idea to keep an eye on them. If you start noticing a worm hanging out on one of your corals for long periods of time and start noticing that the coral is missing tissue then I might be suspicious but on the other hand it may be just performing its duty and cleaning up dead tissue from the coral it comes down to a judgment call when you find a suspicious worm.
 
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