Monster Worm! Need Help To Identify & Remove.

[vincegoh]

I discover a worm- like monster that is living in one of my live rock. It is yellow in colour and it looks similiar to centipede with 2 claws, lots of tiny legs and segmented. I only saw a portion of the body (about 4cm) as the rest is in the crevice.

I suspect that it attack 2 of my Tamil Tiger (yellow face gobbies) as I saw it eating one of the gobbies (which is dead when I saw it) and trying to drag it into the crevices.

What is this pest?

Is it poisonous?

How can I remove it?

It seems to dwell in one of the rock but I am worry that it may have gone into the sand substrate. Or worst, it may have reproduce since it had so much LIVE and swimming food.

I have checked out with Arowana forum and seem that no one can tell me when worm is it.

Thanks a lot.

[FuEl]

I discover a worm- like monster that is living in one of my live rock. It is yellow in colour and it looks similiar to centipede with 2 claws, lots of tiny legs and segmented. I only saw a portion of the body (about 4cm) as the rest is in the crevice.

I suspect that it attack 2 of my Tamil Tiger (yellow face gobbies) as I saw it eating one of the gobbies (which is dead when I saw it) and trying to drag it into the crevices.

What is this pest?

Is it poisonous?

How can I remove it?

It seems to dwell in one of the rock but I am worry that it may have gone into the sand substrate. Or worst, it may have reproduce since it had so much LIVE and swimming food.

I have checked out with Arowana forum and seem that no one can tell me when worm is it.

Thanks a lot.

I have it too. But mine is about twice the length of yours. Sometimes can be seen venturing out of its rock to forage. It's just a polychaet worm. Nothing to be worried about. As far as I know they don't hunt fish but will scavenge instead. They have no apparatus to capture prey effectively. So far all my gobies are unharmed..even my pipefish. Just leave it in there and enjoy the monster.

Btw..have not heard of tamil tiger gobies...can give the scientific name? Is it Stonogobiops sp. ?

[Sinn]

or it could be a mantis

[Sinn]

[fnscasey]

Might be a MANTIS SHRIMP see under Mantis Shrimp In Action

[cage]

The monster worm you described sounds familiar to the fishing bait i once used. I used to dug up the sea bed with a cangkul during low tide in search of these monster worms

[blue.tang]

can att pic of yr monster worm

[vincegoh]

I have it too. But mine is about twice the length of yours. Sometimes can be seen venturing out of its rock to forage. It's just a polychaet worm. Nothing to be worried about. As far as I know they don't hunt fish but will scavenge instead. They have no apparatus to capture prey effectively. So far all my gobies are unharmed..even my pipefish. Just leave it in there and enjoy the monster.

Btw..have not heard of tamil tiger gobies...can give the scientific name? Is it Stonogobiops sp. ?

This polychaet worm, do u have a picture of it?

I notice that there is 2 sharp claws at its head, look mean to me.

Tamil Tiger gobbies (because it comes from Sri Lanka) should be the street name for yellow face gobbies (don't know correct or not), it has a neon blue strip across its cheek.

[vincegoh]

or it could be a mantis

Nope, not a mantis since this bugger looks very much like a centipede with 2 claws at its mouth. I saw it in a dark "cave" on the side of my LR. It withdrawn really fast as soon as it detect movement by me.

[Octopuffy]

I have the same problems too. I just pull the monsters out and fed them to my arowana. They seems tasty to my Aros though.

[vincegoh]

The worm is hidding somewhere and i cannot find it...

[sunny03]

if i not wrong they are rag worm that are use for fishing as bait i myself also hae one in my tank and it goes in and out of the rock as it like

[vincegoh]

My problem is gone! I think. I saw half the body of the "monster worm" near the crevice that I first saw it eating my gobbies. Maybe the small crab eat it up.

[Acanthurus pyroferus]

My problem is gone! I think. I saw half the body of the "monster worm" near the crevice that I first saw it eating my gobbies. Maybe the small crab eat it up.

thats good news! I heard that arrow crabs love these worms as it is their main diet in the wild and they don't disturb your corals if you put one in your reef tank. The olive green birdmouth wrasse is another great hunter of these worms as they have an elongate snout for feeding in crevices.