My live rock has bugs in it?

[Pat-O]

While looking at my live rock i just got for my tank from Keys I noticed there was a little centipede looking thing crawling around is this normal or an organism that lives in the rock. I have no idea what it is I havent read anything about it anywhere so I figured I would ask.

[bluwc]

Probably bristle worms, no biggie and a good clean up crew.....but make sure you don't touch them!

[bigbill]

most likely a good thing probably just a Bristol worm our maybe a pod but with out a pic could not tell u

[Pat-O]

It was pretty small not even an inch. It really kind of looked like a centipede. I cant get a pic because its in a hole but i went researching through the forum and all i saw was the bristle worm and the bobbit. Im praying its not a bobbit how would i be able to tell.

[bluwc]

I will be willing to bet its a bristle and not a bobbit lol

[Pat-O]

lol I hope not my skins crawling just reading about them.

[bluwc]

Yeah, if you're new....that probably wasn't one of the first threads you should have read hahahaha

[MizTanks]

Take it from the Queen (me) of bristle worm kingdom-it's a bristle worm. Pray it remains white. The red are not called fire bristle worms for nothing :)

[XSiVE]

what color was it?

[Fish Dad]

Yuck, Ok I'm just new so dont kill me...need to know what to do about it. My tank is NOT set up so I have time to fix it.

I'm in the same boat or was, picked up a used tank and move a 100lbs of rock.

As I was moving rock I notice a small worm that shot into a hole. looked it on web, found Bristol and Bobbit worms, said to pick them out with tweezers? Ok so later found one pulled on it and it broke, and nice white junk came out and it went back in the hole??? GREAT

(NOT SAYING TO DO THIS, I'm just looking for next steps)
Probably get yelled at but I moved all my rock into plan fresh water buckets. I figured I didn't want anything that lived though the 6 months of low salt and no heat...and I don't have 50 gallon of salt water to rinse it.

Just went out in the garage to see if I could quickly find anything, and I found this?
Anyways, hate to ask but what this? I know I killed it sorry.

This is NOT the same thing I saw before.. and I didnt touch it.
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j369/zimmybows/whatsthis.jpg
Google has pics of both - Says Bobbits get 4 FEET long?

Next steps please

[MizTanks]

Definitely not a bristle worm :) WOW! Nice picture :) nothing left to do, it's dead.
As for picking them out with tweezers, good luck with that! Only time you can do that with any success is if they are completely and I mean totally out of the rock. These lil buggers are strong and will break before giving up their grip. Chances are after your fresh water soak most if not everything once living in the rock has now perished. The good and the bad. Your rock will now begin to smell like a compost pile, well maybe worse then that, yea I remember it's a lot worse lol. So now your going to have to continue to clean the rock. Or if it were me? Dump it all and buy new :)

[Fish Dad]

Buying another 100 pounds of live rock is not an option?
So I my plan is to purchase one more 16 gallon tote, allowing more space for rock and water.
I will be filling with new RO w/salt water today and putting power heads in all three bucket for water movement.

If its going to stink it - it will live in the garage until smell is gone ( I will do water changes) as I will not have it in the house or I'll have to move out.

any advise is greatly appreciated.

[steve&mari]

Sounds like ya got a plan now follow it as ya said water changes n test till its ready to go ya should add some live rock to each bin to reactivate the dead rock n maybe after lil time add some pods to the tubs n lil MB7 to get it kicked into gear before long you'll be golden n can get on with the fun:)

Big Steve

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

[MizTanks]

Get you a few big bags of carbon and throw them in with your rock. It works great removing the odor :) I used it.

[Pat-O]

Get you a few big bags of carbon and throw them in with your rock. It works great removing the odor :) I used it.
Idk the one i saw was smaller than an inch and from what i remember was a brownish color. Havent caught a glimpse of it since.

[Pat-O]

I was just trying to reply to my original post not quote a comment,
But back to the bug I only saw one and from what i remember it was smaller that an inch, a brownish color and it had legs the length of its body.

[redemer123]

Dont think that was a bobbit worm


this is though
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSLksJAW4VNSFGpil8liviQNWdqFcHCs gwYkDjFtRUHjMHsOm8X

[bluwc]

That is a Bobbit worm! WOW! Nice picture :) nothing left to do, it's dead.
As for picking them out with tweezers, good luck with that! Only time you can do that with any success is if they are completely and I mean totally out of the rock. These lil buggers are strong and will break before giving up their grip. Chances are after your fresh water soak most if not everything once living in the rock has now perished. The good and the bad. Your rock will now begin to smell like a compost pile, well maybe worse then that, yea I remember it's a lot worse lol. So now your going to have to continue to clean the rock. Or if it were me? Dump it all and buy new :)

Why would you dump out your rock and buy new? I'm sorry but that's bad advice.

Once you get your tank, put the rock in it and let it cycle. You're setting up a bigger tank, so put a nice deep sand bed in it (4") or so. Probably 6-8wks before you can put livestock in it but that depends on what you're readings are at. Just keep checking them and when everything is at 0, you'll be all set.

[MizTanks]

I was saying what I would do not what he should do. I wasn't giving advice as he didn't ask for any. There's a big difference.

[bluwc]

But if you pay (especially from a store at probably $600) or $200-$300 for rock from a reefer, that is a lot of money to just throw away. I guess it's good that some people are in a position to toss out hundreds of dollars for no reason....but I don't know anyone else who would.

I've said this numerous times.....if someone is concerned with what is "live" on/in the rock and didn't want to risk it in their tanks......why wouldn't you bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for a couple of hours. It's faster than baking it in the sun for days and your end result is the same.....dead rock. If you can kill whatever is in it.....make it live again after numerous weeks, wouldn't that make more sense than just throwing it away?

[jstan]

I second it not being a bobbit worm, looked more like a peanut worm to me ....

[MizTanks]

But if you pay (especially from a store at probably $600) or $200-$300 for rock from a reefer, that is a lot of money to just throw away. I guess it's good that some people are in a position to toss out hundreds of dollars for no reason....but I don't know anyone else who would.

I've said this numerous times.....if someone is concerned with what is "live" on/in the rock and didn't want to risk it in their tanks......why wouldn't you bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for a couple of hours. It's faster than baking it in the sun for days and your end result is the same.....dead rock. If you can kill whatever is in it.....make it live again after numerous weeks, wouldn't that make more sense than just throwing it away?

As afraid of creepy crawlies as I am I would throw it away..lol..or at least have someone else do the cooking :silly:

[bluwc]

As afraid of creepy crawlies as I am I would throw it away..lol..or at least have someone else do the cooking :silly:
Well if you want to get technical, that nasty worm could be considered a delicacy in some countries. Who knows what those people eat.....but I hear they eat some strange stuff and you might be able to sell it? lol

[Pat-O]

I saw the worm or should I say worms in my tank again i noticed what seemed to be one larger one and a couple smaller ones. They were a brownish color.Very similar looking to centipedes. Just trying to verify that this is a normal thing while my tank is still cycling. I would take a pic but they were pretty small and I dont think the pic would show them well enough.

[MizTanks]

Pat my tank is know for it's bristle worm populations. You can't really see the true color due to the blue lighting but...they are on the light brownish side in the center of their bodies with white bristles on the outer part. You cannot tell head from tail aside from the way they move.

They're back!!!! - YouTube

[Fish Dad]

Sorry Pat didnt mean to hog your post,,,, catch that worm and post a pic....

My rock is way to cool to throw out...plus you guys would be diggin in my trash to grab it...

Anyways the earlier pic of the worm I sent didn't look like the first worm that really got me freaked, it looked more bobbitish. It was the only one I could find at 1:00am, guess I bought a nice little worm farm, or had a worm farm I jumped the gun and killed um, any way I'll sleep better knowing that I must have killed something that you guys would have told me in ten months I should recurred all that rock.

I know where to get some worms though if I need um, somebody has alot.....MizTanks - your gonna have to update your profile to include expert worm keeper.

Either way the rock is now back in salt water 3 blue tubs as you can see by the pic 2 buckets wasnt enough. Blue tubs are 16 gallon ($6 at HD, deal).

[Pat-O]

O its cool Im learning too.

[Fish Dad]

Ok I have to show you worm threaders this.,...
So how is this for nasty.......Pat you are so Jealous HA (NOT)
Sorry for the photo, it from my cell,,,, my wife took the good camera on a "Girls weekend", left me alone to play with my dead live rock..I'm glad as this tank and rock would never get in the house...o

I found it tonight when I was moving rock around from bucket to bucket..., and guess what it was still moving...:hypnotized:

I know the picture isn't great but check out the size.. Makes Miz-tanks worm look like kittens.....

The head on it is at the 1 inch end, looks like pinchers to me, and I didn't touch it, it was big enough to grab with needle nose pliers...
so do I win a prize or is this normal....

Rock is cooking so much nicer with out this guy....

[MizTanks]

OMG!!! YUCK with a capital Y! Now my skins gonna be crawling all weekend-oh geezzz I'd die if I found something like that in my tank, rock, back yard even.

[Pat-O]

What is that one?

[jimsflies]

My tank is full of worms...all of my rock is either ceramic or was dry prior to starting my tank. Any good reef is going to have a healthy worm population. Limiting bad worms is the key. Worms are part of your cleanup crew...thankfully a part you don't have to buy separately. :)

MizTanks ...I hate to tell you, but your tank is full of creepy crawlies. :eek:

[MizTanks]

My tank is full of worms...all of my rock is either ceramic or was dry prior to starting my tank. Any good reef is going to have a healthy worm population. Limiting bad worms is the key. Worms are part of your cleanup crew...thankfully a part you don't have to buy separately. :)

MizTanks ...I hate to tell you, but your tank is full of creepy crawlies. :eek:

I started with dry rock remember. That thing def is not one of my creepy crawlies :)