pineo Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Oenone worms are not reef safe! They are prolific predators and kill snails and clams, possibly fish (though I've not experienced personally). They are nocturnal, and retreat VERY fast when disturbed by light or vibration. The easiest way to identify an Oenone worm is by examining the remains of its prey. The worm uses a secreted residue - slime - which apparently stuns its victims. Once stunned the worm simply devours its prey. The secreted residue also surrounds the worms, allowing it to quickly retreat back to its burrow. The slime tunnel remains behind, even after the oenone has fully retreated; it is a dead giveaway. What to look for: slime tunnels excess slime covering remains of prey orange body (can stretch remarkably far) yellow appendages along the side of the segments (not bristles, but fleshy lobes) I have included some links that are useful. A picture I took, contrasting a typical bristle worm and an oenone worm (the larger, orange worm): This post illustrated a red/purple ink that stains whatever the worm touches. I can personally vouch for this. Today I broke down my tank infested with these worms. They all lived in 2 rocks. I dropped the rocks in a 5 gallon bucket full with hot RO/DI waste water. The water turned pink... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=924046 Lastly, another reefer also struggling with oenone: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...6&hl=oenone Link to comment
fretfreak13 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Omg I would poop myself. Good luck, I hope you got them all. =( Out of curiosity, how do you pronounce Oenone? Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Oenone worms are not reef safe! They are prolific predators and kill snails and clams, possibly fish (though I've not experienced personally). They are nocturnal, and retreat VERY fast when disturbed by light or vibration. The easiest way to identify an Oenone worm is by examining the remains of its prey. The worm uses a secreted residue - slime - which apparently stuns its victims. Once stunned the worm simply devours its prey. The secreted residue also surrounds the worms, allowing it to quickly retreat back to its burrow. The slime tunnel remains behind, even after the oenone has fully retreated; it is a dead giveaway. What to look for: slime tunnels excess slime covering remains of prey orange body (can stretch remarkably far) yellow appendages along the side of the segments (not bristles, but fleshy lobes) I have included some links that are useful. A picture I took, contrasting a typical bristle worm and an oenone worm (the larger, orange worm): This post illustrated a red/purple ink that stains whatever the worm touches. I can personally vouch for this. Today I broke down my tank infested with these worms. They all lived in 2 rocks. I dropped the rocks in a 5 gallon bucket full with hot RO/DI waste water. The water turned pink... Lastly, another reefer also struggling with oenone: Nasty ......... wow Link to comment
pineo Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 Nasty ......... wow heh yea...bite your head off man Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 heh yea...bite your head off man Yes very nasty .... here's a link to a video of one but there are several on U-Tube ± Link to comment
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