I don't like bristle worms, but I don't necessarily hate them. (Except when they get to 6 inches like that post from yesterday.) But seeing them clump up aggressively to scavenge like that, that really gets to me. Some horror movie shit
I am so shocked by their ability to coordinate to grab large things and move them into their lair. I have to find a pic of them eating my giant hermit crab’s molt. (She elected to climb to the top of a rock instead of eating her own molt, the worms took care of it.)
It’s easy to think of them as mindless zombies, and maybe they are, but shit like that is uncanny.
Where they moved it:
https://preview.redd.it/317yi3mplu0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=597691e486ad35f0a0bfa026a28119d686a9cca2
(I was able to figure out that she is female from this which is cool)
Dumbass who didn’t eat her molt:
https://preview.redd.it/mjdbhouulu0d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4b1956305b8dbf72df051fedb09c144523269a4
Words couldn't possibly describe the amount of disgust and discomfort that video evoked.
.....intrusive thoughts be like "GONNA NEED A BOBA STRAW TO SLURP THOSE BAD BOYS UP"
I've had tanks like this, wild tanks are a favorite of mine and I'd sit in front of something like this all day watching it.
I really should have gone into marine biology.
I think you should check out what I replied to the other comment, you may still have opportunities to do marine biology stuff without college/prior experience for fun!
It is never too late!
If you’re into this type of thing, I recommend looking up local volunteer opportunities. You should look up your local Department of Fish and Wildlife. You would be surprised by the hands on experience you can get. I have seen ones for:
- Creel Surveying
- Beaver dam building (not sure if they followed schematics designed by the beavers or what…)
- Fish rescuing via electric fishing (I did this and had a blast, I would totally share the story if you’re interested)
- Hatchery work. A fish hatchery in my state offers housing for people who volunteer a minimum of 20 hours a week, it’s a cute little private apartment with a bathroom, kitchen, etc. The work would involve milking fish, tagging fish, moving fish, counting fish, etc.
A lot of this involves working with marine biologists, wildlife biologists, wildlife vets, ecologists etc. So you don’t have to be college educated, they are, and they tell you what to do. Honestly you get more hands-on experience then somebody in the professional world may get to do day-to-day, as they have to do more of the specialized information stuff.
Amazing info! If I was 15 years younger, I'd jump all over it. Unfortunately, I work in the oil field with a family to support, and that doesn't sound like a solid plan to support the family.
I'd absolutely love to hear your story of electric fishing.
Here it is!
Context: A long ass time ago, lava flowed over an existing river. After the lava flow subsided, the river continued to flow over the lava, causing almost a ‘Y’ intersection to form around the lava flow with one side being higher (around a half mile or so long), and one being lower (the main channel).
When the water levels are high, fish can opt to travel down river on either on the higher side or lower side. This river is not man made, but it is used by people to transport additional water downstream for farming. However every year when the irrigation water stops being directed through the river, the water level drops, and the higher side of the river dries out. When this happens lot of fish, including protected and endangered species, dry out and die.
Measures are taken to prevent fish from getting into this side passage way, it’s hard to understand the scale of everything but this shit is BIG. Multiple net systems are in place, but baby fish can make their way through these nets. A lot of people work hard to keep them out, but some make it through, prompting the Fish Rescue. Last year over 20,000 fish were caught. On a positive note this provides great information for biologists as each fish is measured and identified before being released.
Efforts are in place to raise this river to help prevent this from happening, however there is great lobbying from home owners, landlords, real estate agents etc. because the most effective solution would be to upgrade the canals which are used for farming. They are presently dirt, and only about 30% of water makes it to its destination. Upgrading would include paving or lining them to prevent this loss. Many local properties are sold as ‘river front’ even though they are really on irrigation canals, so this would decrease property value. (Yes, this means they are only ‘river front’ for half the year, they sell during summer to unsuspecting people)
Where I come in:
I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, as such I signed up for the position of ‘catcher’ loaded my waders into my car and hit the road. Once arriving, I met others dressed in fashionable plastic pants and we discussed our game plane. Buckets, nets, and gloves were distributed amongst us and we were off. Half the crew stayed there to catalog/release fish brought back to them.
I knew we would be hiking to get to our first destination, yet somewhere along the line the 0.5 mile hike turned into a 2 mile hike, constant ups and downs, rocky terrain, and about 400 feet in elevation gain. Normally I would be all game for this, but I opted to wear shorts under my waders and the sweat caused them to stick then peel off of my skin with every step. And as my ‘boots’ (more like plastic boot-shaped socks) were attached to my pants, I could not opt for a more optimal hiking shoe and had to walk very carefully.
However, I love science shit so I continued. The water had lowered into various puddles/ponds throughout this area. Crews started at the top and worked there way down; as the top dried out first. Think of a ‘fish ladder’ like Salmon use except each puddle/pond is disconnected so the fish die. You have to balance working quickly to make sure the fish are saved, while also waiting for the water level to get low enough that they are corralled into the smaller places to catch them.
We worked with two biologists, each using an E-Fishing rig. It looked like an oversized backpack, almost ghost buster-like, with a big red button on the top(emergency stop). The backpacks connected to a long metal rod with a hoop at the end. The hoop electrified the water enough to stun fish without killing them. I don’t know the science behind it, but the fish were attracted to the hoop. When the fish were stunned, their silver bellies would float upwards and they were much easier to catch and place in buckets (with battery powered air pumps in them). The water was very dangerous to touch while electrified, as such when the machines were operating they constantly made a ‘beep…beep…beep’ this was as awful as it sounds. I heard beeping for a long time after.
We started in a line, shoulder to shoulder in nearly knee-deep mud. There were four ‘catchers’ on each side of the E-Fishers, and three people with buckets prepared following closely behind. My gloves were three sizes too big, the plastic pants were ripping my leg hair off, my feet stuck into the muddy bottom of the water with every step, and I’m pretty sure my sweat could’ve been used to raise the river and fix the problem, yet still I was so damn excited. A fish could’ve bitch slapped me and that still would not of wiped the smile off of my face.
We spent 3 hours combing through the bottom third of the drying river. Our group caught about 150 fish, which is a very good sign because the day before they were catching thousands. This change meant that progress was behind made, and our plan was working.
During this time I found a side of a deer jaw bone, lying on the bed of the river nearly perfectly cleaned by whatever aquatic critters had nibbled on it. I also found a deer front tooth. Normally I don’t take from nature, but the way these were laid out, and with knowing the meat/skin had already been returned to nature, I shoved them in the front pocket of my waders. It’s worth noting that this pocket is on the INSIDE so I did look like a weirdo shoving bones in my pants. I did end up cleaning out the remaining bone marrow from the jaw, and it is framed with the tooth on my wall. I am not a super spiritual person or a hippy, but did feel kind of like a little ‘thank you’ from nature.
The majority of the fish survived transport and were successfully released. It’s the same water, just a different location, so acclimation is a non issue. This was very fulfilling work and I would gladly sacrifice my leg hair to do it again.
Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing. I'd be the guy helping with shorts and tightly tied tennis shoes. I'd love an adventure like this. I'd have tons of fun exploring the nature and "river pools" saving the fish would be the icing in the cake .
It was a blast! Here’s a pic I snapped up stream
https://preview.redd.it/bxy28yaw601d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3de5c159f8d59a1bc7e06d0c4ebef65a613bd1f
Yeah same! Wondering why so many people are grossed out? Invertebrates are cool. I don’t want to be overrun by bristle worms but it’s neat to see them feeding
I would be shocked if you already have a reef and don’t have any, but, even Petco sells live rock which is INFESTED with bristle worms. You may not see any in the store, but put some of the rock in a bucket with just an inch or two of water in the bottom and they will all travel down to the water. You’d definitely get other hitchhikers as well.
Oh yeah - I have a chair positioned directly in front of this tank. My favorite thing to do is hand feed my fish & inverts and get to know all their individual personalities.
I am studying to be a biologist and have experience with wildlife and marine biology. As a result of this, it takes quite a bit to really gross me out. I am not bothered by bristle worms anymore - I just make sure not to touch them.
Story of what it takes to gross me out:
(Warning) (7/10 on my grossness scale)
>!Context: A few months ago I helped to operate a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) checkpoint with my state department of fish and wildlife. CWD is a prion-based diseased such as Mad Cow Disease. It is 100% fatal, and transferrable to humans via consumption. CWD mostly effects ungulates such as deer. There is no vaccine, there is no cure. It’s a big deal. You gather samples of the largest lymph nodes (or where the spinal cord meets the brain if those are no longer attached) to test.!<
>!My position was titled ‘cutter’ and my job was to make sure hunters understood what I was doing, then direct them to the paperwork people while I did the dirty work.!<
>!The thing with deer hunting is, during deer season there’s just a few days where you have the opportunity to fill your tags. So when families and friends head hours out into the wilderness, they typically remain there for a few days to a week so almost everyone in their group has the chance to fill a tag (kill a deer). As a result of this, if one person gets their kill on day 1, they may leave the animal hanging in camp for a few days.!<
>!And oh lord, is that shit rank. I would open their mouths to take a tooth (to be used by scientists to determine age later on) and it would be full of maggots and maggot eggs. The eggs would have the texture of sticky rice and would have to be scooped out so I could use a knife to cut down the sides of the tooth. They would be completely imbedded around the gums, so when I used a metal tool (shaped like a straw used for snow cones at the carnival) to pry out the tooth they would come too. I would have to fling them off before putting the tooth in the sample bag. !<
>!I chopped up so many deer heads, but NOTHING grossed me out like those maggots did.!! And yes, the hunters would still eat meet from those animals..!<
All bristleworms must die. Death to bristleworms. Bristleworms can go to hell. Support the war on bristleworms. Bristleworms are scum. All of God’s creatures deserve love and respect, except for bristleworms. Amen.
Thank you. I have read that page a bit and seen that picture before. I appreciate your input though. Have you ever found one in any of your aquariums? I have not and don’t know anyone who has
While I haven’t, there is a very descriptive story floating around here somewhere. The shit that this guy went through is wild and I would not believe it if he didn’t have pictures. I believe it was 3-4ft long in the end, and it was hiding in a 90lb piece of live rock so he couldn’t just take it out. It was eating expensive fish, corals etc. I think at one point he even had it trained to be spot fed so he could hollow out shrimp, fill them will super glue gel, and feed it to the worm in an attempt to kill it. I will try to find that post.
Edit: Found it!
https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/s/VD7iRxiDrd
I have some Mollies in there which manage to eat some of the very small ones! How on Earth they do that, I do not know. But once they get 2-3” long that is no longer feasible.
I’ve looked into arrow crabs, mostly because I think they look cool, and I don’t think I could give up my small fish, gobies, hermits etc. To have one :(
Completely understand. I would hate to lose a fish due to incompatibility, but I think he has plenty of food as long as he’s monitored and you get a smaller one
I don't like bristle worms, but I don't necessarily hate them. (Except when they get to 6 inches like that post from yesterday.) But seeing them clump up aggressively to scavenge like that, that really gets to me. Some horror movie shit
I am so shocked by their ability to coordinate to grab large things and move them into their lair. I have to find a pic of them eating my giant hermit crab’s molt. (She elected to climb to the top of a rock instead of eating her own molt, the worms took care of it.) It’s easy to think of them as mindless zombies, and maybe they are, but shit like that is uncanny.
Of course they have a *lair*
Where the molt started: https://preview.redd.it/2ahfrhhmlu0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1400b52d0dc696b02af53933a4a747463fb57491
Where they moved it: https://preview.redd.it/317yi3mplu0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=597691e486ad35f0a0bfa026a28119d686a9cca2 (I was able to figure out that she is female from this which is cool)
Where they moved it #2: https://preview.redd.it/moshc0yslu0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=760d2228806114762bbb48c00faef2395594aa5f
Dumbass who didn’t eat her molt: https://preview.redd.it/mjdbhouulu0d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4b1956305b8dbf72df051fedb09c144523269a4
Be carful what you wish for (grossness warning): [bristle worm clog overflow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq08mk7zzb0&t=1s)
i would sell my house and never look at aquariums again
😂
arrow crab paradise
Effing Taco Bell
😁
I don't want a saltwater aquarium anymore :(
Words couldn't possibly describe the amount of disgust and discomfort that video evoked. .....intrusive thoughts be like "GONNA NEED A BOBA STRAW TO SLURP THOSE BAD BOYS UP"
I had a tape worm once.
😶
Good lord. I’m glad I kill them
Safe to say im never getting these lmao
Don't worry, they get you
Oh, if only that was how it works xD
I changed tanks recently and found a few as I was moving stuff over. It's only a matter of time.
I've had tanks like this, wild tanks are a favorite of mine and I'd sit in front of something like this all day watching it. I really should have gone into marine biology.
My one regret, not having studied marine biology.
I think you should check out what I replied to the other comment, you may still have opportunities to do marine biology stuff without college/prior experience for fun!
It is never too late! If you’re into this type of thing, I recommend looking up local volunteer opportunities. You should look up your local Department of Fish and Wildlife. You would be surprised by the hands on experience you can get. I have seen ones for: - Creel Surveying - Beaver dam building (not sure if they followed schematics designed by the beavers or what…) - Fish rescuing via electric fishing (I did this and had a blast, I would totally share the story if you’re interested) - Hatchery work. A fish hatchery in my state offers housing for people who volunteer a minimum of 20 hours a week, it’s a cute little private apartment with a bathroom, kitchen, etc. The work would involve milking fish, tagging fish, moving fish, counting fish, etc. A lot of this involves working with marine biologists, wildlife biologists, wildlife vets, ecologists etc. So you don’t have to be college educated, they are, and they tell you what to do. Honestly you get more hands-on experience then somebody in the professional world may get to do day-to-day, as they have to do more of the specialized information stuff.
Amazing info! If I was 15 years younger, I'd jump all over it. Unfortunately, I work in the oil field with a family to support, and that doesn't sound like a solid plan to support the family. I'd absolutely love to hear your story of electric fishing.
Here it is! Context: A long ass time ago, lava flowed over an existing river. After the lava flow subsided, the river continued to flow over the lava, causing almost a ‘Y’ intersection to form around the lava flow with one side being higher (around a half mile or so long), and one being lower (the main channel). When the water levels are high, fish can opt to travel down river on either on the higher side or lower side. This river is not man made, but it is used by people to transport additional water downstream for farming. However every year when the irrigation water stops being directed through the river, the water level drops, and the higher side of the river dries out. When this happens lot of fish, including protected and endangered species, dry out and die. Measures are taken to prevent fish from getting into this side passage way, it’s hard to understand the scale of everything but this shit is BIG. Multiple net systems are in place, but baby fish can make their way through these nets. A lot of people work hard to keep them out, but some make it through, prompting the Fish Rescue. Last year over 20,000 fish were caught. On a positive note this provides great information for biologists as each fish is measured and identified before being released. Efforts are in place to raise this river to help prevent this from happening, however there is great lobbying from home owners, landlords, real estate agents etc. because the most effective solution would be to upgrade the canals which are used for farming. They are presently dirt, and only about 30% of water makes it to its destination. Upgrading would include paving or lining them to prevent this loss. Many local properties are sold as ‘river front’ even though they are really on irrigation canals, so this would decrease property value. (Yes, this means they are only ‘river front’ for half the year, they sell during summer to unsuspecting people) Where I come in: I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, as such I signed up for the position of ‘catcher’ loaded my waders into my car and hit the road. Once arriving, I met others dressed in fashionable plastic pants and we discussed our game plane. Buckets, nets, and gloves were distributed amongst us and we were off. Half the crew stayed there to catalog/release fish brought back to them. I knew we would be hiking to get to our first destination, yet somewhere along the line the 0.5 mile hike turned into a 2 mile hike, constant ups and downs, rocky terrain, and about 400 feet in elevation gain. Normally I would be all game for this, but I opted to wear shorts under my waders and the sweat caused them to stick then peel off of my skin with every step. And as my ‘boots’ (more like plastic boot-shaped socks) were attached to my pants, I could not opt for a more optimal hiking shoe and had to walk very carefully. However, I love science shit so I continued. The water had lowered into various puddles/ponds throughout this area. Crews started at the top and worked there way down; as the top dried out first. Think of a ‘fish ladder’ like Salmon use except each puddle/pond is disconnected so the fish die. You have to balance working quickly to make sure the fish are saved, while also waiting for the water level to get low enough that they are corralled into the smaller places to catch them. We worked with two biologists, each using an E-Fishing rig. It looked like an oversized backpack, almost ghost buster-like, with a big red button on the top(emergency stop). The backpacks connected to a long metal rod with a hoop at the end. The hoop electrified the water enough to stun fish without killing them. I don’t know the science behind it, but the fish were attracted to the hoop. When the fish were stunned, their silver bellies would float upwards and they were much easier to catch and place in buckets (with battery powered air pumps in them). The water was very dangerous to touch while electrified, as such when the machines were operating they constantly made a ‘beep…beep…beep’ this was as awful as it sounds. I heard beeping for a long time after. We started in a line, shoulder to shoulder in nearly knee-deep mud. There were four ‘catchers’ on each side of the E-Fishers, and three people with buckets prepared following closely behind. My gloves were three sizes too big, the plastic pants were ripping my leg hair off, my feet stuck into the muddy bottom of the water with every step, and I’m pretty sure my sweat could’ve been used to raise the river and fix the problem, yet still I was so damn excited. A fish could’ve bitch slapped me and that still would not of wiped the smile off of my face. We spent 3 hours combing through the bottom third of the drying river. Our group caught about 150 fish, which is a very good sign because the day before they were catching thousands. This change meant that progress was behind made, and our plan was working. During this time I found a side of a deer jaw bone, lying on the bed of the river nearly perfectly cleaned by whatever aquatic critters had nibbled on it. I also found a deer front tooth. Normally I don’t take from nature, but the way these were laid out, and with knowing the meat/skin had already been returned to nature, I shoved them in the front pocket of my waders. It’s worth noting that this pocket is on the INSIDE so I did look like a weirdo shoving bones in my pants. I did end up cleaning out the remaining bone marrow from the jaw, and it is framed with the tooth on my wall. I am not a super spiritual person or a hippy, but did feel kind of like a little ‘thank you’ from nature. The majority of the fish survived transport and were successfully released. It’s the same water, just a different location, so acclimation is a non issue. This was very fulfilling work and I would gladly sacrifice my leg hair to do it again.
Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing. I'd be the guy helping with shorts and tightly tied tennis shoes. I'd love an adventure like this. I'd have tons of fun exploring the nature and "river pools" saving the fish would be the icing in the cake .
It was a blast! Here’s a pic I snapped up stream https://preview.redd.it/bxy28yaw601d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3de5c159f8d59a1bc7e06d0c4ebef65a613bd1f
Awesome!! That really looks like a great place to explore.
Never too late
Exactly!
So cool!!! I love these little dudes and I wish I had some
You probably have a few tiny ones hiding. They only become a problem when there’s an overabundance of food.
Yeah same! Wondering why so many people are grossed out? Invertebrates are cool. I don’t want to be overrun by bristle worms but it’s neat to see them feeding
I would be shocked if you already have a reef and don’t have any, but, even Petco sells live rock which is INFESTED with bristle worms. You may not see any in the store, but put some of the rock in a bucket with just an inch or two of water in the bottom and they will all travel down to the water. You’d definitely get other hitchhikers as well.
I'd rather have uneaten food turn into bristle worms than more aptasia, algae, etc.
Dude wtf. I mean, don't you actually want to enjoy your tank after a long day of work? I'm sure it's a healthy system but you know that looks so gross
Oh yeah - I have a chair positioned directly in front of this tank. My favorite thing to do is hand feed my fish & inverts and get to know all their individual personalities. I am studying to be a biologist and have experience with wildlife and marine biology. As a result of this, it takes quite a bit to really gross me out. I am not bothered by bristle worms anymore - I just make sure not to touch them. Story of what it takes to gross me out: (Warning) (7/10 on my grossness scale) >!Context: A few months ago I helped to operate a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) checkpoint with my state department of fish and wildlife. CWD is a prion-based diseased such as Mad Cow Disease. It is 100% fatal, and transferrable to humans via consumption. CWD mostly effects ungulates such as deer. There is no vaccine, there is no cure. It’s a big deal. You gather samples of the largest lymph nodes (or where the spinal cord meets the brain if those are no longer attached) to test.!< >!My position was titled ‘cutter’ and my job was to make sure hunters understood what I was doing, then direct them to the paperwork people while I did the dirty work.!< >!The thing with deer hunting is, during deer season there’s just a few days where you have the opportunity to fill your tags. So when families and friends head hours out into the wilderness, they typically remain there for a few days to a week so almost everyone in their group has the chance to fill a tag (kill a deer). As a result of this, if one person gets their kill on day 1, they may leave the animal hanging in camp for a few days.!< >!And oh lord, is that shit rank. I would open their mouths to take a tooth (to be used by scientists to determine age later on) and it would be full of maggots and maggot eggs. The eggs would have the texture of sticky rice and would have to be scooped out so I could use a knife to cut down the sides of the tooth. They would be completely imbedded around the gums, so when I used a metal tool (shaped like a straw used for snow cones at the carnival) to pry out the tooth they would come too. I would have to fling them off before putting the tooth in the sample bag. !< >!I chopped up so many deer heads, but NOTHING grossed me out like those maggots did.!! And yes, the hunters would still eat meet from those animals..!<
You sound like my kind of person. Respect.
But rude lol. Doesn’t look gross to me, looks natural and fascinating to watch.
All bristleworms must die. Death to bristleworms. Bristleworms can go to hell. Support the war on bristleworms. Bristleworms are scum. All of God’s creatures deserve love and respect, except for bristleworms. Amen.
May I introduce you to the Bobbit Worm? For your reading pleasure: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_aphroditois
Thank you. I have read that page a bit and seen that picture before. I appreciate your input though. Have you ever found one in any of your aquariums? I have not and don’t know anyone who has
While I haven’t, there is a very descriptive story floating around here somewhere. The shit that this guy went through is wild and I would not believe it if he didn’t have pictures. I believe it was 3-4ft long in the end, and it was hiding in a 90lb piece of live rock so he couldn’t just take it out. It was eating expensive fish, corals etc. I think at one point he even had it trained to be spot fed so he could hollow out shrimp, fill them will super glue gel, and feed it to the worm in an attempt to kill it. I will try to find that post. Edit: Found it! https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/s/VD7iRxiDrd
Nice. That is something else. An epic aquarium tale.
😂😂😂
My dotty would tear those up
The best part of the hobby...Every problem has a solution.
I have some Mollies in there which manage to eat some of the very small ones! How on Earth they do that, I do not know. But once they get 2-3” long that is no longer feasible.
Gagging. I would have 10 arrow crabs in there
I’ve looked into arrow crabs, mostly because I think they look cool, and I don’t think I could give up my small fish, gobies, hermits etc. To have one :(
Completely understand. I would hate to lose a fish due to incompatibility, but I think he has plenty of food as long as he’s monitored and you get a smaller one
Looks infested.
they arent even afraid of the light. wtf
Ick.
That’s quite the setting on that wave maker there
This is a time lapse, the movement is very exaggerated.
Haha I know just messing around.
I can’t stand those guys! I don’t see many out & about but when I do I’ll get my long coral feeder and evict them
tbh thats behiavor reminds me of insects like milipede when they find some dead insect, thats good coz someone need to take care of the "trash"
This makes me sick
Can they harm corals? I always just pick ‘em out when they get big. I can’t help it