An unidentified worm seems to be eating my silicone?

TnFishwater98 · Apr 23, 2023

Erasmus Crowley said:
I'm not offended or upset. I just think that you're using words wrong, and I'm attempting to educate you.

OP did not (that I'm aware of) claim that this was specifically a "Common Bristle Worm". They correctly called it a "bristle worm".

Bristle worm is the common name for all polychaete worms. Polychaete worms are a specific class in animal identification. The "Common Bristle Worm", the "Fire Worm", and the "Bobbit Worm" are all species which belong to this class. They are all bristle worms. That is a fact.

As far as I can tell, you were the one that first asserted that the worm in the video was a "Common Bristle Worm" and then you blamed that assertion on OP, after which you immediately claimed that OP was wrong about it being a "Common Bristle Worm" (even though they never said it, you did), and then you corrected them and claimed with confidence that it was specifically the species "Eunice aphrodiois".

Lets say that I drive a car. If I said, "Is this a car?" to you, would you reply with, "That's not a car, that's a Ford!"? Of course not. Same deal here. I would be correct to identify my car as a car, even if it is actually a Ford.

But also, you can't know that this is specifically "Eunice aphroditois", because you don't know how many other polychaete worms have powerful jaws. There could be hundreds or thousands of different species with jaws like that. So you shouldn't claim with any confidence to have the single correct answer.

Alright dude, seems like you got it all figured out. I’ll work on my scientific wording…. Glad we could all agree it’s a Worm….

Erasmus Crowley · Apr 23, 2023

TnFishwater98 said:
Alright dude, seems like you got it all figured out. I’ll work on my scientific wording…. Glad we could all agree it’s a Worm….

First, I never claimed to have "got it all figured out".

Second, you don't need to work on increasing your "scientific wording". No one knows everything, and everyone makes mistakes. It does seem like you might need to work on handling criticism with some grace and tact though.

It can be as easy as saying, "Oh that's interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I guess that I'm part of today's 10,000!"

TnFishwater98 · Apr 23, 2023

Erasmus Crowley said:
First, I never claimed to have "got it all figured out".

Second, you don't need to work on increasing your "scientific wording". No one knows everything, and everyone makes mistakes. It does seem like you might need to work on handling criticism with some grace and tact though.

It can be as easy as saying, "Oh that's interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I guess that I'm part of today's 10,000!"

I never said I made any mistake and I didn’t realize that I should take what you said as criticism either. So those are False perceptions on your part. I also didn’t agree with everything you said. I just let it be. Pretty sure a majority of the people on here can read my comments, understand what I was saying, and either agree or disagree. Without feeling the urge to dissect the meaning of a bristle worm or classifications Of Bobbit worms.

Erasmus Crowley · Apr 23, 2023

TnFishwater98 said:
I never said I made any mistake and I didn’t realize that I should take what you said as criticism either. So those are False perceptions on your part. I also didn’t agree with everything you said. I just let it be. Pretty sure a majority of the people on here can read my comments, understand what I was saying, and either agree or disagree. Without feeling the urge to dissect the meaning of a bristle worm or classifications Of Bobbit worms.

Gosh, it must be nice to just invent definitions for words whenever it's convenient, instead of trying to learn what they mean. It makes it soooo easy to be correct every single time.

"It fits MY definition. Who cares to actually read and 'dissect' and 'learn' what words MEAN. Learning is for nerds. And it's just too much work... I know what the words mean when I use them, so I'm always correct by MY definitions. So that's what counts here. I can't be wrong, because I define myself as 'always correct'."

So are you insisting that the worm in the video which is obviously a polychaete (aka. a bristle worm), is not actually a bristle worm (aka. a polychaete)?

Or have you changed your mind on that?

Btw, I am criticising your attitude right now. In case you have problems picking up on this criticism too.

InvictusReef · Apr 23, 2023

shorty6049 said:
Hey everyone, looking for some advice here... I have had some mysterious leaks form in my tank. The first time it happened was a couple of years ago. The way the leaks formed, it almost looked as though something had eaten a trail through the silicone between the pieces of glass on the bottom of my tank. These leaks always appeared under the sand and occasionally would appear not as trails down through the seam (and out the bottom of the tank where water would start dripping) but as a hole with a few grains of sand in it that looked as though something had tunneled through the silicone horizontally and stopped when it hit glass.

Had no idea what to make of this, the only logical conclusion was some kind of worm, but I've been told by multiple people in multiple groups that this isn't possible... "there's no worm that eats silicone. your tank is probably not level or something" was a common theme.

Fast forward, I couldn't keep the leaks from forming, even after pumping the originals full of silicone again. I finally broke down and bought a new tank and replaced everything except for one or two rocks .

Now here I am about 2 yrs later and my tank is leaking again and when I plug the leaks, new holes appear. I finally caught what I think is causing my issues on video... Anyone know what exactly this thing is? My first thought was a bobbit worm , but mainly just because I don't know of many other worms aside from bristle worms...? for size reference, this video was filmed with a 180mm macro lens and the length of visible worm in the video is appoximately 1-2mm . I've definitely had larger bristle worms than this in my tank.

Oh, and just ignore this cheery music... I forgot I'd added it before uploading... lol

Thats crazy. But ya patches don’t last for ever. I had mine done professionally and it lasted maybe 2 years and the same spot started dripping again. That’s how I talk my wife into letting me buy the Red Sea tank. Ha. Ha.

Relled · Apr 23, 2023

shorty6049 said:
One thing about the worm in my video that's not super obvious is that it is TIIIINY right now. Like definitely standard bristle worm size. I recorded it using a DSLR on a tripod with a 185mm macro lens so the hole you're seeing here is only a few grains of sand wide . That's kinda why I originally thought maybe it was just a bristle worm

Great documentation, especially with that last video. I am sure this thread will be referenced for many years!

MoshJosh · Apr 23, 2023

Erasmus Crowley said:
I'm not offended or upset. I just think that you're using words wrong, and I'm attempting to educate you.

OP did not (that I'm aware of) claim that this was specifically a "Common Bristle Worm". They correctly called it a "bristle worm".

Bristle worm is the common name for all polychaete worms. Polychaete worms are a specific class in animal identification. The "Common Bristle Worm", the "Fire Worm", and the "Bobbit Worm" are all species which belong to this class. They are all bristle worms. That is a fact.

As far as I can tell, you were the one that first asserted that the worm in the video was a "Common Bristle Worm" and then you blamed that assertion on OP, after which you immediately claimed that OP was wrong about it being a "Common Bristle Worm" (even though they never said it, you did), and then you corrected them and claimed with confidence that it was specifically the species "Eunice aphrodiois".

Lets say that I drive a car. If I said, "Is this a car?" to you, would you reply with, "That's not a car, that's a Ford!"? Of course not. Same deal here. I would be correct to identify my car as a car, even if it is actually a Ford.

But also, you can't know that this is specifically "Eunice aphroditois", because you don't know how many other polychaete worms have powerful jaws. There could be hundreds or thousands of different species with jaws like that. So you shouldn't claim with any confidence to have the single correct answer.

but what if your ford car was really. . . a truck. . . think about it!

Sorry I have nothing meaningful to contribute. . . just couldn't help myself!

That said I did not know a bobbit worm fell under the "bristle worm" umbrella. . . but sure enough after a quick google, it does!!! good to know.

TnFishwater98 · Apr 23, 2023

Erasmus Crowley said:
Gosh, it must be nice to just invent definitions for words whenever it's convenient, instead of trying to learn what they mean. It makes it soooo easy to be correct every single time.

"It fits MY definition. Who cares to actually read and 'dissect' and 'learn' what words MEAN. Learning is for nerds. And it's just too much work... I know what the words mean when I use them, so I'm always correct by MY definitions. So that's what counts here. I can't be wrong, because I define myself as 'always correct'."

So are you insisting that the worm in the video which is obviously a polychaete (aka. a bristle worm), is not actually a bristle worm (aka. a polychaete)?

Or have you changed your mind on that?

Btw, I am criticising your attitude right now. In case you have problems picking up on this criticism too.

Wow, Thanks for the laugh…. Don’t even know where to start with your statements. Seems like if you saw a Boiled Peanuts sign it would drive you “nuts”… Pun intended …. If you’re wondering about attitude maybe you should try finding a mirror….

BTW @shorty6049 , It’s a Bristle Worm….

TnFishwater98 · Apr 23, 2023

@shorty6049 If you don’t want to beat around a bush, it’s a Bobbit Worm

Erasmus Crowley · Apr 23, 2023

TnFishwater98 said:
If you’re wondering about attitude maybe you should try finding a mirror….

Did you really just pull out the "I know you are, but what am I?" card?

Great talk, Peewee. You really showed me.

shorty6049 · Apr 23, 2023

Relled said:
Great documentation, especially with that last video. I am sure this thread will be referenced for many years!

Yeah hopefully if nothing else here I can help people in the future who are in a similar situation thinking something is eating their seals up and feeling like they might be going crazy, lol . I bought this macro lens shortly before I kind of stopped doing photography with my DSLR at the end of college over 10yrs ago now,so I'm glad I was finally able put it to use again!

Erasmus Crowley · Apr 23, 2023

TnFishwater98 said:
@shorty6049 If you don’t want to beat around a bush, it’s a Bobbit Worm

You can't be 100% sure of this tiny worm's exact species just by looking at it's teeth in a video on the internet. You're so afraid to be humble, that your quadrupling down on having knowledge that you couldn't possibly have. You're just full of hot air and bluster.

This IS a bristle worm. This MIGHT be a bobbit worm. No one knows if it is a bobbit worm, not even you. "Bristle worm" is the most accurate name for it until an expert (hint: not you) can examine it in person and identify it.

TnFishwater98 · Apr 23, 2023

Erasmus Crowley said:
You can't be 100% sure of this tiny worm's exact species just by looking at it's teeth in a video on the internet. You're so afraid to be humble, that your quadrupling down on having knowledge that you couldn't possibly have. You're just full of hot air and bluster.

This IS a bristle worm. This MIGHT be a bobbit worm. No one knows if it is a bobbit worm, not even you. "Bristle worm" is the most accurate name for it until an expert (hint: not you) can examine it in person and identify it.

Will this make you sleep better tonight…?

Erasmus Crowley · Apr 23, 2023

TnFishwater98 said:
Will this make you sleep better tonight…?

Why would it?

From the top of the wikipedia page on Eunicid worms, "Eunicidae is a family of marine polychaetes (bristle worms). The family comprises marine annelids distributed in diverse benthic habitats across Oceania, Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Africa."

The bobbit worm is a species in the Eunice genus. Specifically, it is Eunice aphroditois.

Here are some of the other species in the Eunice genus.

Eunice afra
Eunice americana
Eunice antennata
Eunice australis
Eunice biannulata
Eunice bilobata
Eunice cariboea
Eunice cincta
Eunice coccinea
Eunice dubitatus
Eunice filamentosa
Eunice grubei
Eunice harassii
Eunice hawaiensis
Eunice indica
Eunice kinbergi
Eunice kobiensis
Eunice longicirrata
Eunice multipectinata
Eunice mutilata
Eunice nicidioformis
Eunice norvegica
Eunice notata
Eunice pennata
Eunice rubra
Eunice schemacephala
Eunice tentaculata
Eunice tenuis
Eunice torquata
Eunice tubifex
Eunice valens
Eunice vittata
Eunice vivida
Eunice websteri

I'm curious, Mr Worm-identification-expert-wannabe, what anatomical features did you see in that video that allowed you to rule out all those other Eunicid worms and land specifically on Eunice aphroditois?

And while you're in a sharing mood, I'm also curious to learn how you rule out other similar worms in closely related genus that share the Eunicidae family? For example, Marphysa?

Edit: removed the reference to Palolo genus because it seems it got merged with Eunice. So it made for a bad example in context.

yanetterer · Jan 19, 2024

I thought of this thread after pulling my MP10 out and finding a tunnel on the backside. It is in a bare bottom bio cube that I use as a frag tank with only a couple pieces of live rock. When I got the live rock there was a huge 5-6” long Eunice worm and a smaller 2-3” Eunice both dead at the bottom of the bag.

OrionN · Jan 22, 2024

There are a huge number of various genus of "worms". Some (or one) of which eat silicone. Silicone eating/boring worms have been well documented, but these documentations were not specific enough to ID the species (as far as I know). I categorized this as interesting facts that I hope will never encounter.