omg, anyone ever seen/heard of this??

[ReefFan]

Ill post some pics a lil later but.. I had just bought a Sea Hare from a nice kid on here (hope he doesnt come across this thread) to mow down some leafy type of turf that bloomed when I dislodged a rock buried in my DSB. I also think the bloom was caused by using 76 tds water but thats besides the point..

So this Sea HAre (the brown kind) is in my tank for a couple days after a 2 hour acclimation. Hes moving arounf VERRY slow but i see he's eating so im like, ok.. its all good. 48 hours go by and i notice he hasnt moved from this corner. So on closer inspection I see some kind of white worm, possibly one from my one of my worm rocks is attatched to his head.

A two inch white worm from somewhere has BURROWED through this Sea Hares head! Both animals are now dead and smelled something awful after just 24-36 hours of death. But both were alive for a while, the worm curling its body in a spiral, the sea hare sluggishly moving around. I had aLOT to do that day so in the minute or two i had before I had to run out i tried to pull this worm off the Hare, it wasnt gonna budge so i had to go. When i got back the worm had burrowed straight through to the other side of its head and i knew it was all over.

I feel bad because the kid who sold it to me had a good attitude, primarily concerned with the health of his animals. I had ideal circumstances set up for the thing, with tufts of leafy turf from him to chow on but in my wildest dreams I never wouldve thought something from my worm rock would try to find a home inside a Sea Hare.

I have pics I just took, just need to find the transfer cable. Any thoughts or experience on this?

-Jay

 

[JonnyJ]

Post some pics

what do you mean by your worm rock lol?

 

[fcamargo6thave]

never seen that before it has to be some kind of parasite.

 

[jcolon2]

Hi. It is not your fault; these things happen. I have lost livestock that was healthy when I received it and felt bad afterward. I am partly to blame; I shouldn't have sold him until I noticed he was depleting his food source. I figured I was helping you out while looking out for the health of the sea hare. What do you mean a worm rock? Perhaps, there is a way to remove these parasites from your tank (whether with tweezers or dipping the rock in an iodine solution, I am not sure).

Justin

 

[ReefFan]

Ya man i really dont think its a parasite. I have had zero parasite problems during the lifetime of my tank. It think its a Xmas tree worm that lost its crawn and was looking for a new home somehwere. I dont think a parasite would eat through a head of a Sea HAre only to dies a day later. Ill get those pics up cuz im just curious what this odd event was.

You were helping me out, its no ones fault cuz he was going into a system with perfect water quality. There was just that one bloom that happened because of a nitrogen release and using stagnant RO water. When the Sea HAre arrived all parameters were back to ideal and even the most delicate animal I have in there is thriving.

So its a very unfortuanate thing. But with all the hobbyest out there buying up livetock left n right only to put them in unsurvivable conditions, this is truley a guiltless loss. It was the first specimen to die in my tank in a long time.

POsting the pics later tonight.

 

[jcolon2]

Wow, I never knew a Christmas tree worm would do that. I understand; believe me. I do not doubt your concern for the animal. Like i said, these things happen.

 

[LongIslandAndy]

It could have been a gray bristle worm, as soon as something dies they go to town

 

[prattreef]

It could have been a gray bristle worm, as soon as something dies they go to town

+1 The smell of impending death is more than enough to attract them.

 

[ReefFan]

mmm logical hypothesis but the sea hare was alive, eating and scooting around on the sand while this thing was attached. The worm was no doubt the CAUSE of death not the opportunist when something dies. Anyway id find it odd that both creatures should die at the same time if a parasitic worm found itself a meal. I really think it was trying to borrow into something as a home and the Sea Hare slept in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I do have the pics and I have both animals in a freezer bag, in back of my freezer. I would like to find a biologist to send it to for a positive ID.

 

[nyfynest22]

when sea hares die dont they give off toxins in the tank? is everything else ok??

 

[masterswimmer]

when sea hares die dont they give off toxins in the tank? is everything else ok??

Not all the time, but very possible for this to happen. The way this worm purportedly burrowed and killed the sea hare, I would have thought the hare would have released the toxins in defense too. Good call David.

swimmer

 

[ReefFan]

Not all the time, but very possible for this to happen. The way this worm purportedly burrowed and killed the sea hare, I would have thought the hare would have released the toxins in defense too. Good call David.

swimmer

Well I dunno about toxin release but everything else in the system is fine. The carcass smelled horrid but the only animal in any of the tanks thats distressed is the unnamed Monti that i didnt light-acclimate properly.

Whats left of the months old carcass I never got out now looks more like a yellow sponge and has no odor what so ever to the pieces i was able to scrape off. Next WC all use the heavy duty hose to scrape/suck as much pieces out as i can but its almost like all decayable matter is broken down already. Cuz without odor theres also the fact that the recent algae bloom as completely faded to white n purple rock.

The unknown worm and Hare were removed within 48 hours of death. Like I said, it was still rnough time to make it reek terribly.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

where are the pics as promised? very curious to see this.....never imagine this scenario.