Tubeworm - Flamenco purple

CARE ADVICE - Tubeworms

Tubeworms are mostly ornamental, but, they do also do a useful job. They are filter feeders trapping particles in the water. This improves water clarity, and also removes lots of small pieces of uneaten food from the water which in turn leads to less nitrates, phosphates, and algae. When the feathery head on the top of the tube gets tatty or worn the Tubeworm will let the feathery head fall off and grow a new one. This is completely natural. This sometimes happens after being moved. Do not throw the tube away as it will regrow a new feathery head. Sometimes if the tube becomes damaged, or, the Tubeworm wants to move it will crawl out of it’s tube and make a new tube elsewhere. Leave the old empty tube in place, it will not pollute the water, and will slowly break up naturally. Tubeworms will feed on tiny particles in the water. You can also feed them by adding liquid coral food to the water, we recommend our own one (Coral Food 99), but, you can use any coral food. We stock a wide variety of different Tubeworm species, so the ones you get may be a different colour and/or pattern to the one in the photo. Tubeworms are typically 1” to 4” across the head, with tubes from 3” to 10” long. The tubes can be as thin as a pencil, or as thick as a chunky crayon.

WATER QUALITY

All inverts require stable water parameters. Temperature and salinity should be kept as stable as possible, we recommend keeping temperature at 27.5c to 28.5c and salinity at 34.0ppt to 34.5ppt at all times. Many inverts are very sensitive to changes in salinity and should be acclimated by being floated in the tank, with small holes in the bag for a minimum of 4 hours. Inverts should not be exposed to a sudden change in salinity of more than 0.5ppt.

FLOW

Many inverts like medium to strong flow.

FEEDING

We recommend feeding mobile inverts at least once a day. Grazing inverts can be fed seaweed or Vitalis grazing rings. Many inverts enjoy eating frozen Mysis. For filter feeders it is generally not necessary to add additional food for most species, for heavier feeders, or, in tanks with skimmers, feed weekly or daily with liquid coral food. We use Salty Revolution Coral Food 99. This is available here: CLICK HERE. Brightwell (any), Continuum (any), and, ReefRoids, are all also great foods for inverts. Most other brands we have tested have not given very satisfactory results. Ask for advice if you’re unsure whether you need to feed your inverts, and, what to feed them.

SIZE

Inverts vary in size, see care advice above or ask for more information if required. Most inverts are fairly small, and most inverts can b kept in almost unlimited number is tanks of any size. Stocking ratios for most species of as many as 10 inverts per litre (or more) usually cause no issues.

COMPATIBILITY

Some fish may peck at or eat inverts, ensure your fish are compatible with the inverts you want to keep. The fish most likely to cause problems are most Butterflyfish, large Wrasses, and Pufferfish. All our inverts are reef safe, unless stated otherwise. Any inverts that are not reef safe will have large warnings next to their name above saying “NOT REEF SAFE” or “REFUGIUM ONLY”. Unless it specifically says that, then they will be safe in a normal reef aquarium. You may see conflicting advice online regarding how reef safe an invert is. Inverts will climb on corals to clean algae from them, to scavenge from a dead or dying coral, or out of a desperate attempt to prevent death by starvation. Reefkeepers that are losing corals are often happy to blame the inverts for the loss, to make it not their fault the coral died. In reality very few inverts attack corals, and the vast majority of the species we stock do not eat corals as part of their natural diet. We keep a huge variety of species of inverts in with our corals, with no issues at all. Ask for more advice if you are unsure.

UK DELIVERY

We deliver corals, inverts, fish, and, dry goods throughout the UK. You can buy online for pickup in store, or, UK delivery (delivery charge may apply). See the Salty Revolution Shipping Guide for more information on our UK delivery service.