Invertebrates · Serpulidae
Spirobranchus giganteus
Christmas tree worm
The Caribbean "Christmas tree" worm: two spirals of coloured radioles emerge from a limestone tube buried in living coral, with a horned operculum to seal the tube. In the strict sense the species is restricted to the Caribbean; the Indo-Pacific "Christmas trees" in the trade belong to S. corniculatus.
- advanced level
- Reef Safe
- Water flow
- Minimum tank
- 50 L
- Adult size
- ≤ 10 cm
- Lifespan
- ≤ 40 years
This sheet is still being written. Some sections are not filled in yet: they stay hidden while they are empty.
Day to day
Care and feeding
- LevelAdvanced
- FoodFilter Feeder
- Tank≥ 50 L
Care
Acclimation: never lift the worm out of the water, as air can get trapped in its tube; move it in a bag, under water. When buying, pick a specimen with a complete crown that withdraws briskly when touched, and whose tube is neither torn nor broken. Invertebrates cope poorly with changes in water quality: bring the bag water to your tank's water slowly.
Setup: the worm lives in the coral colony, usually a Porites, and its long-term survival depends on its host. It can survive if the coral dies, but must then compete with algae overgrowing the skeleton, which it cannot do. Keeping that coral requires enough light, good water movement, adequate calcium and alkalinity, and low phosphate: the small colonies collected come from shallow, brightly lit zones with strong currents. Current also helps the worm gather food.
Tankmates: these worms do not sting, do not eat other animals and do not compete with them chemically. The reverse is not true: butterflyfish relish their crowns, some wrasses and hawkfish eat them, as do triggerfish, large puffers, filefish and some angelfish; omnivorous crabs kill them by pinching the tube, and eels or urchins can damage them as they move about.
Related species
Other invertebrates
Indo-Pacific Christmas tree worm
Spirobranchus corniculatus