Their true native range is unknown,[3][4] but they probably originated in the Southern Hemisphere,[1][5] perhaps from the Indian Ocean and the coastal waters of Australia.

[3][7] The Australian tubeworm is an invasive species that dominates and alters habitats, reduces water quality, depletes resources, and causes biofouling.

[6] Australian tubeworms always live colonially, with many tubes growing together to form small clusters or large reefs.

[2] When the invasion of Lake of Tunis in Tunisia was at its most severe, the total reef mass of the lagoon was thought to contain about 540,000 tons of carbonate.

[4] On the coast of South Africa, Australian tubeworms have been observed growing on the aquatic plant Potamogeton pectinatus.

[12] In Argentina, the larvae settle on shells such as those of the sea snail Adelomelon brasiliana and the clams Mactra isabelleana and Tagelus plebeius.

[11] They are filter feeders, gathering zooplankton, phytoplankton, and detritus particles from the water and transporting them to their mouths with the cilia on their gill plumes.

[4] The Australian tubeworm is a fast-growing, aggressive species that acts as an ecosystem engineer, having drastic effects on many aspects of their environment.

[2] The bulky reefs formed by large colonies of Australian tubeworms impede the movement of water, allowing sediment to build up around them.

[2][14] They decrease the aesthetic value of natural lagoons, encrust the hulls of ships, clog the intakes of power plants, pose a hazard to people engaging in water recreation,[2] and block mechanical structures such as locks.

[11] Australian tubeworms easily dominate ecosystems and outcompete native fauna when colonies deplete nutrients with large-scale filter feeding.

For example, in Argentina the reefs are inhabited by the omnivorous native crab Cyrtograpsus angulatus, which forms dense populations once established.

Methods include deoxygenating ballast water to kill larvae and simply scraping the tubes off of ships and other surfaces.