Bristle Worms

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

do yu guy have hundreds of bristle worms ? see a lot while lights are off when it still daylight i read pros and cons anyone have a trap or is there anything that eats them

 

[EricTMah]

I have them in my DT and Fuge. But never to the point where I see "a lot" of them when lights are out.

Do you have any wrasse in your tank. I find some larger wrasses will keep populations in check.

Also are you running deep sand bed in your DT? Are you getting a lot of uneaten food sitting behind your rock work? I've had a clients tank explode in population with Bristle Worms do to over feeding.

 

[TORX]

None here that I have noticed in the last few months. I had them in the past, I kept removing some when they started to be an eye sore, but wasn't adamant about it.

 

[yveterinarian]

I had a ton of them in one of my tanks and bought an Arrow crab. There were so many that they were very visible during the daytime all over the tank. It made short work of them and I had to start supplementing the crab's diet with frozen mysis. Unfortunately, the crab died but I haven't seen a bristleworm since.

 

[saltyair]

IMHO these worms are great part of the cuc. If populations increase its due to excess food being around. I would not worry about them.


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[Kman]

I have never worried about controlling them. They seem to increase and decrease on their own. Unless they are eating something they shouldn't they are beneficial. If you have a lot of them they will have a food source to feed on so you are probably overfeeding the tank.

 

[AdInfinitum]

They are great cleaners that will keep the deep crevices in your rock from clogging up. Which is a place where snails and hermits can't go.

I used to have tons but since I have had my Vrolik's wrasse (like a Melanurus) and Radiant wrasse I hardly have any left but still see some come out of the rocks at night when the wrasses are asleep burrowed in the sand.

 

[barebottomcouple]

wish i was closer id love some they are very beneficial to sand beds and rock my coral banded shrimp destroys them.

 

[Kman]

Every few years in my tank they do a mass spawn and the adults die shortly after. But within a few months I see smaller ones start to come out. It is cool to see.

 

[scubasteve]

i have only seen one in my sh tank and have never found or seen any in my reef but i also go to the extreme of keeping unwanted hitch hikers out not that they are bad or anything i just think they are an eye sore so never added or allowed them

 

[Kman]

More like a finger sore if you touch them.

 

[derrick orosz]

I only ever see them when i move a rock off the sand bed or a coral from sand bed...found one huge one probably 6 inches a few months a go...flushed it down the toilet...pretty much just because they are freakin creep that big...most of the ones i see in my dt are 1-2 inches

 

[heath]

I agree, I found a large one, not 6 ", I CHOPPED it in half, they are a good thing but man they are gross..

 

[Cdog]

My fairy wrasse rips them apart when he finds one

 

[reefgeek]

In my previous display (110g) I had a huge colony of them, I gave up on reusing the sand from that tank as it was littered with the bristles which were still able to get wedged into my fingers well enough. I know some people react to the bristle in varying ways, I get a callused at the point of impact which takes several days to subside. I couldn't agree more about the role they play as a pivotal C.U.C. member though.

 

[Klick]

This was a picture from a buddy's sump when was breaking down his saltwater system

 

[saltyair]

Wow that's crazy - my wrasse and hawk seem to keep them at bay


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[yveterinarian]

I agree that they are good as part of the clean up crew but mine were going wild. There were so many in my 20 gallon tank that, at times, it was hard to see rock even during the day. I was very thankful to my Arrow crab. Now, if there are any, they are well hidden as they should be, thank goodness...

 

[curiousphil]

My rocks and sand are crawling with these things after lights out, they have no predators in my tank. IMO they do a great job of eating extra garbage, highly underrated member of the CUC. Probably due to the creepy factor.

 

[saltyair]

I think coral banded shrimp will eat them


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