Couldn't Starve The Bristle Worms :(

[Becca]

UGH! After 6 months of starvation I still can't get rid of my bristle worms. I only had tiny ones left so I figured "hey, let's TRY and throw a clean up crew in there when I turn the lights back on....". All went well for a week but my mexican turbo snail is basically dead and FULL of bristle worms. Poor thing is trying to close up his shell and bristle worms are coming out...FROM INSIDE... It's making me cringe thinking about it!
Anyway, does anyone have any tips on getting RID of these obviously evil things!? they've killed a conch, many snails, and a decorator crab (when they got REALLY aggressive). I LOVE inverts... they are pretty much the reason I have a tank.. SAVE MEEE!
P.S. I've tried a wrasse, an arrow crab, trapping the gigantic ones (8" long +) and starving the living $^&# out of the entire tank.

 

[derrick orosz]

I have tones and some big ones...never had any issues...what kind of wrasse did you try? A corriss wrasse should do the trick

 

[Becca]

Tried a yellow and a sixline... I could go Corriss! I want to try coral banded shrimp as well... Everywhere I read that they're not a problem! I wish I could say the same.. I've tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but they're literally always attacking my inverts! nothing else dies... I've even kept a starfish alive for almost a year!

 

[derrick orosz]

Are they maybe actually fireworms and not bristleworms?

 

[Skim]

Well trying to starve them will not work because they will just feed on each other to survive. One way of trying to get rid of some is put a piece of shrimp I believe into a piece of Stocking ( you should have some ) and tie some fishing line to it and lower it away at night and pull it out in the morning and it should be just loaded with them and keep doing that for while. I don't know if I would have stopped as you see what can happen when hunger kicks in. Yes a Coral Band would help, he will gobble some up, my Copper Band fish I have seen him snap some small ones up. You should pick up that Coral Band up on the Freebies.

Skim

 

[Becca]

Derrick: Fireworms are a type of bristle worm... I have yet to be stung so I can't really give a statement on the degree of burn I've researched that "some species in the genus Eunice may be opportunistic predators" so I'm assuming that's what I'm stuck with, as they hardly need a nudge to attack my poor inverts
Skim: Never heard of that trick! I'll definitely give that a try and thanks for the tip on the coral banded!!

 

[AdInfinitum]

What are your snails eating while you try to starve the worms? If there is no food going into the tank do you still have lots of algae?

 

[SamB]

I've made my peace with bristleworms but of course they still freak me out !
They are an important part of a clean up crew so embrace them - sort of !

 

[AdInfinitum]

BTW Arrow crabs can be pretty voracious snail eaters and are hardcore opportunistic predators.

 

[Skim]

Ya I forgot about the Arrow Crab mean looking things.

 

[Becca]

I kept only my two oscellaris while I starved them.... of literally everything.... I almost killed all of my coraline algae, there was no light and almost literally zero algae at all. I fed those little fish SO carefully it was painful. Just can't keep doing THAT the poor things... so when the lights came back on I needed a clean up crew! 3 blue leg hermit crabs and a mexican turbo snail... The crabs are still alive! Oh, and my friend held my marble starfish for me he's kickin' it around the tank smooth as ever...

 

[AdInfinitum]

Hermits are notorious snail killers too.

Just wondering why you "needed" cleanup crew? Was there a lot of algae for the snails to eat?

 

[derrick orosz]

Hermits are notorious snail killers too.

Just wondering why you "needed" cleanup crew? Was there a lot of algae for the snails to eat?

I've watched sone hermits eat a snail the steal their shell

 

[AdInfinitum]

I've watched sone hermits eat a snail the steal their shell

Even if they don't eat the snail they will damage or kill them to assure themselves of future available homes. The worms of course would consume the dead or dying snails especially if they were very hungry. Starving something is the best way to turn a scavenger into a predator....

 

[AdInfinitum]

Most conch in aquaria just gradually starve to death unless kept in very large systems with little competition....

 

[Skim]

Don't be fooled you can still be stung may not burn like some but still can cause an infected. I can't find the post but someone on this Forum just a little while ago got some of the hairs embedded in a finger and almost had to get it removed. He did not really even feel them and removed them and long story short his flesh was being eaten. I wish I could find it.

 

[heath]

It was Cliff that had a run in with a bristle worm and honestly I would say that the worm won...they can give a nasty sting...

 

[Kman]

OP can you get a picture up of them? So I can see the species. If they are killing stuff they are underfed or you have one of the bad sp. I have an army of them with no issues. Keep in mind if the inverts have no food and die they will get eaten by the fireworms and look like they killed it when they didn't.

 

[Skim]

I think that is what happened. Lack of food and they will become hunters they will eat each other to survive. That's why I suggested using the stocking rig if she would like to remove some as they would be very hungry now.

 

[SamB]

I hate to say but the worms will outlast whatever you throw at them (or don't throw at them in the way of food) and they will be the last to perish
They will probably be here after the Apocalypse - sort of like cockroaches and Keith Richards !