Are bristle worms harmful in a reef tank?

[hansnfrans]

I've noticed 2 or 3 pink worms with grey butts in my reef tank. Are these bad? What reefsafe fish will eat these? The tank that this bristle worm- eating-fish would have to live in is a 29 gallon with a pom pom/boxer crab, a cleaner shrimp, 2 ocellaris, a clown goby, 5-inch RBTA, and various soft/LPS corals.

 

[Larry Waughon]

I feal bristle worms are good for your tank.

 

[hansnfrans]

I remember hearing that they are bad for some reason, but I can't remember what they do.

pioneer- why do you feel they are good?

 

[yahutch]

bristle worms - eat leftover food and dead stuff = Good

 

[hansnfrans]

Ahhh, i see. Now I can stop trying to stab them with a shish-kabob skewer and do something more useful with my time

 

[jdhanover]

Misconception is from seeing something dead with bristlewomrs on it and assuming they caused the death. They didn't - just ate up the carcass.

 

[Sk8r]

THere is a variety from the Caribbean that is not good; the Pacific ones, however, are great detrivores and help the corals. Some articles assert that there will be no corals thriving in a tank without bristleworms, because bristleworms break down detritus into a size corals can absorb.

 

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello
If you have to many, I'll take all your extra ones for $2.00 a dozen !

 

[hansnfrans]

Ive only seen 2 or 3 and they are pretty tiny doug. Are you serious though?

 

[Rod Buehler]

the best poop eaters that money can buy, and yes, they were commonly sold as detritivores back in the mid-late ninties, but now they are abundant enough that people simply trade them

 

[ONEMANBAND]

What about large bristle worms? I have one thats easily a foot long, my kids call it their "eel" so we started target feeding it. Is there any risk with this guy in a reef?

 

[yahutch]

I have some pretty big ones in with my seahorses ( no predators and fed frozen ) and they have never bothered anything but me . I do remove them to another tank when they get too big or too many, but that is only because I have been stuck too many times .
have they named their "eel" yet ? lol .