Bristle Worms and other strange things

[nynikki]

I seem to now have a ton of bristle worms. My opinion of them in the past has always been that they must serve some good purpose, and I've left them alone. Besides, my arrow crab loves to eat them. Well since I've upgraded my tank and added a ton more rock, everywhere I look I can find a bristle worm if I watch long enough... especially around feeding time. So what is your opinion about these creatures, are they really terrible to have in aquariums, or have they just been given a bad rep due to being first responders to any death in the tank?

Other strange things... On one rock I have noticed two clumps of what looks like orange stringy hairs. The clumps are tiny, but the hairs appear to be 2-3 inches long that seem to sweep over the rock, similar to how brittle stars behave. I assume it's got to be some type of worm, but amazingly none of the fish have taken notice of it and it isn't exactly hiding. Though it is near a purple tip anemone, so maybe that's what's keeping it hidden. Any suggestions what this might be. I can try to get a picture, but I can't imagine it coming out well enough to see it at all.

 

[rssjsb]

The vast majority of bristle worms that turn up in home tanks are beneficial. A population boom is usually a sign of overfeeding. I wouldn't worry about their presence in your tank. There are some exceptions, but it doesn't sound like what you're describing.

The worm sounds like a spaghetti worm or something similar (don't think I've seen them on rocks, usually on sand). They're sweeping for food.

 

[SushiGirl]

The vast majority of bristle worms that turn up in home tanks are beneficial. A population boom is usually a sign of overfeeding. I wouldn't worry about their presence in your tank. There are some exceptions, but it doesn't sound like what you're describing.

The worm sounds like a spaghetti worm or something similar (don't think I've seen them on rocks, usually on sand). They're sweeping for food.

+1 on both accounts.

 

[nynikki]

So, do I need to worry about the spaghetti worms?

 

[rssjsb]

You should post a picture if you want a positive ID, but I doubt that the worm poses any risk to your tank.