Bristle worms control in NPS tanks?
- Thread starter dendro982
- Start date
dannyfromholland
New member
Hi Dendro
A Calloplesiops Altivelis (Comet) is perfect for bristleworm control. Also Pseudochromis sp. (Dottybacks) are suitable for bristleworm control.
Cheers
Danny Dame
A Calloplesiops Altivelis (Comet) is perfect for bristleworm control. Also Pseudochromis sp. (Dottybacks) are suitable for bristleworm control.
Cheers
Danny Dame
Thank you both!
A little more questions:
How to manually remove bristle worms in inaccessible and not visible places in the 2 ft (60 cm) deep tank, between rocks?
I do siphoning, but if the worm is hiding the most of the body, siphoning or tweezers do not work. Tweezers - even in shallow bowl, worms hide too fast. What am I missing?
Danny:
Hello, and are there any potential problems with the comet and dottybacks, like with wrasses and copperband butterfly?
For the feather dusters, for example? I have Christmas tree worms there.
A little more questions:
How to manually remove bristle worms in inaccessible and not visible places in the 2 ft (60 cm) deep tank, between rocks?
I do siphoning, but if the worm is hiding the most of the body, siphoning or tweezers do not work. Tweezers - even in shallow bowl, worms hide too fast. What am I missing?
Danny:
Hello, and are there any potential problems with the comet and dottybacks, like with wrasses and copperband butterfly?
For the feather dusters, for example? I have Christmas tree worms there.
biomekanic
New member
Well, they'll reproduce according to the amount of food available. Don't forget too, their fecal pellets will be added to the tanks food mix, along with any gametes from spawning events.
That said, one trick that works well it so put some food in a clean, unworn pantyhose ( or just cut one leg off ) and they get stuck inside it. Throw it away, and away you go.
That said, one trick that works well it so put some food in a clean, unworn pantyhose ( or just cut one leg off ) and they get stuck inside it. Throw it away, and away you go.
dannyfromholland
New member
Hi Dendro the fish I mentioned will not harm any corals. And they will keep it under control.The comet will eat the ones that are ''finger'' size.
But what you also need to do is to balance thing, with that I mean you should give the bristle worms some space in the refugium or sump. There are so many worms because there is so much food. And the worm are doing a good job cleaning the tank. You might want to add some brittlestars in the tank to help control the uneaten food.
Cheers
Danny
biomekanic
New member
Use a plastic ring to keep the end open, and put something inside it like some rock to weigh it down. That should do the trick.
Heck, if you were close I'd come take some off of your hands.
biomekanic
New member
Use a plastic ring to keep the end open, and put something inside it like some rock to weigh it down. That should do the trick.
Thank you both, I'll try. Pantyhose - now (need to buy one), and fish - late, after moving tank (in a couple of months, hopefully).
Danny, can you tell more about what kind of brittle stars? I only know that the green one is bad. I have brittle stars, but micro size, ~2 cm diameter.
Danny, can you tell more about what kind of brittle stars? I only know that the green one is bad. I have brittle stars, but micro size, ~2 cm diameter.
dannyfromholland
New member
Hi Dendro
The green one can be aggressive when its becomes very big over time and catches some small sleeping fish. But this is very unusual. All other brittle stars will be ok.
The small brittle stars you have reproduce in the tank and should be carefully watched to because they can bother corals when they decide to live between their polyps.
I had tons off the small ones in my sump but almost nothing in the main tank. That was controlled by a big Comet.
Cheers
Danny
The green one can be aggressive when its becomes very big over time and catches some small sleeping fish. But this is very unusual. All other brittle stars will be ok.
The small brittle stars you have reproduce in the tank and should be carefully watched to because they can bother corals when they decide to live between their polyps.
I had tons off the small ones in my sump but almost nothing in the main tank. That was controlled by a big Comet.
Cheers
Danny
Thanks!
I did some reading about comet fish (aka marine betta), it's really depressing:
- it will eat shrimp and crabs (the blood shrimp is my most valuable specimen),
- small brittle stars, as you said (like them very mush too, have them in the rock, but mostly in Christmas tree rocks),
- it had all drawbacks of lionfish (had to be weaned from live prey to frozen, will eat crustaceans and small fish), but nothing of its positive sides, like appearance and a calm self-confidence.
- I repeatedly failed to wean spotted fin lionfish, although the volitan was easy to wean. Not that I can't do it at all: the difficult to wean - for some people - cleaner wrasse, 2 mandarins and 2 scooter dragonets were weaned without much troubles and fast.
- It's described as shy fish, what requires a lot of hiding places: I have experience with such fish (not a grouper, though). I will need to re-work from the scratch aquascaping, making big caves for a big fish (sorry, 8" max is in my tank a big fish). I have enough troubles with positioning corals in relation to the flow or adding flow in particular areas.
- If it eats brittle stars, it may come after tentacles of tube anemone.
- don't know, how it is critical, but the recommended temperatures for comet are 24-26C (75-78F) and specific gravity 1.025 maximum. My crinoids require 1.026, and in general I'm keeping this salinity all the time. I have no chiller, and in the summer temperature is routinely above 80F.
Will try to find more on Pseudochromis, or Dottybacks. I was told on another forum, that only 3 species from Red Sea will control bristle worms. Have to find, which ones, and their requirements.
Some photos:
They crawl Cerianthus, tube anemone.
Corals:
I know, what such bristles do to my fingers.
Bristle worms use the smallest holes for a living and reproducing:
Density of population:
I have impression, that they compete with Spirobranchus for the burrows (has seen them coming from there), and now they are occupying the burrow of the smallest crab in Christmas tree rock.
I did some reading about comet fish (aka marine betta), it's really depressing:
- it will eat shrimp and crabs (the blood shrimp is my most valuable specimen),
- small brittle stars, as you said (like them very mush too, have them in the rock, but mostly in Christmas tree rocks),
- it had all drawbacks of lionfish (had to be weaned from live prey to frozen, will eat crustaceans and small fish), but nothing of its positive sides, like appearance and a calm self-confidence.
- I repeatedly failed to wean spotted fin lionfish, although the volitan was easy to wean. Not that I can't do it at all: the difficult to wean - for some people - cleaner wrasse, 2 mandarins and 2 scooter dragonets were weaned without much troubles and fast.
- It's described as shy fish, what requires a lot of hiding places: I have experience with such fish (not a grouper, though). I will need to re-work from the scratch aquascaping, making big caves for a big fish (sorry, 8" max is in my tank a big fish). I have enough troubles with positioning corals in relation to the flow or adding flow in particular areas.
- If it eats brittle stars, it may come after tentacles of tube anemone.
- don't know, how it is critical, but the recommended temperatures for comet are 24-26C (75-78F) and specific gravity 1.025 maximum. My crinoids require 1.026, and in general I'm keeping this salinity all the time. I have no chiller, and in the summer temperature is routinely above 80F.
Will try to find more on Pseudochromis, or Dottybacks. I was told on another forum, that only 3 species from Red Sea will control bristle worms. Have to find, which ones, and their requirements.
Some photos:
They crawl Cerianthus, tube anemone.
Corals:
I know, what such bristles do to my fingers.
Bristle worms use the smallest holes for a living and reproducing:
Density of population:
I have impression, that they compete with Spirobranchus for the burrows (has seen them coming from there), and now they are occupying the burrow of the smallest crab in Christmas tree rock.
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