Bristle Worms - Friend or Foe to a BTA?

[Madjack]

I have been pulling bristle worms out of my tank for years. Some as large as a foot. I pull them out primarily because they're painfull when you accidently touch one. Are they dangerous to BTA's? I've never seen them munching on any of my corals or anything. Just wondering.

 

[skippy2]

They are a great part of your cleanup crew. They only will go after dead or dying organisms. Stop petting them

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14978506#post14978506 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by skippy2
They are a great part of your cleanup crew. They only will go after dead or dying organisms. Stop petting them

I have to concur.

I see some around my LTA all the time, but they cause no issues, just happens to be where they are hanging out.

 

[Serk]

I had a farm running with 20+ BTA's in it, and even after cutting the anemones in half, the bristle worms caused no problems, even to the highly vulnerable anemones...

 

[redvicki]

I maybe the exception here, but I had a bristleworm stealing food from my RBTA after she had it in her mouth. I saw it take place after I became aware of the fact that there was something wrong with the RBTA mouth. It was my first BTA so I wasn't sure at first what was going on with it. It looked like her mouth was turned inside out. I thought it was a shrimp until my husband saw the worm in action one night. It had grabbed a piece of sliverside that the BTA had in her mouth and was trying to pull the fish into the rock with the BTA still attached to the fish it was awful. I now trap all of the bristle worms I can. My RBTA did not survive.

 

[ocreefer14]

a foot?!?!!

 

[lkc]

Bob Fenner in the "THE CONSCIENTIOUS MARINE AQUARIST" specifically warns against bristle worms and bubble tips.
FOE.

 

[redvicki]

Well I know they tore mine up, it was sad. I did a fresh water dip to the most infested rock and trap all the other ones I see. I want them gone before I get another BTA. hard to believe but you get attached to them , like a dog or cat.

 

[DeadlyMuffin]

I've had the same problem with bristle worms stealing from BTAs. I'm not sure if it's because the BTA wasn't doing well or not though, something about my tank parameters doesn't agree with them.

 

[azcummins]

get an arrow crab. Mine cleaned my 55g of bristle worms in a week...and there were tons!

 

[redvicki]

thanks for the tip on the arrow crab. but what do they eat when all the worms are gone?

 

[azcummins]

They will cleanup what the fish don't eat. They'll eat dead fish as well so if you lose a fish and never see it again...they ate it.

Once the bristle worms were gone, I'd give mine a piece of table shrimp when I fed my 'nems.