Bristle worms

[Ntvper]

wondering if these are the bad kind? smallish but fat and red/pink in color. noticing a patch of zoas disappearing and my tank is getting more algae back. it was clean and pretty checking parameters all acceptable ranges and no phos in water column but i figure its time to change RO filters pulled up some zoas to relocate and noticed that colony is dissapearing, that colony was spreading and covering the rock at a great rate. but soon as i pulled the plug loose i noticed five of these bristle worms.....not sure if they are good or bad? kinda worried. alot of my coral is not happy but alive just not out n open like they use to be.

 

[xmenx2dad]

i think they are safe, they eat the detritous in the tank. What are your calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium levels?

 

[xmenx2dad]

i think they are safe, they eat the detritous in the tank. What are your calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium levels?

Whoo Hoo 500 posts:celeb3::bounce1::bdaysmile:

 

[Gomer]

Bristle worms are fine and can purely be thought of as a member of the CUC. Just be careful with touching them. They can sting with those bristles (nothing life threatening, just can be painful)!

 

[Ntvper]

lol congrats on the posts. i hear a certain color or type is bad and i was wondering if they were eating my zoas. watched the angel fish very closely and nothing not even a pick at corals. more interested in the feather dusters n pods

 

[Ntvper]

checking and keep checking thinking maybe i lost a chalk bass i see two and the one that was covered in ich cant find the one time i dont have my iso tank up and this happens eh....just goes to show never ever take iso tank down once ya have one. the others are cleared up and no other fish got it so i count my blessings and luck this time.....poor fishy

 

[Ntvper]

billy can ya come over and tds my ro water some time?

 

[Ntvper]

oh yea my calc is at 480, alk at 9.0 (german degrees dkh or 161 ppm) mag at 1260. before water change after 500 10.0 and 1300

 

[Ntvper]

oh and fyi itll settle to the before water change parameters in about 2 hours with the mag at 1280 or roughly there so im good there, im thinking its those bristle worms eating my poor zoas and a dead fish i still cant find throwing things outta whack for the algae

 

[BlueCorn]

Bristleworms will absolutely eat necrotic tissue; i.e. those zoas are dying.

It's also possible that you've got another pest working on them, like nudibranchs or spiders. The later are very hard to see but they can destroy a colony quite fast.

 

[Ntvper]

what do i look for to see if its one of those?

 

[Ntvper]

okay this morning the thinking continues, i see all my fish so no deaths which is great and the chalk bass has fully recovered from its Ich.....The algae is gone I used up the last of the premade saltwater and have not made anymore till this weekend when i buy new filters for RO unit....Unless some zoas were fighting the calpera or however u spell it in the sump which i had moved there for my brother to come get, which last time I posted I moved into the DT were causing the algae bloom I am at a complete lost on that outbreak. Tank is back on the up n up coral are healthy and blooming. Now if I can figure out why I was losing zoas in the DT.....