Clams OK with bristle worms?

[Jay Fortay]

I'm sure this has been asked on a number of occasions, but I was just looking for a quick yes or no. I have quite the bristleworm population, and was just wondering if they would have any effect on a clam. I recently aquired a six-line wrasse, and a great white shark for my 29 gallon to help control the bristleworm population. thanks, as usual

 

[a4twenty]

they are fine, often mis-blamed as killers when they are only cleaning up the mess after the fact.

 

[TikiDan]

there is one kind that will kill clams. Reefkeeping Magazine did an article on it about 6 months ago.

 

[Jay Fortay]

yeah the fireworms. I have the standard bristleworms, just lots of em'

 

[jnb]

I am not overstating the number of red/orange bristlworms that I have in my 36 by 16 by 11.5 inch tank when I say there is over 500. The biggest (and I doubt size matters just harmless v not) is like 3 inches and they are all skinny - I guess I have no natural preditors to them or their eggs (I only have a purple fire fish, blook shrimp, and tail spot blenny.

 

[quicksilverq]

I talked to the guy at clams direct and he told me that he tested the theory that bristle worms were safe he tock clams out of a show tank and put them in a tank that they knew had bristle worms alot of them and he said in a few weeks the clams started to die from large bristle worms eating or picking at them so verdic is still out. As for me I think small ones dont do much of anything but clean up and big ones like 3+ inches are bad but thats me.....