HELP!! Bristle worm harrassing my clown goby

[phildiego]

I have a fluval 13.5 gallon with 3 fish, a clownfish, a green clown goby, and a neon goby and just recently I got this large hammer coral and placed it in front of this cave in the rock. My clown goby took a liking to it and it was nice because I finally got to see him a lot more in the day, but a bristle worm has come into the spot. The worm was rubbing against my goby and pushing it out. What do you guys think I should do to get rid of this worm? I'm not touching this worm they're too creepy looking, maybe I should get a trap?

 

[wvned]

Get some large tweezers. Turn light off or do at night. Put food 2 inches from cave. When worm goes for food, grab with tweezers.
If you have 1 worm there are probably 5000.

I prefer the stainless steel ones but ones that dont rust are hard to find now.
Coral Tweezers - Carbon Fiber w/ Neutral Buoyancy

II have hit rocks with a hammer to get smaller pieces and they were hollow with 5000 bristle worms inside. Good luck removing them all.

 

[phildiego]

Get some large tweezers. Turn light off or do at night. Put food 2 inches from cave. When worm goes for food, grab with tweezers.
If you have 1 worm there are probably 5000.

I prefer the stainless steel ones but ones that dont rust are hard to find now.
Coral Tweezers - Carbon Fiber w/ Neutral Buoyancy

II have hit rocks with a hammer to get smaller pieces and they were hollow with 5000 bristle worms inside. Good luck removing them all.

Brooo don't tell me this wth. I'm giving away my tank now those things creep me out

 

[griss]

Got a pic of the worm? Might not be a bristle, I've never had them harass fish before and they're beneficial detritivores.

 

[phildiego]

Got a pic of the worm? Might not be a bristle, I've never had them harass fish before and they're beneficial detritivores.

It looks like this, pink head and a gray body.

 

[griss]

Hmmm, that's a bristle alright. I actually, intentionally, added them to my tank. Yeah, I get my fingers stuck once in a while but, it's all good. If you want to get rid of them, do what Ned said and use tweezers or you can get a bristleworm trap.

 

[Reefing102]

In addition to the bristleworm trap, you can do a homemade bottle trap (basically cut the top off a bottle and invert it into the bottle). Place food in it and it should trap it. Be aware it can also trap snails, crabs, small fish, and you may catch multiple bristle worms)

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Bristleworms are a normal hitchhiker that comes in on live rock and corals. They're harmless detritus feeders. Their numbers are regulated by the availability of food in the tank.

 

[phildiego]

OK guys thank you, I have reduced feeding for a few days and the bristle worms are less. If they are good for the tank I won't do anything, but they still are creepy

 

[Paul B]

DIY bristle worm trap.