Mantis and bristleworms

[sonia]

I am wondering if having a bristle worm to help clean the tank is an ok idea. I like the creeepy crawly things so I kind of like them. I have read good and bad about them on different sites. Some say they will eat some fish and crustaceans, others say they are totally safe. Any thoughts on them?? Thanks

 

[helipilot]

I believe bristle worms are safe and beneficial. I have them in all my tanks although they are rarely seen.

 

[sonia]

thank you! I do like them so I thought I should ask. Anything else good for such cleaning duties with a moody roomate?

 

[justinl]

"bristle worm" is a bit of a vague term. within bristle worms, there are fireworms, and within fireworms, there are true carribean fireworms. the latter are the ones that munch coral but are very rare in the trade. Almost all the rest are beneficial as CUC. The only time a bristle worm will eat a fish or crustacean is if it is dead or damn nearly so (In which case they're only doing their job anyways). Some worms like the some eunicids are predatory though and i think these are the ones you might be thinking about. these should probably be avoided in most cases.

Dont worry about it too much thuogh. when you buy live rock, you're almost guaranteed to have some bristleworms hitch in, seen or unseen.

brittle stars are usually a good choice in a mantis tank. an urchin is sometimes left alone, sometimes not. conches should be okay if your tank is big enough. if the mantis is small, thick shelled snails like turbos should be okay.

 

[sonia]

Nice thank you! I will check into that stuff. I work at an aquarium store so I can get those easily enough. This is my first marine animal so I am full of questions! We actually have 2 brittle starfish in at the moment, and always have lots of turbos. I will try them.