Please am I ****ed or not my power just went out amd I saw four bristle worms in my 100gal new reef tank and I am scared ****less becase I want to have clams. I have already lost 4 clams to what I belive are bristle worms in my nano 24 gal. Should I just giove up or what should I do. Please help!!!!!!! 12:15 us central time.....
!!Power Just went Bristle worms in reef tank!!
- Thread starter Ram2003
- Start date
z_rivers
New member
bristle worms are good creatures to have in a reef tank, they are constantly cleaning up stuff. i would not worry at all.
bristle worms are scavengers and eat decaying flesh. if you saw them around your clams i would look towards other causes of the death. the bristle worms were just eating the dead/dieing flesh.
bristle worms are scavengers and eat decaying flesh. if you saw them around your clams i would look towards other causes of the death. the bristle worms were just eating the dead/dieing flesh.
So if I lost cla,s in my 24gal nano the clams were already dying and would have died even if i didn't have bristle worms... Would you do clams if you were me in my 100 gal reef if you knew you had bristle worms. I am just scared to death.... Should I pick them out when i can or just leavre them....
jjackson
New member
Seriously??? I cant tell you how many bristle worms I have seen and have never seen them or had them cause problems to anything...
also might want to post that in here... because honestly I dont see a problem
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=41
Ok thank yall very much they are not big bristle worms. Would and can a bristle worm big or small attack a clam or anything else?? Do yall have bristle worms in your tanks. Are they as common as copapods, to where they are just a part of having any salt water tank??? what makes a bristle worm grow to porportions that might cause problems???
Bristleworms don't attack. 
They're simply undertakers. I have a crocea in a reef tank with four 10-12 inch worms and about two cups full of generic bristleworms, and it thrives and grows.
The greater danger to the clam is focusing on the worms and not fixing what really got it, be it a parasite like the pyramid snail, or a water quality or lighting issue. Something got the clam, and it should have lived for a very long time.
They're simply undertakers. I have a crocea in a reef tank with four 10-12 inch worms and about two cups full of generic bristleworms, and it thrives and grows.The greater danger to the clam is focusing on the worms and not fixing what really got it, be it a parasite like the pyramid snail, or a water quality or lighting issue. Something got the clam, and it should have lived for a very long time.
I'm talking through experience. I had clams before and let me just say that if a clam is injured for example and the foot was torn off the bristleworms will enter through the foot and eat the clam inside out. Remember bristleworms are savengers and opportunistic eaters.
Yes, I have heard all the positive things about bristleworms when you have a sandbed and detritus and left over food, etc. I also read things in reef books that are absolutely not truth.
Yes, I have heard all the positive things about bristleworms when you have a sandbed and detritus and left over food, etc. I also read things in reef books that are absolutely not truth.
sarahkucera
New member
Bristleworms are not bad.
Most tanks have them, but a lot of people don't notice them because they generally come out at night and a lot of people don't stare at their tanks after lights out.
Iv'e got bristleworms in my tank, they've never hurt anything. They only eat things that are dead or dying. They also eat extra food that hits the bottom of the tank, so consider them a part of your clean up crew.
I think that more of your problem with your clams could have been related to the fact that you had 4 clams in your nano tank. I don't have clams or anything, but 4 of them in a nano seems like they would have been really crowded and most likely not getting enough food.
If your tank is over run with bristleworms than you've got a bigger problem going on.
Most tanks have them, but a lot of people don't notice them because they generally come out at night and a lot of people don't stare at their tanks after lights out.
Iv'e got bristleworms in my tank, they've never hurt anything. They only eat things that are dead or dying. They also eat extra food that hits the bottom of the tank, so consider them a part of your clean up crew.
I think that more of your problem with your clams could have been related to the fact that you had 4 clams in your nano tank. I don't have clams or anything, but 4 of them in a nano seems like they would have been really crowded and most likely not getting enough food.
If your tank is over run with bristleworms than you've got a bigger problem going on.
what side do you live on?
