too many bristel worms

[lakehorse61]

what eats them besides arrow crabs? they are in my SH tank & it is over run with them.

or any threads with suggestions....the search engine is down.

 

[kyliegirl]

sixline wrasses from what ive read

 

[mnestroy]

What harm do bristel worms cause?

 

[kyliegirl]

i find bristle worms like to eat my green star polyps

 

[murfman]

get a piece of nylon stocking and put a piece of shrimp in it at night. the worms will get caught in the fibers and you can remove them. Some are good at getting rid of detritus though, especially in a SH tank. I have pulled them out of Chaeto too.

 

[ophiuroid]

As most of these worms are scavengers, the first and foremost thin you must do is address your stocking and or feeding rate. If you do not do this, then there is little point, IMO, in trying to manually remove them. Their numbers will just increase again.

 

[lakehorse61]

well i suppose they dont do any harm. i was a little worried about them stinging the SH but i havent seen any evidence of it.

i got a coral banded shrimp to try to control them. i got a small one. i was a little scarred to put in a arrow crab.

the wrasse would not be good in sh tank. they are too fast.

 

[cokemanmark]

i got them in my tank also i think i am going to get a sixline wrasse
so do coral banded shrimps eat them to

 

[romunov]

These animals are controlled by the amount of food they find. Cut down on (over) feeding and the population will reduce. They are THE best clean-up crew available. And they're free.

 

[syddakyd]

yea i wouldnt put a cbs with a sea horse

 

[dc]

LOL, they cost about a dollar apiece if you order them.

 

[FishGuy72]

Have you ever been stung?

Have you ever been stung?

I would remove them if you can. I have eliminated most of the ones I had.
I had to tear down a tank in a hurry that was leaking and got a number of bristles in my right ring finger! It wasn't the end of the world, but they did hurt. The bristles were very hard to get out and my nuckle swelled up and turned purple for a couple of weeks.
Basically a painfull experience I wouldn't want to repeat.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[jfeva0049]

WOW, THAT SUCKS I JUST PUT SOME IN MY TANK CAUSE I SEEN THINGS SAY THAT THEY WERE FOR CLEAN UP. BUT AFTER HEARING ALL THIS IM GONNA GET A SIX LINE ASAP.

 

[ophiuroid]

They are actually quite desirable and beneficial. It is rare to have a bristleworm that is a problem. I would NOT remove bristleworms personally. If you have to many, you want to address overfeeding. Population explosions are signs of too much nutrient load in the tank.

They are highly desirable clean up critters. They are a natural, normal and beneficial creature in a tank. RARELY are their problematic one's....fight your battles but this is one I would not worry about. You won't win, IMO, and you don't need to.

 

[Mrseptember15]

You can treat your L.R before you put it in your tank to prevent any hitch hikers. I've heard if you stick the L.R in a bucket with a S.Gof 1.35 or higher that will kill any bristleworm inside the L.R

 

[ophiuroid]

It will also kill all sorts of equally desirable creatures. I have heard people recommend freshwater dips as well, and frankly just wonder why people bother getting LR. Most of the creatures on LR, including bristleworms, are beneficial or desirable. It is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak.

 

[mrobbtx]

a sixline wrass is the best I have seen for this problem...they do a fair job...

 

[friendorfoe]

I keep a couple in my overflow. have a bit in my tank, and I give them to fellow reefers as well. Cut back on your feeding. you can also re-aquascape,and at the present time, I guarantee you will find a mess of them. put on plastic gloves and remove some. they will eat dead and dying corals, it's just the cycle of life.

 

[lakehorse61]

the cb shrimp has cleaned them up. you do have to overfeed with sh's unfortunately. there are 2 seahorses & a peacock mandarianfish with hermit crabs & snails.

i still have worms but i am leaving them alone.

a six line would not be an appropriate tankmate for seahorses.

 

[Chad Vossen]

i find that a good alternative to bristle worms for cleanup crew is mini white brittle starfish. i overfeed just to boost their population because people who look at my tank love all the little starfish everwhere.

unfortunatly just this past week i discovered im loaded with bristle worms as well. they are red and about a half inch long. i remove them on sight because i dont want them competing with my starfish. amphipods also make good cleanup crews. i have seen them come out of a hole to grab food and carry it away.