Brisstle Worms Bad???

smoney

Active Member
Well, Im thinking of adding yellow polps and I dont want the brisstle worms to eat the polyps. Will the brisstle worms eat the polps? and if so how do you get rid of them?
 

dragonboy

Active Member
Just don't feed chunks of shrimp to your corals at night they tend to drill themselves into the coral's mouth and take the shrimp out. They said you can use a worm trap to remove them but I haven't had any success with that so I just leave them in. As long as they don't eat my corals you don't have to worry about them.
 

smoney

Active Member
Ok, well I was just asking because my friend said that they eat corals. Personally I love them, they really keep my tank clean.
 

crzyfshygy

Member
They are freak nasty.......and there is one that will eat your corals.....plus they will multiply. I got a turkey bastor from Walmart, and after the light went out at night I would sneak up on the tank and find one in the sand near rocks. Place the bastor very quickly right over him with the suction closed and suck him up. You have to be quick though because they are very quick
 
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thomas712

Guest
I'm always amused when someone thinks that bristle worms are all harmful. Yeah there are a few nasty ones but for the most part, and I mean over 90% of them won't cause any problems. I have a 55 gallon fuge that is simply teaming with bristle worms. I also search at LFS's for any new types of bristle worms that I can add to my system.
If you don't like them, get yourself a 6 or 4 line wrasse.
Thomas
 

crzyfshygy

Member
Originally Posted by Thomas712
I'm always amused when someone thinks that bristle worms are all harmful. Yeah there are a few nasty ones but for the most part, and I mean over 90% of them won't cause any problems. I have a 55 gallon fuge that is simply teaming with bristle worms. I also search at LFS's for any new types of bristle worms that I can add to my system.
If you don't like them, get yourself a 6 or 4 line wrasse.
Thomas
There is one that will eat corals......I think they are nasty little buggers. I have a 6 line wrasse...I have actually had a few and they do not eat bristle worms. Atleast the ones I have owned. I hired mine for that purpose and he did not eat a single one. Now my Pseudochromis...there is another story. The dotty back family is notorious for eating them...I have not personally seen him do it..but my rock is the same in both tanks and I do not have a single one in my 11gl...20lbs LR.
 

nomad

Member
Not liking bristleworms is the same as not liking garbagemen--they both do the same job. :cheer:If you don't want bristleworms don't have anything but a sandbed in your SW tank and then do your own cleaning up.
 

buzzword

Member
Now I think bristle worms are beneficial but I don't really want too many. Here is my bristle worm cleaner... Radiant wrasse, eats all the little ones he can find, I've seen him eat the little ones. I have some bristle worms about 5-6 inches in my tank and have no problems with them. I just don't want a lot of them. The wrasse loves the little ones.
 

smoney

Active Member
I think its safe to say that brisstle worms being bad is a myth, so thanks for clearing up that myth
 
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thomas712

Guest
Originally Posted by crzyfshygy
There is one that will eat corals
Yep there certainly are a few that I would never want in my system.
Hermodice carunculata and Eurythoe complanata. H. carunculata is a predatory species feeding on almost any sessile animal it can catch, but having distinct preferences if given an option. In particular they feed on corals, hydrocorals, gorgonians, and anemones. They also have preferences of species within those groups. Another favorite food item of H. carunculata is the Atlantic Carpet anemone, Stoichactis helianthis.
 

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by crzyfshygy
There is one that will eat corals......
There's a dozen or so species that will eat select coral species. I have one that eats Aiptasia.
Out of 10,000+ species, the odds of receiving one of the bad ones is fairly slim. Possible but not probable. The more live rock the better your chances.
IMO Bristle Worms have saved more tanks from crashing that all other preventative measures combined.
 
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