Bristle/Fire worm "outbreak"

[browniebuck]

We added a lawnmower blenny to my wife's 29 gallon (have algae problem) today. Within a couple of hours of adding the lawnmower, we noticed bristle/fireworms coming out of the pores of our LR...at least 10...most were 2-3", but one was at least 6" long. We have seen these worms (had one at least a foot long die a couple months ago, had to get tweezers to get him out of the rock...that was fun) in the past and were assured that they were good to have in our aquariums, I just wondered if there would have been a reason that so many would have come out at once (with the lights on, before feeding time). The only other thing that we did today was add top off water (2 gallons)...my wife was grossed out, I of course thought it was kind of cool.

 

[browniebuck]

anyone???

 

[dingo0722]

They sell traps to trap these guys. Are you sure they are bristle worms. I never see any in my tank during the daytime, only at night, but I do see 1 or 2 tenticles of mini starfish that hang out of the rock. These guys are everyware. My fish and cleanup usually eat them

 

[browniebuck]

it is definitely a worm, I have seen them end to end. The starfish legs that you mentioned that I also have, the legs are striped.
I haven't seen the worms since, so I guess they just came out to introduce themselves to their new tankmate?!?!?

 

[bonesnapper]

The starfish you have described are Mini Brittle Stars, they are reef safe. As for the worms and traps, the traps seem to work well. Also, if you had a fireworm, it would have ate all of your coral. And fireworms only come from the Carribean.

 

[sepulatian]

They are very beneficial detrivores that clean your sand bed at night. Keep them in there. They are nothing to worry about.

 

[pastor b.]

Dear hobbyist , Bristle worms are beneficial to your aquarium , because they eat detritus , and any uneaten food particles that are left onto the sand or your live rock .They will even eat a dead fish . Mine come out whenever the scent of food enters the water,but many more come out at night when the lights are off. My coral banded shrimp eats many of them at night

. What ever you do ,don't touch them with your fingers . Their bristles can enter your skin and cause discomfort .If this happens ,use the sticky side of tape to remove them from your skin then rinse with fresh water and you should be fine .

 

[aquatica-tech]

But I heard from somebody that as they get larger that they can hurt the fish in some way.

 

[ophiura]

No, they do not do that. That is not true.
Hair algae, bristleworms...BOTH signs of too much food and/or inhabitants in the tank. 99% of bristleworms species we seem to encounter are scavengers. So when you have a lot of them, it is because there is a lot of food. Same is true of your algae problem.
If you want to solve both, you need to address stocking, feeding and maintenance of the tank.

 

[browniebuck]

Ophiura...thanks for the advice. I don't think it is a stocking problem (2 small ocellaris, 2 inch coral beauty, and sixline wrasse...and now lawnmower), more of an overfeeding issue. I will cut back feeding and see how that and the lawnmower work on the algae...I am not overly concerned about the worms, I was just a little shocked to see them out with the lights on.

 

[michaeltx]

they are very opertunistic day or night usually they would rather stay in the rocks than the light but if food os introduced they will come out and search for it. its also a sign where there are to many nutrients in the tank creating an overpopulation. check the tank at night with a red lens filter to see whats whats in there.
Mike

 

[browniebuck]

I guess that is really why I was so shocked to see them...the only thing introduced to the tank was the lawnmower blenny...I hadn't fed them yet. They usually get fed before I leave for work in the morning and right before I go to bed at night (small amounts each time...maybe I will cut it to once a day, but my clowns will NOT be happy!!!)

 

[ophiura]

It is not unusual to see this sort of behavior in some inverts when new animals are introduced, because in effect they "smell" stressed, and a stressed animal may indicate a dying animal...or certainly one that an opportunistic species may take interest in. So it doesn't surprise me that they reacted to this introduction. Did you add any water from the shipping bag?
I will say, though, I am a bit worried with 5 fish in a 29g tank

JMO though. I have a sixline (only) in a 45g, and I am really having a hard time deciding if there is room to add anything. I am obviously on the other end of the extreme, but you should stock based on adult size of fish. And in this case, that would be a definite concern. Just something to consider in the backgroun.

 

[browniebuck]

I acclimated the lawnmower (bought at our LFS) in the bag in the tank (adding water every 5 to 10 minutes)...I don't think that any shipping water, save what he may have had on his body, got into our tank, as I emptied the bag into a net and quickly put the fish into a cup full of our tank water.

 

[big]

Is that five fish in a 29?? Feeding too much may be worth looking into . Are your nitrates high??

 

[browniebuck]

all levels are at 0...we have had absolutely no problem with this tank, other than the algae problem. We lost a purple firefish a few months ago (it got stuck in the intake of a powerhead, which appeared to break it's back, when the sponge cover fell off).
The tank is FOWLR, 10-15 lb LS, roughly 45-50 lb. LR, 2 powerheads (unsure of size/GPH...it's been a while since we added them), a Penguin HOB filter, and a protein skimmer. We keep up with scheduled maintenance (water changes, top offs, cleaning of equipment, etc...).

 

[big]

Originally Posted by browniebuck
http:///forum/post/2457505
all levels are at 0...we have had absolutely no problem with this tank, other than the algae problem. We lost a purple firefish a few months ago (it got stuck in the intake of a powerhead, which appeared to break it's back, when the sponge cover fell off).
The tank is FOWLR, 10-15 lb LS, roughly 45-50 lb. LR, 2 powerheads (unsure of size/GPH...it's been a while since we added them), a Penguin HOB filter, and a protein skimmer. We keep up with scheduled maintenance (water changes, top offs, cleaning of equipment, etc...).
Sounds like most everything else is good!

A shame about the Purple they are such pretty little fish.

 

[ophiura]

One point worth noting. If you have an algae problem it is unlikely you have perfect parameters. It is just that the algae is using available nitrate and phosphate and so it may be out of the range of your kits to measure it. But believe me, it is there, and being used.

 

[browniebuck]

https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/data/smilies/saddy.gif[/img]
Yeah, he was a neat little fish. One day I noticed him stuck to the intake and reached in to get him off, he was still alive. He tried to hang on, he lasted another week plus, but eventually went off to fishy heaven.
On a brighter note, out lawnmower is going to town on our algae...I always see him either perched atop the rock or wedged between the rock with a fat belly. I also haven't seen any of the worms since that first night either.