Bristle Worm Help Needed....please Read

hrdfrntr95

hrdfrntr95

Member
i noticedi had them while cleaning the gravel. and so far i have counted about a dozen of them.
im confused as to what to do with them. ive they are good and bad. they have killed off my pulsing corals which really ticks me off.
is there a way to get rid of them? i have a banded coral shrimp which was said to eat them but i dont know.
i also read that an under gravel filter will suck them down and get rid of them but i thought that the u.g.f.'s where bad for salt?
PLEASE HELP..........IM SO CONFUSED AND LOST........
 
aquatica-tech

aquatica-tech

Member
Well take out as much as you can and the rest of them would just be part of your CUC. If there more than you can count lol then its parasitic but if you have like 2 or 3 then it would be fine JMO and itll be part of your CUC
 
hrdfrntr95

hrdfrntr95

Member
i just pulled my rocks out and gave them a freshwater soak and ended up with about 2-3 dozen dead worms in the bucket.

the biggest ones where about 2-3in and a mess load of small ones.
there is still an un countable amount in the gravel......

ive read about using a bait trap to catch them but wouldnt my brittle star get into it as well?
i have a banded coral shrimp that i thought was supposed to them but found out that arrow crabs eat them better,,,,,,but i cant have both of them....bummer.....
 
L

lsu

Guest
In the future you do not want to put your LR in freshwater. It kills all of the bacteria on the rock. To get unwanted critters out of your rock you should dip the rock in water with a very high salinity, this will force hitchhikers out of the rock and it will not harm the bacteria.
 
hrdfrntr95

hrdfrntr95

Member
i figured it would kill my rock but the wife was doing the research and said the site she seen the fresh water soak on wouldnt harm the rock.....so i guess my rock is dead now after the ice water soak.....
i guess this is a learning experince for me since this is our fist tank....its been setup for a few months....
fixin to start gatherin stuff for my 75 to be set is a salt but i think im gona stay away from the live rock.....i dont want it to be infested with these things as well.............
 
L

lsu

Guest
Originally Posted by hrdfrntr95
http:///forum/post/2552983
i figured it would kill my rock but the wife was doing the research and said the site she seen the fresh water soak on wouldnt harm the rock.....so i guess my rock is dead now after the ice water soak.....
i guess this is a learning experince for me since this is our fist tank....its been setup for a few months....
fixin to start gatherin stuff for my 75 to be set is a salt but i think im gona stay away from the live rock.....i dont want it to be infested with these things as well.............
You really don't want to eliminate the LR. It plays a huge role in your tank. To eliminate hitchhikers put new LR in a tub of saltwater with a very high salinity. That high of salinity will drive all the "unwanted" out of the rock in search for better water, then you can pick and choose which hitchers you may want to keep. On a side note bristles don't really do any damage other than eating leftover food.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
google fire worms they are the only ones we would normaly get in our tanks that would harm corals and getting those are rare
 
hrdfrntr95

hrdfrntr95

Member
how hi of a salinty.....like 2.0 and higher?
ive read a few things on removing unwanted guest from LR and a couple fo things mentioned was vinegar and baking soda.........but wouldnt those be toxic to introduce into the tank.....
i know they are a good part of the CUC but they ate my pulsing corals...and ive read that they will attack and eat clams and corals and the larger ones can become predators and attack fish,shrimp and other things.....
I DONT WANT THEM PERIOD,,,,,,,,,,they are hidious and how can you properly clean a tank with them in it without worry of gettin bitten or stung....
 
hrdfrntr95

hrdfrntr95

Member
and as far as predators to eat them.......ive read that wrasse and arrow crabs are best.......
heres what is in my tank.........domino damsel,3 stripe damsel,yellow damsel,blue damsel(non-yellow tail), skunk shrimp,banded coral shrimp,turbo snail(all i could find up here),2 blue foot hermit crabs, 2 cortex hermits, 2 clown gobies(different species...green cown and yellow clown), britle star and a scooter blenny.........in a 30 gal........
will the wrasse or arrow crab go in there with them?
 
E

emeralcrab

Guest
I have a bunch of them as does everyone else that has a SW tank with LR. I have one that I see all of the time that is as big around as a pencil. Have no idea how long. Has not bothered a thing in my tank. They are excellant left over feeders. I have polpys, zoo's, sebae anemone, mushrooms, hammer coral, jaw fish, starry blenny, and a blk clown in the tank with the monster bristle worm.
Last night after the lights went off in my QT coral tank, I counted five or them roaming around. They are about 4 inch's or so. I have lots of corals in there and they haven't hurt a thing.
The only way you will NEVER have bristle worms is to never put LR or LS in your tanks. And that just doesn't seem right to me while maintening our beautiful SW tanks. They are benefical and just think how many are in our oceans helping keep things clean.
 
hrdfrntr95

hrdfrntr95

Member
i know the love rock is good for a tank......i just dont want to be over run with bristle worms......i guess ill just fight to control them in the 30gal and then once the 75 is up and going just have to see about soakin the rock to knock them down some....
 
fatcat

fatcat

Member
I had so many in my tank i just cut back on feed for a month or so. Also at nighttime after your lights have been out for awhile get a flashlight cover the end with clear red plastic and go hunting
any big ones i see i grab them with a pair of 12"long tweesers and toss them outside. i also have a CBS i always see him picking at the littel bristle worms. With all this i have see a HUGE difference.
Hope this helps
 
fatcat

fatcat

Member
LOL Coral Banded Shrimp

A few times i have looked in the tank and seen him with a worm like 3-4" long in his claws
he is only 2".
Very kool
 
hrdfrntr95

hrdfrntr95

Member
yeah it hit me what CBS was when i looked at m tank.........DOHHH......LOL
i never see mine doing anything but hangin off the rocks......and then he'll climb to the top at feedings.....
my lil skunk goes all over the place and even tries to g onto the damsels for a ride and a cleaning but they are still alil small for him.....
i really want an arrow crab but no one can tell me if they will go with my 2 shrimp....
 
fatcat

fatcat

Member
I would not get an arrow crab everything i had heard they get big and eat fish or SHRIMP. Your CBS is mosly like eating a few of them but if there is extra food in the tank he will eat over having to hunt for his food. Try what i said above and give it time everything in this hobby takes time...
LOL an money...
 
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