bristle worm

spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
i understand that many of you welcome these worms, however, i cannot stand them and do not want them in my tanks. while feeding, i saw at least 4 bristle worms on one piece of LR, so i got a bristleworm trap awhile ago and tried it out, well no bristle worms in the trap, just a tiny brittle star since the same piece of LR is covered in at least 50 of them
is there any other way of removing them(besides picking them out manually)? they are fairly long but skinny and i have snapped some in 2 because they werent far enough out of the rock
please help, i actually have a phobia of parasites and i have a hard time putting new corals in my tank without gloves on, i dont want to accidentally touch one and get its bristles in me
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by spkdtch
http:///forum/post/3132321
i understand that many of you welcome these worms, however, i cannot stand them and do not want them in my tanks. while feeding, i saw at least 4 bristle worms on one piece of LR, so i got a bristleworm trap awhile ago and tried it out, well no bristle worms in the trap, just a tiny brittle star since the same piece of LR is covered in at least 50 of them
is there any other way of removing them(besides picking them out manually)? they are fairly long but skinny and i have snapped some in 2 because they werent far enough out of the rock
please help, i actually have a phobia of parasites and i have a hard time putting new corals in my tank without gloves on, i dont want to accidentally touch one and get its bristles in me

A bristle worm is not a parasite, so put your phobia to rest. It is a CUC critter, it cleans and you NEED them. I think when you cut it in half, you now have 2.
I HATE bugs. For years I would not have a shrimp in my tank. A shrimp is a sea bug..But then I realized so are crabs and lobsters. I NEED cleaner shrimps, and I NEED crabs. I may not "like" them, but they are an important part of an eco system. I want a healthy well established tank..So I have sea bug critters.
Think of bristle worms as sea caterpillars..And get over it. Your request is like me asking to get rid of every bug on earth because I hate them...even if you can't see them, they are there.
 
the_bandit

the_bandit

Member
Try not to think of BristleWorms as a bad thing. They will help clean up dead fish which I have seen in my tank, eat alot of uneaten food, and general stay out of site. The reason they are coming out during feeding time is because you feed your fish and coral less probably than more which is a good thing because it keeps Bristle Worm population down.
Trust me. I have tried and tried again to get this big sucker out of my tank. The moment my twizzers hit the water he can already sense me. The moment you get close to any Bristle Worms, they will try and get away as fast as possible.
As much as you may hate it, they are a must in a reef tank.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
i have a large clean up crew i just dont want them in my reef tank where i could touch them, and true they are not a parasite, but its the bristles that bother me more than the actual worm itself
i heard arrow crabs eat them, how effective are they?
the LR is in a new 125 gallon tank to help cycle so not much food in the tank as of yet, but once cycled, the rocks will go in my 40gallon reef
i know they are useful but i just plain do not want them, worms in general dont bother me, just the bristles that i dont want to accidentally touch
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
A couple things have worked for me to catch Bristle Worms. I typically just move them to different tanks but what you do with them is no concern of mine.
1 - Nylons Method.
Wrap small rock and a piece of seafood (shrimp, fish skin, etc.) in a short length of clean nylons. At least 5 or 6 wraps. Set the bundle near the hole. Check the trap before daylight and remove with tongs to pull the worms out.
2 - Flat rock method.
Place a small piece of seafood under a flat rock near the location of a worm. Check the rock every couple of days and be ready with a net to scoop up the worm(s).
3 - Disposable Rock Method.
Place small bits of seafood into crevices and holes in a pourous rock. After a few days remove the rock.

[hr]
Most Bristleworm hairs are Calcium carbonate and will dissolve quickly and completely by dipping the hand or finger in straight vinegar.
Some Bristleworms sport Silica bristles and these will not dissolve. If you are unfortunate enough to find some of these squirt the affected skin with white glue. After the glue dries you can slowly peel the glue off to remove the bristles.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
i planned on moving them to my sump/fuge to keep the substrate clean where my hands will rarely go, eventhough you said its no concern of yours :)
and i was planning on trying the porus rock trick later
its not so much the actual bristles as the numb/itch feeling i hear about removing the bristles wouldnt be an issue if they were bugging me, id find a way to get them out, FAST!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by spkdtch
http:///forum/post/3132534
i have a large clean up crew i just dont want them in my reef tank where i could touch them, and true they are not a parasite, but its the bristles that bother me more than the actual worm itself
i heard arrow crabs eat them, how effective are they?
the LR is in a new 125 gallon tank to help cycle so not much food in the tank as of yet, but once cycled, the rocks will go in my 40gallon reef
i know they are useful but i just plain do not want them, worms in general dont bother me, just the bristles that i dont want to accidentally touch

Just want to maybe put your fears to rest...I have taken my hand and scooped out my sand when I moved...I KNOW I have bristle worms a plenty...never touched one. I have moved rocks and chased fish..never touched a bristle worm.
I have seen them..and unless you deliberately reach out and grab it...I don't think there is much chance of getting stung.
It is YOUR tank and you can do whatever you want, but I thought I would at least let you know it isn't common to get stung by one while servicing your tank. The only ones I ever met that ever got stung, were trying to grab the worm with their fingers.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
There are different species of bristleworms. There are some that stick in very easily and others that you can pick up and bounce in your hand and they never release.

My hubby's finger...... He was like "In 50 years I've never gotten stuck!". The variety in this tank stuck easily and fought for food.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Cranberry
http:///forum/post/3136295
There are different species of bristleworms. There are some that stick in very easily and others that you can pick up and bounce in your hand and they never release.

My hubby's finger...... He was like "In 50 years I've never gotten stuck!". The variety in this tank stuck easily and fought for food.
OMG...I thought they just would sting! I never knew they released like that!!!! spkdtch I am now 100% with you!
As for me, I won't be putting my hands in the sand ever again.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
lol its not extremely horrible or anything, just not something i want to experience, but i figured id just take the rock that i saw the majority on and move it to my reef tanks sump/fuge
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3137501
I hope he stuck that finger in vinegar.
Not until after I got the pic. I was like "WAIT!! Lemme get the camera!!!". He's a good husband. Vinegar works like a charm. Apple cider vinegar was used in this case :)
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
I know you "dont want them in your tank". but you will NEVER eradicate them. it just wont happen you may be able to curb their population by reducing the amount of food they have available, but thats about it. if you have an excellenbt clean up crew and a supirior filtration set up that limits the available detritus you can minimize their numbers. if you have a prolific amount of bristle worms that means there is planty of food for them to eat, if you remove bristle worms without coping with their food source you are only creating another problem for yourself.
 
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