bristle worms, bubble algie

[malmar]

please can anyone help with my problem, i seem to have a large number of bristle worms in my tank, i have been using a worm catching tube for quite a while but cannot seem to keep up with them!! i also have a bubble algie build up, i clean all the rock i can remove but it comes back very quickly. the tank has been going five years and i have not lost any fish in that time, i have one medium florida anemone which has florished for two years, and a small batch of clams {tiny ones} which have lived on my live rock since i started the tank, has anyone else had these problems? and is there anything i can do? thanks for listening, malmar

 

[hunterdaddy]

6 line wrasses will eat small bristle worms I beleive. Also arrow crabs will eat them even the bigger worms. The crabs will also eat just about anything they can catch so be careful with them

 

[nerdy]

For the bristle worms, If they are not overly big and not in huge numbers than they are a benefit to the tank not a burden. They are scavengers that clean up your tank! And the bubble algae. If your removing it in the tank and the bubble is popping then the spores are spreading, causing more to grow. The best way to get rid of it is to take the rock out of the tank and manually remove it. Then get a emerald crab to keep it under control.(they eat it)

 

[malmar]

thanks for your help, as far as taking the rocks out and cleaning the bubbles off i have done most of them but on my two main ones i have a colony of small clams which have been there over five years and new baby ones keep showing up,so i cant really take the rock out!! and on the other big rock is my anemone he has been in that position for allmost two years so i do not want to disturb him either!! i am thinking about adding an emerald crab as you suggest, would it cause any problems with the anemone?as you can see all the things in my tank have been so stable for so long i am a bit scared to change anything, malmar

 

[stupid_naso]

Try sally lightfoot or emerald. My sally likes bubble algae A LOT! I have no bubble algae at all ever since I introduced my sally.

 

[maroonclownfan]

Emerald crabs did the trick for me. Mine is pretty big but generally peaceful. Avoid aggressive acting ones at the LFS. Shouldn't bother with any sessile inverts. Of course there are exceptions to every rule of thumb.
HTH....MCF