Bristle worms good or bad?
- Thread starter adairable
- Start date
trainfever
Active Member
I voted they are good although there are a few that are bad. The mahority of the ones brought in my the aquarium hobby are good and beneficial to your aquarium. If you have a lot in your system, then you are overfeeding your tank. They will only multiply to keep up with the wqaste in your tank. Cut back on your feeding and you will see them decline. There are a lot of different Bristleworms. The Bristleworms I have in my tank are actually fireworms, they are red, purple and orange, they are good to have. Fireworms are Bristleworms but not all Bristleworms are fireworms.
adairable
Member
Originally Posted by trainfever
I voted they are good although there are a few that are bad. The mahority of the ones brought in my the aquarium hobby are good and beneficial to your aquarium. If you have a lot in your system, then you are overfeeding your tank. They will only multiply to keep up with the wqaste in your tank. Cut back on your feeding and you will see them decline. There are a lot of different Bristleworms. The Bristleworms I have in my tank are actually fireworms, they are red, purple and orange, they are good to have. Fireworms are Bristleworms but not all Bristleworms are fireworms.
that sounds like a geometry proof.....all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares
i think i might over feed a bit....i mean I only have a cleaner shrimp, 10 turbos and 4 blue hermits and I feed the shrimp two chips a day, I thought I was underfeeding :thinking:
I voted they are good although there are a few that are bad. The mahority of the ones brought in my the aquarium hobby are good and beneficial to your aquarium. If you have a lot in your system, then you are overfeeding your tank. They will only multiply to keep up with the wqaste in your tank. Cut back on your feeding and you will see them decline. There are a lot of different Bristleworms. The Bristleworms I have in my tank are actually fireworms, they are red, purple and orange, they are good to have. Fireworms are Bristleworms but not all Bristleworms are fireworms.
that sounds like a geometry proof.....all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares
i think i might over feed a bit....i mean I only have a cleaner shrimp, 10 turbos and 4 blue hermits and I feed the shrimp two chips a day, I thought I was underfeeding :thinking:
adairable
Member
Originally Posted by trainfever
I voted they are good although there are a few that are bad. The mahority of the ones brought in my the aquarium hobby are good and beneficial to your aquarium. If you have a lot in your system, then you are overfeeding your tank. They will only multiply to keep up with the wqaste in your tank. Cut back on your feeding and you will see them decline. There are a lot of different Bristleworms. The Bristleworms I have in my tank are actually fireworms, they are red, purple and orange, they are good to have. Fireworms are Bristleworms but not all Bristleworms are fireworms.
and I am pretty sure mine are fireworms too!
I voted they are good although there are a few that are bad. The mahority of the ones brought in my the aquarium hobby are good and beneficial to your aquarium. If you have a lot in your system, then you are overfeeding your tank. They will only multiply to keep up with the wqaste in your tank. Cut back on your feeding and you will see them decline. There are a lot of different Bristleworms. The Bristleworms I have in my tank are actually fireworms, they are red, purple and orange, they are good to have. Fireworms are Bristleworms but not all Bristleworms are fireworms.
and I am pretty sure mine are fireworms too!
trainfever
Active Member
Originally Posted by Adairable
that sounds like a geometry proof.....all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares
i think i might over feed a bit....i mean I only have a cleaner shrimp, 10 turbos and 4 blue hermits and I feed the shrimp two chips a day, I thought I was underfeeding :thinking:
You have that backwards, All rectangles are squares but not all squares are rectangles. LOL
that sounds like a geometry proof.....all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares
i think i might over feed a bit....i mean I only have a cleaner shrimp, 10 turbos and 4 blue hermits and I feed the shrimp two chips a day, I thought I was underfeeding :thinking:
You have that backwards, All rectangles are squares but not all squares are rectangles. LOL
adairable
Member
Originally Posted by trainfever
You have that backwards, All rectangles are squares but not all squares are rectangles. LOL
NO! i am totally right!!!! all squares(all four angles are 90* and all four sides are equal) are rectangles (all four angles are 90* sides don't matter)
But not all rectangles are squares.....because it is no longer a square if the sides are not equal.
ALSO, all sqaures are rhombuses but not all rhombuses are squares!
BAMM! MATH ATTACK!
You have that backwards, All rectangles are squares but not all squares are rectangles. LOL
NO! i am totally right!!!! all squares(all four angles are 90* and all four sides are equal) are rectangles (all four angles are 90* sides don't matter)
But not all rectangles are squares.....because it is no longer a square if the sides are not equal.
ALSO, all sqaures are rhombuses but not all rhombuses are squares!
BAMM! MATH ATTACK!
trainfever
Active Member
You are correct. I think the one I was thinking of is, all squares are quadrilaterals but not all quadrilaterals are squares. I've been out of school longer than youve been on this earth. LOL
adairable
Member
Originally Posted by trainfever
You are correct. I think the one I was thinking of is, all squares are quadrilaterals but not all quadrilaterals are squares. I've been out of school longer than youve been on this earth. LOL
HA! you are funny!
and im sure your not that old!!!
Plus I have to know my stuff or the kids eat me alive!
You are correct. I think the one I was thinking of is, all squares are quadrilaterals but not all quadrilaterals are squares. I've been out of school longer than youve been on this earth. LOL
HA! you are funny!
and im sure your not that old!!!
Plus I have to know my stuff or the kids eat me alive!
chinpokomon
Member
I only worry if they get out of hand in my reef tanks I don’t keep track of them in my fish/invert tanks. Fireworms and bristleworms in general are beneficial detritavores (sp?) but on occasion they may eat/harass certain corals and Anemones and night. Sometimes I’ll trap and remove especially large specimens before they get too large to trap but other than that I don’t worry about them. I just toss the occasional captives into my livesand sump and go on with it. And yes they can inflict some discomfort if you handle them wrong so take care if you do.
adairable
Member
Originally Posted by chinpokomon
I only worry if they get out of hand in my reef tanks I don’t keep track of them in my fish/invert tanks. Fireworms and bristleworms in general are beneficial detritavores (sp?) but on occasion they may eat/harass certain corals and Anemones and night. Sometimes I’ll trap and remove especially large specimens before they get too large to trap but other than that I don’t worry about them. I just toss the occasional captives into my livesand sump and go on with it. And yes they can inflict some discomfort if you handle them wrong so take care if you do.
How did you catch he big ones? And how big is big?
I only worry if they get out of hand in my reef tanks I don’t keep track of them in my fish/invert tanks. Fireworms and bristleworms in general are beneficial detritavores (sp?) but on occasion they may eat/harass certain corals and Anemones and night. Sometimes I’ll trap and remove especially large specimens before they get too large to trap but other than that I don’t worry about them. I just toss the occasional captives into my livesand sump and go on with it. And yes they can inflict some discomfort if you handle them wrong so take care if you do.
How did you catch he big ones? And how big is big?
iusetablesalt
Member
i voted bad because i've read article on them destroying reefs and such. But the biggest reason i posted was when i google imaged the bobbit worm it reminded me of the move TREMORS. lol just felt like sharing that
adairable
Member
Originally Posted by IuseTableSalt
i voted bad because i've read article on them destroying reefs and such. But the biggest reason i posted was when i google imaged the bobbit worm it reminded me of the move TREMORS. lol just felt like sharing that
TOTALLY LOOKED LIKE TREMOR MONSTERS....that movie showed kevin bacon at his best!
i voted bad because i've read article on them destroying reefs and such. But the biggest reason i posted was when i google imaged the bobbit worm it reminded me of the move TREMORS. lol just felt like sharing that
TOTALLY LOOKED LIKE TREMOR MONSTERS....that movie showed kevin bacon at his best!
1knight164
Member
As hideous as they look, I voted yes. As mentioned before, the best way to control them is to make sure you're not overfeeding.
awilson500
Member
If you want to see a worm check this one out!!!! :scared: .......... :help:
This is CRAZY http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm
This is CRAZY http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm
chinpokomon
Member
Originally Posted by Adairable
How did you catch he big ones? And how big is big?
First a word about fire/bristleworm size: A three inch contracted worm can stretch to eight inches with little effort. I am talking about a contracted worm size when I give a length. I know some guys like to brag about the length of their worms in mixed company but not me I’m a gentleman. The largest fireworm I ever caught in my trap was about 6” long (contracted) and as thick as a pencil. (STOP laughing!)
I use a standard $10 fireworm trap it consists of two clear hollow tubes about 5" long each about the diameter of a Sharpie marker. One tube slips snug in the other. The smaller tube has a small food chamber at one end with a removable plug. It has a very small hole in it to allow scent propagation. Once it is loaded with food you slip the bigger tube about an inch over the food compartment and drop it in the tank at night. Then watch it every 30 minutes with dim (60w or <) red light (regular room light will spook the worms). The other ends of the tubes have an inverted cone (like a fish trap). Fireworms can constrict through small openings this allows up to pencil sized worms to enter the tube through the cone. As long as the worm is a few inches inside the tube and free and clear of any outside anchor point you can lift the trap out before the worm can back out of the end of the trap. If the worms are a little smaller (4”) they will fit completely in the tube sometimes a dozen or so will gather in about 15-20 minutes of dropping the trap. Empty the trap and repeat until happy. If you know the general location of a worm that you want to remove just place one end of the trap near it. Note the worm must be clear of any anchor points before you remove the trap if it doesn’t fit completely inside. You’ll need to check it every half hour or so because the worms can escape when the lights come on in the morning plus the bait (dry krill) will rot the whole time it sits there. PS release any other trapped micro fauna back into your tank
Larger worms 8”+ are best removed with gloved hands/arms or net at night under red light after coaxing them out with food. I find tongs tend to damage them or they escape my clumsy manipulations (^ ^) and nets are hard to use. I bought a $20 pair of shoulder length reef gloves from (thatpetplace.com) about 10 yrs ago after I cut my hand on a piece of coral. They’re great, no cuts or stings plus I don’t have to worry about contaminating my tanks with lotion, oil or soap residue. A more drastic measure is to dry-dock the rock your worm is living in they’ll usually hop off after 10-15 minutes, not a sure thing though.
BUT as I said I only remove the bigger 3”+ worms in my reef tanks because they may pose a problem and even then I don’t freak about it, once or twice a year I just thin the herd. I get most of my experience in worm wrangling helping friends now and customers way back when. (Knowing stuff will bite you in the ass every time) The answer to your question is yes and no. Yes, most people express concern when they learn they have them but no, most do little or nothing about it with little ill effect. I’d only worry if you notice a problem. Good Luck
How did you catch he big ones? And how big is big?
First a word about fire/bristleworm size: A three inch contracted worm can stretch to eight inches with little effort. I am talking about a contracted worm size when I give a length. I know some guys like to brag about the length of their worms in mixed company but not me I’m a gentleman. The largest fireworm I ever caught in my trap was about 6” long (contracted) and as thick as a pencil. (STOP laughing!)
I use a standard $10 fireworm trap it consists of two clear hollow tubes about 5" long each about the diameter of a Sharpie marker. One tube slips snug in the other. The smaller tube has a small food chamber at one end with a removable plug. It has a very small hole in it to allow scent propagation. Once it is loaded with food you slip the bigger tube about an inch over the food compartment and drop it in the tank at night. Then watch it every 30 minutes with dim (60w or <) red light (regular room light will spook the worms). The other ends of the tubes have an inverted cone (like a fish trap). Fireworms can constrict through small openings this allows up to pencil sized worms to enter the tube through the cone. As long as the worm is a few inches inside the tube and free and clear of any outside anchor point you can lift the trap out before the worm can back out of the end of the trap. If the worms are a little smaller (4”) they will fit completely in the tube sometimes a dozen or so will gather in about 15-20 minutes of dropping the trap. Empty the trap and repeat until happy. If you know the general location of a worm that you want to remove just place one end of the trap near it. Note the worm must be clear of any anchor points before you remove the trap if it doesn’t fit completely inside. You’ll need to check it every half hour or so because the worms can escape when the lights come on in the morning plus the bait (dry krill) will rot the whole time it sits there. PS release any other trapped micro fauna back into your tank
Larger worms 8”+ are best removed with gloved hands/arms or net at night under red light after coaxing them out with food. I find tongs tend to damage them or they escape my clumsy manipulations (^ ^) and nets are hard to use. I bought a $20 pair of shoulder length reef gloves from (thatpetplace.com) about 10 yrs ago after I cut my hand on a piece of coral. They’re great, no cuts or stings plus I don’t have to worry about contaminating my tanks with lotion, oil or soap residue. A more drastic measure is to dry-dock the rock your worm is living in they’ll usually hop off after 10-15 minutes, not a sure thing though.
BUT as I said I only remove the bigger 3”+ worms in my reef tanks because they may pose a problem and even then I don’t freak about it, once or twice a year I just thin the herd. I get most of my experience in worm wrangling helping friends now and customers way back when. (Knowing stuff will bite you in the ass every time) The answer to your question is yes and no. Yes, most people express concern when they learn they have them but no, most do little or nothing about it with little ill effect. I’d only worry if you notice a problem. Good Luck