Originally Posted by Smork81
How many is too many? I have a 55g reef set-up. Just recently i started looking at night with a flashlight and notice up to 25+ comming out of the rocks. I can not tell the length of any cause they arent completly out all the way. Is that too many? I haven't noticed any damage to any corals, only concern i have with that is around some of my palys there is a black and white striped worm that i do not know what it is..looks like its munching on them and around them. Anyway, How many are too many is my question??
-nika
I think the question of how many is too many is determined by the life forms you are keeping and what type of worms you are hosting. In an all fish tank with crabs, snails and starfish I would have no concerns about their type or stocking levels. As stated before in this thread fireworm population will mostly be determined by the amount you over feed the tank this is probably the easiest control method . As for full reef tanks based mainly on soft and hard corals more concern is necessary due to the fact that some (not all) bristleworms can damage or eat them. If you suspect bristleworm damage check for them at night and look closely for bristles shed on or near the victim. I think a tank devoid of fireworms is wishful thinking but steady effort with a worm trap over the course of a week or two can deplete their number to a “safe” level. As for this magic number there isn’t one, as long as a few exist you’ll have more soon enough. But in my opinion the lower their number the less a chance their population will exhaust their detritus supply and move on to your corals and Anemones. I think without evidence of them doing damage their population level is a matter of your comfort level. Remember if you have a lot of them this indicates overfeeding moving them won’t stop the overfeeding it will only remove your clean up crew.
As for the black and white worms preying on your palys I would google fireworm trap and try it on them. If it doesn’t work then you may need to manually catch or kill them to protect your lifeforms. If you do get a trap one thing I forgot to mention is that the trap must be completely filled will water to work properly. You may need to shake the trap underwater to remove all the air in it before you place it.
