bristle worms

[nanotwelve]

:scared: Holy #*&^ I finallly saw two bristle worms come out from under my live rock the other day. I understand these are hitchhikers but it still freaked me out. I don't like the idea that there is something in there that could sting me while i'm cleaning the tank.
Does anyone out there know how these critters can be dormant in the sand or live rock for so long and what brings them out??????? and what can I do to eliminate them or reduce? :help: thanks

 

[corally]

Originally Posted by nanotwelve
:scared: Holy #*&^ I finallly saw two bristle worms come out from under my live rock the other day. I understand these are hitchhikers but it still freaked me out. I don't like the idea that there is something in there that could sting me while i'm cleaning the tank.
Does anyone out there know how these critters can be dormant in the sand or live rock for so long and what brings them out??????? and what can I do to eliminate them or reduce? :help: thanks

lol that is the same reaction I had the first time I saw one

They are supposed to be beneficial scavengers.
I've read on here that if you reduce your feeding they will slowly disappear or you can buy traps but i don't know how well they work.

 

[devilboy]

they are harmless scavengers and a good part of your clean up crew. i would leave them alone. if you are worried about getting stung, then wear you do your maintence wear gloves. i have a pair of aqua gloves i wear that come up to your shoulders so your arms dont even get wet......

 

[a2fire2i]

Has anyone ever been stung by one? I was cleaning my rocks when i got them and a fe days later my palms had little bumps all over them and itched like crazy. we had been to a park with the dog a few days before, and i just thought the dog got into something.

 

[devilboy]

yes i have been stung by a bristleworm. it feels like a bee sting. but it scared crap outta me

 

[nanomantis]

if you have ever gotten that pink fiberglass insulation under your skin, you know the little glass strands, yeah it feels like that

 

[tatoush]

I've used the trap in my FOWLR tank, and it works pretty good. Nothing like the scent of freeze dried krill to get you up in the morning and get trapped....

Lev

 

[harial]

When I got stung it felt like half my hand had been submerged into a bowl of fire. I don't have any bristle worms in my tank.

 

[nanotwelve]

Originally Posted by Harial
When I got stung it felt like half my hand had been submerged into a bowl of fire. I don't have any bristle worms in my tank.
How did you manage to get rid of them!!!!!!!!!

 

[harial]

I only have a small 12 gallon nano cube so I did not have that many to begin with, but after I got stung everytime I saw one, I took a pair of 8 inch tweezers and grabbed them. I did not feed my tank at all(which was not to big of a deal since I only kept peppermints). I also took every rock and dipped it into a freshwater/flatworm-exit solution(I had flatworms(but not anymore)). I put the rock back in and when I had to move my tank to another room a few days ago, I did notice that there weren't ANY under the rocks when I removed the rock from the tank, but I still dipped them into the freshwater/flatworm-exit solution. But I have not seen any in months.

 

[nanotwelve]

Wouldn't this approach kill off any kind of other beneficial/good critters?
My tanks only 3-4 months old but I've got other hitchhikers that i want to keep!
( mushroom corals, feather duster etc.)

 

[harial]

well, first off, I did this about a month after I started my tank so there were not many critters period, however, the animals that can be harmed by the fwe usually swim off rock and toward the surface. i just scooped up the few pods and brittle stars and put them back in the tank.

 

[kadiya]

Someone else told me to get some pantyhose and put some bait in it, like krill or something and tie it up and throw it in. I guess in the morning you will wake up and find it full of bristleworms. Guess it's easier to get into it than out. I've heard it works really well from several others. I'm still setting my tank up so I'm stalled at the moment and haven't dealt with this firsthand yet.