bristle worms !!!

bracebldrs

bracebldrs

Member
bristle worms!!
i found 2 ,3to4in bristle worms poking out
of lr rock other day almost caught one.
any body have advice on them ?
 
hifi

hifi

Member
They are good to have. They eat all the left overs & help keep the tank clean. I caught one under my sebae I removed it because I didnt want it to bother it anymore. I have lots in my tank, they mostly come out at night or after the fish are feed.
 
vetteguy99

vetteguy99

New Member
I also have bristle worms in my Live rock too, but they can breed very very quick and take over as well. A good way to keep the population at a good number is to buy a wrasse. The wrasse will eat the worms when he's awake and at nite they'll take the rest of the food. Kind of a checks and balance equation in your tank haha
 
bracebldrs

bracebldrs

Member
so what your saying is that they do
have the potential to hurt things?
and is it true that if you see 1 or 2 you prob have 10
or20?
 
emmitt

emmitt

Member
Dont get a wrasse to control them. If they begin to get out of control, you are probably overfeeding. Just cut back the feedin a little bit and the population should stay in check.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by bracebldrs
so what your saying is that they do
have the potential to hurt things?
and is it true that if you see 1 or 2 you prob have 10
or20?
Since you only see 1 or 2, I agree that you wouldn't necessarily need a way to control them. I also agree that 1 or 2 in sight means more that you can't see. But I don't think it sounds like they are a problem. They aren't predatory, they are beneficial IMO, and just not very attractive, poor dears.
They clean up any leftover feed quite handily. And I'm disinclined to ever believe that they cause mortality in the tank. I think they probably just tend to get caught "cleaning up" after the fact.
 
bracebldrs

bracebldrs

Member
okay ,but what would be the signs of (out of control)?
do ilook for dead crabs or snails?will they hurt feather dusters?
and would it be so bad to get a wrasse?which brings me to
another question.alittle while ago i bought a cleaner wrassie
qt,ed for bit ,added to my 125g .and 2days later it dissapeared
thought maybe it jumped out back of canopy.i guess its dead in the
rocks some where 100lbs .should i bother to find it ?or let nature
take its course?
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
In my experience, overpopulation of bristleworms is evident when you see large numbers of them. I've seen it in my own 55 gal. The sandbed was home to the smaller ones who were out all the time! They have NEVER killed anything in my tank. They have not bothered my feather dusters or any other thing in my tank.
I did buy a wrasse (Long Finned Fairy Wrasse) and he has done wonders. I don't see the worms except when I feed and then they go right back where they came from.
The wrasse is my companion when I have business in the tank because I tend to stir up empty hermit shells and the small worms will sometimes be in those and the wrasse loves to snick them out of the water.
It doesn't sound like you have a problem at this time, so the purchase of a wrasse isn't necessary unless you have bio-room and just want one. They are nice fish and easy.
As to your cleaner wrasse, if he did die in the tank, your cleanup crew (including the worms) have probably cleared away the fish by now.
 
bracebldrs

bracebldrs

Member
thanks for advice.
when i stoop down and look across my sand somtimes i will see
thousands of thingys stiking up kinda waveing bought 1/4in up.
is that baby bristles?my 55g has cc so sand in my125g is new to
me.side view of worm tunnels are present
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by bracebldrs
thanks for advice.
when i stoop down and look across my sand somtimes i will see
thousands of thingys stiking up kinda waveing bought 1/4in up.
is that baby bristles?my 55g has cc so sand in my125g is new to
me.side view of worm tunnels are present
Thousands is a disturbing number when speaking of thingys! :scared: What is the color of the things?
I find that my LS is as equally interesting as the LR. So far there hasn't been any bad apples come out of it.
 
mark_d

mark_d

Member
well i have 2 in my tank, guessin theyre around 4in. They have very broad balck and red stripes, and they (im pretty sure it was them anywho) finished off a pretty big feather duster in my tank.. cant think of anything else that woulda killed it...
and i cant get em out . . . theyre smart.. but just wait tillmy fairy wrasse comes in next week...
ahahahahaha!
 
bracebldrs

bracebldrs

Member
i also read that coral banded shrimp
like them but size would be a factor
i supose, but those worms dont seem to
be a threat to anything yet.
go check out (melevs reef.----)look up
bristle worm on the run.
 
glengoby

glengoby

Member
Man I got at least a worm per lb in my 46 gal so that would be about 75 worms and have not had one problem with them eating any of my feather dusters. IMO I think there pretty cool I have seen 2 about the size of a nite crawler they are grey and about a 1/4 inch in diameter. but if you dont like them try the banded shrimp I also heard the same thing about them eating bristles, good luck
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by mark_D
well i have 2 in my tank, guessin theyre around 4in. They have very broad balck and red stripes, and they (im pretty sure it was them anywho) finished off a pretty big feather duster in my tank.. cant think of anything else that woulda killed it...
and i cant get em out . . . theyre smart.. but just wait tillmy fairy wrasse comes in next week...
ahahahahaha!
There is a bristle on the LR behind the fish. Is this what yours look like? I wonder about the red and black stripes?
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
We have been thru it, and I still don't know exactly what to call him besides a fairy wrasse. I refuse to resort to scientific names, I'm enough of a nerd.
Remember though, that the fish will not be able to completely erradicate the population. He is also limited to being able to get at them, and he will not eat the larger ones at all, most likely. He will be great for the baby worms. IMO, having some bristles in the tank is a good thing.
What other fish do you have? What size tank? Can you post a pic, I'm curious.
 
mark_d

mark_d

Member
LOL.. id love to post a pic.. but cant because my camera is kinda not cooperatin ATM...
But I have a 24gal Aquapod with 2 turbo snails, 2 nassarius snails, 1 scarlet hermit, 1 zebra hermit, 3 blueleg hermits, 1 emerald crab, a single still unidentified mushroom polyp, and a pulsing xenia... no fish ... YET going rather slowly i think...
 
stokedhawk

stokedhawk

Member
Most of the small bristleworms are beneficial and you only need to worry when they get big. They do become predatory. We pulled a 14in and a 2 footer out of our tank recently that were predacious. some of you may have seen the pics! It would also take some time for them to grow into that big of a problem. We have a six line wrasse and just got a coral banded shrimp to help. In general i wouldn't worry too much about them, jmo.
 
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