Bristle Worms

[mmstillwell01]

Hello all,

So my tank has been up for years, and until last night I have never seen this worm before I believe it is a bristle worm, they are every where in my tank, I have heard that bristle worms are very bad and to get them out right away but then I started reading some post here and I guess some are fine?

I have a very large Green tip Anemone and I read online that bristle worms will damage them is this true?

Can anyone please help me should I leave them alone or try to get them out?

The picture above is not mine I found it online but this is what the worms look like.

Thank you for your help!

 

[innerdragon103]

I personally have never head anything good about them. If I'm not mistaken they'll eat soft tissue stuff (corals, maybe anemones). It'd be wise to get them out but you can't retrieve them by hand, obviously. Maybe some sort of turkey baster type thing? Other opinions?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by InnerDragon103 http:///t/396664/bristle-worms#post_3537434
I personally have never head anything good about them. If I'm not mistaken they'll eat soft tissue stuff (corals, maybe anemones). It'd be wise to get them out but you can't retrieve them by hand, obviously. Maybe some sort of turkey baster type thing? Other opinions?


It's a harmless bristle worm (they do sting so don't grab them by hand) and beneficial for your tank. They are the eaters of the dead and dying. In a SW tank with all the live rock...a fish may feel sick and go deep into the rock to die, the bristle worms will dispose of the body before it can poison the entire tank with ammonia from the dead fish. They also eat the food that gets trapped into the live rock where the fish can't reach...keeping your tank clean and pollution free.

HOWEVER....in a seahorse tank they are not a good thing, since they can sting a seahorse and hurt them. So if you see a person all concerned about them, that would be the only reason I can think of. Or perhaps if a person has way too much food wasted, the bristle worm population would explode to eat it all. There are fish you can get the eats them.