Check this Bad Boy out!
- Thread starter holloway
- Start date
raisin
New Member
looks like a big bristle worm to me i have a few smaller ones in my tank and got them out right away they like to eat clames and feather dusters and they might start to prey on your fish get him out i knowmits a sad thing to do but if you have another tank you might might to put him in it all by himself he and your fish will be happy with that
skirrby
Active Member
rasin.. bristleworms are not near has bad as you make them out to be.. they are for the most part 100% harmless and a good part of your cleanup crew. alot of people on here will agree that they are more of a good thing than a bad thing.. and if you can show me full proof that a bristleworm tracked down and attacked a fish that was in perfect health, i'd be glad to see it...
raisin
New Member
:thinking: bristle worms are scavengers and predators they sift through the detritus searching for algea and morsels of fodd but they can also attack living prey such as clams, tubeworms, sessile invertebrates and fish that lock themselfs into crevices at night. large specimens are capable of biting humans and even the smallest can produce a painful rash i have lost a few clams and tube worms to bristle worm also
raisin
New Member
no matter what you decide to do i wish you all the luck but the best thing that you can do is try to find out what you can on bristle worms to make sure it is something that you want to keep in your tank i never said i was a expect but i try to find out every thing that i can on things i do not know and ask who ever i can i am learning as well as any one is best of luck
holloway
Member
Scared the tar out of me. I was curious to see the nocturnal creatures everyone talks about on this message board. So Got a flashlight, covered it with a red gel , and began exploring. You would of thought jaws was coming to get me. I was shocked. When I took this photo the lights were actually on. Looked as if he was investigating some nori I threw in there for the inverts.
S
sebae0
Guest
i have lots of bristle worms also and a clam with no problems, your clam was probably dieing and the bristleworms smelled that and came to clean up.
khourglass
Member
I had LFS give me some, because I was afraid I diddnt have any in my tank...they have been harmless so far. I rarely ever see them but I see the benefits of them daily. My LS is looked better everyday since I added them.
Just my 2 pennies worth...HTH
Kristi
Just my 2 pennies worth...HTH
Kristi
bang guy
Moderator
the Eurythoe complanata is incapable of injuring anything that doesn't try to eat it. It won't eat clams, it won't eat fish, it couldn't even harm a Copepod.
It will eat the dead flesh off of injured or dying animals and it will make a quick meal of a dead clam or leftover fish food.
Removing it would be a bad mistake IMO.
Guy
It will eat the dead flesh off of injured or dying animals and it will make a quick meal of a dead clam or leftover fish food.
Removing it would be a bad mistake IMO.
Guy
fender
Active Member
He's harmless and best left in the tank. I have two or three that are that big and tons of smaller ones. Never seen them eat anything that wasn't dead already. One of the benefits of bristle worms not mentioned here is they keep filter feeders fed by spawning frequently. They are good at sifting sand, eating leftover food and cleaning up after the other tank inhabitants, and keep to themselves.
Having a scavenger like that is also nice for when something dies in the tank - often they will pick it clean before it has a chance to rot and foul the tank (had a recent experience with a dead snail where this was the case).
I have a clam, many corals, fish, and shrimp and never experienced a bristle worm problem.
Having a scavenger like that is also nice for when something dies in the tank - often they will pick it clean before it has a chance to rot and foul the tank (had a recent experience with a dead snail where this was the case).
I have a clam, many corals, fish, and shrimp and never experienced a bristle worm problem.
