Fish that eats bristle worms??

9supratt4

Active Member
I know that bristle worms are a great part of the CUC, but I have a ton of them and some of them are getting quite large!! I'm talking maybe 6"+!!
Is there a fish or invert out there that will help to cut back the population of the larger worms??
 

redman1221

Member
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/2651385
I know that bristle worms are a great part of the CUC, but I have a ton of them and some of them are getting quite large!! I'm talking maybe 6"+!!
Is there a fish or invert out there that will help to cut back the population of the larger worms??
Arrow crab they eat bristle worms
 
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/2651385
I know that bristle worms are a great part of the CUC, but I have a ton of them and some of them are getting quite large!! I'm talking maybe 6"+!!
Is there a fish or invert out there that will help to cut back the population of the larger worms??
I dont think you will find many things that will eat a 6"+ bristle worm. I would get some panty hose. (or thigh highs) Than put some food in them and some rocks for weight. Stick it in your tank at night. In the morning you will have a lot of bristle worms stuck to it.
You can also keep them in cheak by not feeding. There numbers will fall in time if there is not a lot of extra food for them to eat.
 

ledzep fan

Active Member
Pinstripe Wrasse, great fish with tons of personality and I believe they eat bristle worms and flat worms.
 

stanlalee

Active Member
psuedochromis if you dont have small timid tank mates or small (community) tank. they have species that range from 2" to 5+" and varying degree of aggression.
 

9supratt4

Active Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
http:///forum/post/2651691
psuedochromis if you dont have small timid tank mates or small (community) tank. they have species that range from 2" to 5+" and varying degree of aggression.
I've got a purple psuedo in there now along with 2 clowns and sailfin tang. The psuedo does nothing!!
 

stanlalee

Active Member
one of the larger species like splendid but I guess having one already thats out. arrow crabs are suppose to eat them. If you have an excessive bristle worm outbreak nothing is probably going to eat them because an outbreak is a sign there is already plenty other stuff to eat already. cut back on feeding and starve them out over time along with manual removal.
 

9supratt4

Active Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
http:///forum/post/2652174
one of the larger species like splendid but I guess having one already thats out. arrow crabs are suppose to eat them. If you have an excessive bristle worm outbreak nothing is probably going to eat them because an outbreak is a sign there is already plenty other stuff to eat already. cut back on feeding and starve them out over time along with manual removal.
I've been cutting back on feeding, but every time I look in there at night its like there are more and more large ones!! What is the best way for manual removal since as soon as they see light they are gone.
 

mr_x

Active Member
a 6" bristleworm. sure. a Balistapus undulatus can handle that.

seriously though, there's nothing wrong with an abundance of bristleworms.
meanwhile, limiting the nutrients is the key to keeping their numbers small/reducing them naturally. maybe your not cutting back enough
 

mr.clownfish

Active Member
coral banded shrimp, sixline wrasse, arrow crab. are the only ones i could think of. maybe try adding all three and see what happens
 

9supratt4

Active Member
Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2652506
a 6" bristleworm. sure. a Balistapus undulatus can handle that.

seriously though, there's nothing wrong with an abundance of bristleworms.
meanwhile, limiting the nutrients is the key to keeping their numbers small/reducing them naturally. maybe your not cutting back enough
Mr. X....I agree that bristleworms are good, but after everything I have read it seems like if they get too large they can be a bproblme. Is that correct?
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/2652787
Mr. X....I agree that bristleworms are good, but after everything I have read it seems like if they get too large they can be a bproblme. Is that correct?

No, that's not correct, and I have yet to read anything otherwise, except people stating this opinion. The only problem they pose is that they are ugly. They are still beneficial even when they are large.
 
Originally Posted by Tizzo
http:///forum/post/2652900
No, that's not correct, and I have yet to read anything otherwise, except people stating this opinion. The only problem they pose is that they are ugly. They are still beneficial even when they are large.
Theres a few ways of looking at this. I have pulled a few that where big, and would pop out all day long. I dont care abought seeing them I look at them as a free clean up crew. But when thay pop out all day long. And keep shut down a coral thats on the rock thay are hiding in during the day. Than thay are not beneficial to the coral.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Originally Posted by saltwatercraz
http:///forum/post/2653163
Theres a few ways of looking at this. I have pulled a few that where big, and would pop out all day long. I dont care abought seeing them I look at them as a free clean up crew. But when thay pop out all day long. And keep shut down a coral thats on the rock thay are hiding in during the day. Than thay are not beneficial to the coral.
Well there are 2 thing to recognize here. What is he pooping out? Your not deliberately feeding him are you? That would contradict CUC. If your not feeding him, and he's pooping all day, then that means way to much food is getting to him and you are over feeding. But that's not really even my point. My point is, if you are over feeding, and your bristle poops all day as a result, do you realize what would happen to that food if he didn't eat it then poop it? It'd rot, and cause ammonia. Going through the bristle at least converts more of the food to a harmless energy that he can benefit from.
As far as your corals not opening. I would search alterior reasons. I've had hundreds of corals, and probably thousands of BW's and never ever has one not opened because a bristleworm wanted crawl around it.
Right now, I have a severly starved and receeded blasto (rescue, given to me) and a BW lives in the unused skeleton directly next to the the coral. Matter of fact, it's where the coral used to be before it receeded, and the blasto, with proper care and feedings is recovering anyway.
Bristles will not hurt or even agitate your corals.
 

stanlalee

Active Member
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/2652480
What is the best way for manual removal since as soon as they see light they are gone.
Oh you have little chance of actual catching them yourself. You have to build/buy a trap with food at night that the fish cant get in to but the worms can.
 
Originally Posted by Tizzo
http:///forum/post/2653365
Well there are 2 thing to recognize here. What is he pooping out? Your not deliberately feeding him are you? That would contradict CUC. If your not feeding him, and he's pooping all day, then that means way to much food is getting to him and you are over feeding. But that's not really even my point. My point is, if you are over feeding, and your bristle poops all day as a result, do you realize what would happen to that food if he didn't eat it then poop it? It'd rot, and cause ammonia. Going through the bristle at least converts more of the food to a harmless energy that he can benefit from.
As far as your corals not opening. I would search alterior reasons. I've had hundreds of corals, and probably thousands of BW's and never ever has one not opened because a bristleworm wanted crawl around it.
Right now, I have a severly starved and receeded blasto (rescue, given to me) and a BW lives in the unused skeleton directly next to the the coral. Matter of fact, it's where the coral used to be before it receeded, and the blasto, with proper care and feedings is recovering anyway.
Bristles will not hurt or even agitate your corals.

No I do not deliberately feed it. Theres no way that I am over feeding. I feed 1/2" cube of home maid frozen food ever other day. This is not to much food to feed all my fish in a 480 gallon system. As far as the corals not opening. It was from the bristleworm crawling on the corals and agitate it. (poping in and out and tuching the coral).. Once the bristleworm was pulled the zoas opened right up back up and stayed open. As I stated before you have to look at this in more than one way. There is no one right way in reefing. In post #3 you will see what I said abought over feeding. All I can say is that I have seen this first hand, and now many people on other fourms that have to. And yes I now what happens to food if it is not ate. Also I never said any thing abougth poop when I was talking before I said poping. Just cuz my post count is low it doesnt mean that I have not been around the block a few times.
As far as how many corals you have. It doesnt mater to me. If you want to start counting how many corals are in my tank be my quest. Hears a few pics if you want to count them.


 
I have seahorses,and they are a problem in my tank as my ponies try to eat them ! I even had one snick at one , luckily she survived. I use tweezers and manually pick them out.I tried the traps and they are crap, didn't catch one.I also read that bristles can't see red light , so you can get a flashlight and put red fabric or panty hose on it and happy hunting
 
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