Friend or foe ??????

[jeffro63]

.I found a bristle worm in my tank last night after the lights went out. I just got a new cleaner crew so I was looking for them with the flashlight and there was a bristle worm. I don't know how big it is cause i couldn't see either end. But after looking closer,I see a whole bunch more but they are only about 3/4 to one inch long. Whats wierd is I just got 25 turbo snails and when i moved one of the snail shells about 10 or 12 little worms came crawling out of the shell. These I don't what they are for sure, they don't look like bristles but they are kinda small so maybe they just don't look like a mature bristle worm. I don't know. The thing is do I need to get rid of them or are they actually beneficial.

 

[gemmy]

They are beneficial detrivores. They eat detritus (including dead snails) and excess foods. You don't really see all the bristle worms that are in your tank, since they hide in the sand bed and the nooks and crannies of the live rock. If you are seeing a bunch, then it is good to assume there are excess nutrients in the tank (feeding heavy is the main reason). You can reduce the numbers of bristle worms by feeding less and in smaller amounts. You can also make a bristle worm trap if you feel as though they are getting out of hand.
DO NOT HANDLE THE BRISTLE WORMS!!!! Take this advice. I accidentally touched bristle worms and this is what happened:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
The fingers turned red and had slight swelling
[*]
Tiny blisters formed
I had a "pins and needles" sensation on the fingers
The skin started to peel
[/list type=decimal]
If I touch a bristle worm, it usually takes 2 weeks to heal.

 

[jeffro63]

So they can actually be friends, thats cool. I don't think that I'm getting out of hand with them yet, cause I only seen one or two of them that were good size. The rest of them I think came from the snails I just got. Out of 25 of them 13 havn't moved since I put them in the tank.
{ I'll be getting them out of there today if they havn't moved yet } I just wonder if I got a bad batch of snails.
Thanks for the help,
Jeff

 

[yannifish]

Yeah, don't touch them.
Gemmy's description of what happens when you touch one is 100% accurate.

 

[jeffro63]

Ok I'll be careful not to touch them. I really didn't want to anyway cause they just look gross. Ya just know when not to touch something by the way it looks. Kinda like spiders and snakes.
Thanks
Jeff

 

[cryptics]

You said they eat excess food and dead snails and such which is good but will they actually kill a snail for food?

 

[gemmy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cryptics http:///forum/thread/384732/friend-or-foe#post_3371529
You said they eat excess food and dead snails and such which is good but will they actually kill a snail for food?
I don't believe they would kill a snail for food.

 

[katsafados]

I've touched one, even seen the bristles sticking out of my finger... Nothing like that happened.. felt like a prickly pear bristle, just used tape to get the bristles out and that was it... I guess you guys are sensitive to them..