getting worms out of live rock

[lilredcmc]

does anyone know how to get bristleworms out of live rock. we have tried letting the rock sit in a bucket w/no water, freshwater, freshwater and vinegar, saltwater at 1.040. i have even tried soaking the rock in boiling freshwater and they still refuse to come out. the reason i want to get rid of them is because i caught them attacking my brittle star. any info would be great at this point. thanks.

 

[viper_930]

Boiling freshwater....You sure they are still alive? :thinking:

 

[lilredcmc]

i don't know. i don't want to really put the rock back into the tank until i get the worm out. hubby thinks i might have boiled him alive, but i want to make sure it is dead.

 

[lilredcmc]

just for future reference, boiling freshwater literally makes the bristleworms explode!! so, it works for me. the before pic is one we caught that was eating the star, the after is the one i boiled.

 

[beth]

Ok, ok, ok. Bristleworms ARE Friends, NOT Enemies. If a bristleworm was eating a star, it is because the star was either DEAD already or on its way to being dead anyway.
Hobbyists commonly pay good money for detritivore kits that usually include bristleworms. The reason that live rock is called "live rock" is because it is alive with worms, stars, bacteria, etc., etc.
Please don't kill bristleworms. I must have a hundred thousand bristleworms in my tank and I love each and every single one of them. Long ones, fat ones, ugly ones, itsy-bitsy baby ones, all are manna from heaven in my tank. They have kept my tank clean and healthy. They are an excellent cleanup partner and a wonderful sand sifter.
Read and learn before you leap and jump in this hobby. That pic is really sad.

 

[lilredcmc]

i am sorry but i did read just about everything i could. i asked a lot of questions. and when i see these worms curling around snails and stars there is something wrong. there was nothing wrong with my star before they started attacking him. in fact, since i have gotten rid of them he is doing much better and slowly but surely his arms are growing back. not all of these worms are good. you would know that in your reading. so flame me all you want but the ones that i caught and took to the lfs are not the good ones. and i feel much better knowing that my fish are safe when i turn the lights out.

 

[fshhub]

???????
i am confuzzled here
which ones are BAD?
i know the fireworms are not as well liked as others by some, but bad????
nah. i want them all, except maybe VERY VERY large ones, which can be removed, if you like
and as for the rock, you do realize that you ruined a perfectly good live rock, don't you?you would have been much better off to buy just rock and take your chances with it instead, by taking your chances, i mean in water stability since using non'live rock will normally create issues with stability in your water chemistry.
this is not flaming but fact. BTW, who told you they were bad? your LFS? if so, chalk another one up for inaccurate information given out by the money mongers. because they probably just sold you another piece or pieces of live rock, taht one definitely is no longer live or even really useful to you. I really hope that was not expensive rock.

 

[fshhub]

ps, she was not flaming. her advice is always very good, in fact she is a moderator and is constantly policing flames(one of her pet-peeves) as well. the last thing she does to anyone seeking help is knock them down. sometimes we are all a little misunderstood, which must be the case here, but i can assure you her info is correct and she has meant no flame.