What a mess

[teresaq]

I have had it with this brown stringy algea and these brissle worms.
I have my tank all tore up. The horses are in a 5 gal at the moment, half my rock is in a tub, and so far I have caught 12+ brissle worms. I have only done half the tank. uggggg. I will finish cleaning one side tonight and put the horses back, then tomorrow I will do the other side.
T

 

[meowzer]

YIKES.....good luck....Hope it all works out okay

 

[chrisb430]

worms are a never ending battle. they will multiply as fast as you get rid of them. before you go to crazy dont destroy your tank to much. You will do more harm then good. Its not worth it.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Chrisb430
http:///forum/post/3235832
worms are a never ending battle. they will multiply as fast as you get rid of them. before you go to crazy dont destroy your tank to much. You will do more harm then good. Its not worth it.

I think bristle worms are a danger to sea horses. What may be okay in a regular reef isn't okay for them, they are very delicate creatures.

 

[teresaq]

Flower is right. While brissle worms are wonderful in a reef, and if you could keep the horses from trying to eat them, they are a good part of a cleanup crew. If a horse snikes a worm, the brissle can get lodged in thier snouts and they are unable to eat. I have started using a feeding dish, but there are some pretty big worms in there. I took out aprox 16 and moved them to my reef and the sump of the horse tank.
T

 

[shrimpy brains]

Sorry you had to resort to that.

Good luck!

 

[novahobbies]

Drat, I'm sorry to hear that. I know you've been fighting these buggers for a while now.....between the worms and the dino's (sounds like you're being terrorized by giant scaly beasts) I can imagine your frustration.
Here's a thought -- have you considered doing a whole breakdown and cleanout? Do you have a tank big enough to hold them for a month or so? I have a 45g tank collecting dust in my garage plus a emperor 400 biowheel filter...the biowheels are probably still alive, as they've been floating in my sump. I'd be happy to lend it to you if you need it -- Just PM me if you want it.

 

[teresaq]

Thanks for the offer. I have a 20 gal and a couple of tens. I also have a 55 that I could clean out. (its sitting outside). I am really considering a total breakdown along with a complete sand change.
I did a good cleaning on friday and already have dinos on the spray bars, rocks and hitches. Its just gross.
T

 

[novahobbies]

No problem. I had a feeling you'd have at least one or two tanks hiding around the house....don't we all?? I just wanted you to know the offer was there if needed.
I don't want to sound like I'm capitalizing on your pain, but do you think you could snap some pictures of your dinoflagellate outbreak? It sounds terrible, but it might help others identify a dino outbreak versus a heavy cyano outbreak. I think Renee keeps a photo catalog of pests and outbreaks, but I don't remember her documenting Dinos.
...And if I'm totally imagining the photo journal, I just might put one up myself. I know people hate taking pictures of the ugly side of our hobby, but it's the best way to help others learn.

 

[bronco300]

Hey there T, sorry to hear about the problems, I'm hanging in there =) Maybe you should prchase an arrow crab for a different tank and just rent him our to your seahorse tank to take care of those bristles.