What the heck is THIS?

[wrassecal]

I've had bristle worms in my reef tank for a year and a half. They are great clean up and don't eat anything that isn't already dead. They help keep the top of the sand bed stirred up and they clean out the tiny areas in the rock that other critters can't get too. My sixline wrasse likes to eat them so I have even gone so far as to have a friend from the board send me a new supply that I keep in the refugium to breed and then add to the main tank. My anenome has split twice in this time, no problems with any living inhabitants of the tank. Granted, your pic is fuzzy but as far as I can tell it's like most of the ones I have. They are gross and sting but very beneficial.

 

[rickster]

there it is. a testimony.
R

 

[wrassecal]

I've seen pics of some really big ones and if I had one of those 6 plus inch ones, I would take it out (using hubby for the actual removal), but it would be more because of the "eww, creepy " aspect than the benefit of my reef aspect. If one got really big like that monster Steve Weast had (but I don't think it was a bristle) they'd have to put me in the looney bin.

 

[nm reef]

I'd class the vast majority of bristle worms as extremely beneficial in a marine system. There have been a few reports of problems but for the most part they are a beneficial part of the micro fauna diversity needed to sustain a system. I have large numbers of bristles in my display and even more in my refugium...I encourage them to grow and reproduce. They help to control algaes/clean-up dead or dieing creature/consume waste products/airate the upper levels of the sand bed/ and provide a link in the food chain...for more reasons to keep them than to get rid of them in my opinion.

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