What constitutes "too many" bristle worms?

daninflipflops · 09/11/2012, 11:33 AM

My tank has been running for about 2-3 months now. I have a JBJ 28g with a yellow watchman, pistol, cleaner shrimp and CUC. clowns are still in QT waiting to go in the tank. I have noticed a big increase in the number of bristtleworms in my tank. i have also noticed they are getting a lot braver. i used to only seem them at night, now i see them during the day. When i add food to the tank, they will come all the way out and onto the sandbed looking for food. I have a lot of bigger worms too, around 3" and i just seem to see a lot more of them.

I have seen advice on here that if there are too many that you can start removing them. I picked this up:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150625582340...84.m1439.l2649

and was planning on grabbing the bigger ones that i see that are coming out during feeding. Any harm in removing some? not looking to remove all of them but want to trim down a little. any issues?

SweetTang · 09/11/2012, 01:00 PM

I had a very similar situation in my 28g Nano when I first started it up. A few things that I did at first to thin out my bristle population was a small arrow crab. He was pretty effecient in his BW eradication. He soon got too big ( I guess from eating all the BW's) and I had to get rid of him as he was becoming a nuissance to my fish. Now I have cut down on my feeding ( I used to way overfeed) and I don't see as many. Survival of the fittest I guess...

I also have a six line wrasse in my larger tank that does a good job of controlling the BW population in there.

sirreal63 · 09/11/2012, 01:09 PM

Their populations are self limiting according to the amount of food available.

GPB · 09/11/2012, 01:25 PM

I wish I had a few.

Digitalelectric · 09/11/2012, 02:07 PM

When you are sitting on the couch watching tv, and a great big one reaches out of the tank and grabs the cat then withdraws back into the rockwork....you have too many. Hope that helps.

larac · 09/11/2012, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbickers85

When you are sitting on the couch watching tv, and a great big one reaches out of the tank and grabs the cat then withdraws back into the rockwork....you have too many. Hope that helps.

Seriously though, I don't remember any 3" worms when my tank was 2 months old. I have small ones that only come out at night. I would remove the larger more aggressive ones. Nassarius snails are great at eating leftovers and are not quite so nightmare inducing.

daninflipflops · 09/11/2012, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GPB

I wish I had a few.

hey GBD, i am in Annapolis if you want any! i can grab a few, i work just east of DC so i could always mail them if you want too

Lavoisier · 09/11/2012, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbickers85

When you are sitting on the couch watching tv, and a great big one reaches out of the tank and grabs the cat then withdraws back into the rockwork....you have too many. Hope that helps.

I know of a couple of cats I would not mind culling...who has the worms?

rrasco · 09/11/2012, 03:04 PM

It's a matter of food. If they have food, there will be tons of them, if they don't, their numbers will drop. In other words, you may be feeding too much. I never have food settle on my substrate, it gets eaten, or the flow takes it to the sump where it can be skimmed.

supermancrv · 09/11/2012, 03:25 PM

I agree with the above post I used to have a ton of them and slowed down on feeding and the populations decreased dramatically. I also kind of think they are cool looking.

jwoyshnar · 09/11/2012, 06:26 PM

A friend had the most I ever seen. His tank was entirely littered with them. When he shut his tank down for an upgrade, he had hundreds if not close to a 1000 just in his overflow. It was really pretty disgusting to see

Reef Bass · 09/11/2012, 07:17 PM

I used to have lots of bristleworms in my 100g. Then a couple mini brittlestars came in with a rock. Eventually the brittles outcompeted the bristles and I haven't seen a bristle in months.

TucanSam007 · 09/11/2012, 07:21 PM

I'm kind of glad my nassarus and brittle's outcompete the bristle worms. Not a big fan of wanting to find out what its like touching one when moving things around. Can't get myself to glove it yet.

Reef Bass · 09/12/2012, 07:00 AM

For me, the pain isn't that great, but irritating. I get a small swollen tender lump around where the spine(s) penetrated that lasts for 2-3 days. I found that when my hand hadn't been in the water long spines didn't penetrate much at all. But when I'd been rearranging or fragging things for a while and my skin was wet and soft, spines went in easily.

SweetTang · 09/12/2012, 07:27 AM

I got some bristles in my finger a few weeks ago while moving some live rock. They are very irritating. I soaked my finger in vinegar for 10 minutes and they dissolved. The next day my finger looked normal....no irritation.

Jonviviano · 09/12/2012, 08:19 AM

Look into a DIY bristle worm trap. they work the same way a bottle trap does. I made mine out of a larger pill bottle. My 6 gallon tank was overwelmed with bristle worms. Captured 20-30 in one night and flushed them. This helps keep there population under control

daninflipflops · 09/12/2012, 12:02 PM

anyone have recommendation on how to ship bristle worms? i.e. how much liquid/air, is 2 day delivery ok?

RyanSweatt2004 · 09/12/2012, 03:14 PM

Just curious, Why would you need to ship bristle worms?

rrasco · 09/12/2012, 03:35 PM

I would just swap out microfauna with a local reefer. That's how I got all my BWs.

BeanMachine · 09/12/2012, 03:53 PM

Here's my latest encounter with a bristleworm. Where gloves people! Great detrivores but those little hairs can pack a wallup if they aren't removed quickly from your finger. I didn't realize I got hit until a few hours later my fingers were pretty red.

mclain75 · 09/12/2012, 04:07 PM

I myself pull out the real big ones.... Just pulled one out the other night that was about 4in long.... Gave it to my daughter to bring into her 6th grade science class! They all got a kick out of it!! Scary lookin thing though......lol

daninflipflops · 09/13/2012, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanSweatt2004

Just curious, Why would you need to ship bristle worms?

some people have PM'd me asking if i would send them some. better than killing them i suppose. anyone got an idea?

MetroKat · 09/13/2012, 07:18 AM

My sump is crawling with BW, in fact they are all over the macro algae too. I don't feed the sump even though I have corals in there (it is really a display fuge to be honest). I have noticed 1-2 really fat BW and hundreds of tiny ones. Since I don't feed my sump, what are they consuming that they are so many? My display tank on the other hand does not have that many.

09/11/2012, 11:33 AM	#1
daninflipflops In Memoriam Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Sarasota, FL Posts: 208	What constitutes "too many" bristle worms? My tank has been running for about 2-3 months now. I have a JBJ 28g with a yellow watchman, pistol, cleaner shrimp and CUC. clowns are still in QT waiting to go in the tank. I have noticed a big increase in the number of bristtleworms in my tank. i have also noticed they are getting a lot braver. i used to only seem them at night, now i see them during the day. When i add food to the tank, they will come all the way out and onto the sandbed looking for food. I have a lot of bigger worms too, around 3" and i just seem to see a lot more of them. I have seen advice on here that if there are too many that you can start removing them. I picked this up: http://www.ebay.com/itm/150625582340...84.m1439.l2649 and was planning on grabbing the bigger ones that i see that are coming out during feeding. Any harm in removing some? not looking to remove all of them but want to trim down a little. any issues?

09/11/2012, 01:09 PM	#3
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	Their populations are self limiting according to the amount of food available. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

09/11/2012, 01:25 PM	#4
GPB Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Washington DC Posts: 633	I wish I had a few. __________________ It is what it is! Current Tank Info: Oceanic 37g cube, AquaC Remora Skimmer, 6 x T5 ligts, SSB, 10g sump, GFO, GAC, Polyfilter

09/11/2012, 03:04 PM	#9
rrasco Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,159	It's a matter of food. If they have food, there will be tons of them, if they don't, their numbers will drop. In other words, you may be feeding too much. I never have food settle on my substrate, it gets eaten, or the flow takes it to the sump where it can be skimmed. __________________ -You had me at PWM

09/11/2012, 07:17 PM	#12
Reef Bass colors and textures Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Petaluma CA Posts: 6,301	I used to have lots of bristleworms in my 100g. Then a couple mini brittlestars came in with a rock. Eventually the brittles outcompeted the bristles and I haven't seen a bristle in months. __________________ The human desires for instant gratification and immediate problem resolution cannot be satisfied with this hobby. Former president and co-president of the Wine Country Reefers. Current Tank Info: 60 gallons of Scleractinia and Zoanthidae lit w/ LEDs

09/11/2012, 01:00 PM	#2
SweetTang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 198	I had a very similar situation in my 28g Nano when I first started it up. A few things that I did at first to thin out my bristle population was a small arrow crab. He was pretty effecient in his BW eradication. He soon got too big ( I guess from eating all the BW's) and I had to get rid of him as he was becoming a nuissance to my fish. Now I have cut down on my feeding ( I used to way overfeed) and I don't see as many. Survival of the fittest I guess... I also have a six line wrasse in my larger tank that does a good job of controlling the BW population in there.

09/11/2012, 02:07 PM	#5
Digitalelectric Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 422	When you are sitting on the couch watching tv, and a great big one reaches out of the tank and grabs the cat then withdraws back into the rockwork....you have too many. Hope that helps.

09/11/2012, 03:25 PM	#10
supermancrv Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 54	I agree with the above post I used to have a ton of them and slowed down on feeding and the populations decreased dramatically. I also kind of think they are cool looking.

09/11/2012, 06:26 PM	#11
jwoyshnar Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: 18441 Posts: 1,531	A friend had the most I ever seen. His tank was entirely littered with them. When he shut his tank down for an upgrade, he had hundreds if not close to a 1000 just in his overflow. It was really pretty disgusting to see

09/11/2012, 07:21 PM	#13
TucanSam007 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Suffolk, Long Island Posts: 652	I'm kind of glad my nassarus and brittle's outcompete the bristle worms. Not a big fan of wanting to find out what its like touching one when moving things around. Can't get myself to glove it yet. __________________ 65g sps tank, 20L sump, Apex, ATI Sunpower 6x39/Reef brite, SSA CS1, 2xMP10wes & 1 MP40wes, Eheim 1260, Tunze Osmolator, Two-part, GFO/Gac

09/12/2012, 07:00 AM	#14
Reef Bass colors and textures Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Petaluma CA Posts: 6,301	For me, the pain isn't that great, but irritating. I get a small swollen tender lump around where the spine(s) penetrated that lasts for 2-3 days. I found that when my hand hadn't been in the water long spines didn't penetrate much at all. But when I'd been rearranging or fragging things for a while and my skin was wet and soft, spines went in easily. __________________ The human desires for instant gratification and immediate problem resolution cannot be satisfied with this hobby. Former president and co-president of the Wine Country Reefers. Current Tank Info: 60 gallons of Scleractinia and Zoanthidae lit w/ LEDs

09/12/2012, 07:27 AM	#15
SweetTang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 198	I got some bristles in my finger a few weeks ago while moving some live rock. They are very irritating. I soaked my finger in vinegar for 10 minutes and they dissolved. The next day my finger looked normal....no irritation.

09/12/2012, 08:19 AM	#16
Jonviviano Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 417	Look into a DIY bristle worm trap. they work the same way a bottle trap does. I made mine out of a larger pill bottle. My 6 gallon tank was overwelmed with bristle worms. Captured 20-30 in one night and flushed them. This helps keep there population under control

09/12/2012, 12:02 PM	#17
daninflipflops In Memoriam Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Sarasota, FL Posts: 208	anyone have recommendation on how to ship bristle worms? i.e. how much liquid/air, is 2 day delivery ok?

09/12/2012, 03:14 PM	#18
RyanSweatt2004 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: maine Posts: 590	Just curious, Why would you need to ship bristle worms?

09/12/2012, 03:35 PM	#19
rrasco Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,159	I would just swap out microfauna with a local reefer. That's how I got all my BWs. __________________ -You had me at PWM

09/12/2012, 03:53 PM	#20
BeanMachine Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Orange, CA Posts: 11,200	Here's my latest encounter with a bristleworm. Where gloves people! Great detrivores but those little hairs can pack a wallup if they aren't removed quickly from your finger. I didn't realize I got hit until a few hours later my fingers were pretty red. __________________ 300 Gallon 72x36x27 AGE- 4x Ecotech XR30G5 Blue- AA PVC Hybrid Sump- Dual Synergy Shadow Boxes w Bean Animal- RO 220INT Elite- AquaMaxx cTech T3 CaRx- RD3 230- Apex- Tunze 6155, 6255 & 6150- MP40

09/12/2012, 04:07 PM	#21
mclain75 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Port Crane Posts: 106	I myself pull out the real big ones.... Just pulled one out the other night that was about 4in long.... Gave it to my daughter to bring into her 6th grade science class! They all got a kick out of it!! Scary lookin thing though......lol

09/13/2012, 07:18 AM	#23
MetroKat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 192	My sump is crawling with BW, in fact they are all over the macro algae too. I don't feed the sump even though I have corals in there (it is really a display fuge to be honest). I have noticed 1-2 really fat BW and hundreds of tiny ones. Since I don't feed my sump, what are they consuming that they are so many? My display tank on the other hand does not have that many.