bristleworms: harmless new friends or a new source of anxiety?

mikewise1 · 10/13/2007, 09:46 PM

so i've finally got my first tank set up and the water's flowing. it's a great to know that in another week or two i'll be able to start stocking the tank with some hardy fish and cleaners!

I made a discovery yesterday now that the cloudiness of messing around with the sand has cleared: small bristleworms. LOTS of them. I am seeing their tiny orange fans peeking out all over most of the rockwork, and my first reaction is intense fascination and happiness to see that my live rocks are visibly thriving.

i just want to make sure that these little worms don't pose any threat to the system or future livestock. i will be adding an octopus is a couple months (yes i'm a tonmo regular at this point)

bertoni · 10/13/2007, 09:47 PM

I think those are tubeworms, not bristleworms, from what I can see, and they're harmless, unless you think they're ugly.

Most bristleworms are good to have.

demonsp · 10/13/2007, 09:55 PM

Looks good but you say lots of stock. Keep in mind that each guy will want hie or her own spot to call home. SO if you have more fish then good spots there will be high stress and fighting. You need lots of hiding spots from caves , large holes , overhangs or ledges. If you didnt know this then it will save a big headache.GL with your journy and send a prayer out to the reef gods every so often

.

Also i agree with bertoni and they have nice color.

mikewise1 · 10/14/2007, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bertoni
I think those are tubeworms, not bristleworms, from what I can see, and they're harmless, unless you think they're ugly.

well ive got no experience ID'ing worms, but they definitely match the images of small bristleworms ive found online: they have little spines all over and theyre orange/brown half and half. regardless of species, it sounds like they won't cause any problems, which is good to hear. besides, i like the little guys.

styndall · 10/14/2007, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikewise1
well ive got no experience ID'ing worms, but they definitely match the images of small bristleworms ive found online: they have little spines all over and theyre orange/brown half and half. regardless of species, it sounds like they won't cause any problems, which is good to hear. besides, i like the little guys.

You certainly do have some bristleworms in there, but the majority of your tiny orange things look like tube worms (aka fan worms). You've got a mix of tiny invertebrates all over your live rock. Soon you'll probably be noting other kinds of worms, probably some small starfish, asterina species, or brittle stars, along with cope-, amphi-, and isopods.

Few hitchhikers would be a problem for an octopus. Even mantis shrimp and gorilla crabs would likely just end up as tasty crustacean treats.

Tahlequah · 10/14/2007, 10:08 AM

bristle worms are awsome for a tank, unless they are the species of fireworm that comes out durring the day... The ones that come out at night are signs of a healthy tank. There is one species of fire worm that can come out during the day because nothing will bother it, and it can be damaging to your fish/corals..

harryk · 10/14/2007, 10:13 AM

They are all harmless tubeworms, AKA feather dusters. completely harmless filter feeders. Bristle worms to not have a hardened shell around them. Bristle worms are by far the best detritus scavengers you can have. They are only a problem sometimes when they get too big, but they are easy enough to remove with a baited trap.

loosecannon · 10/14/2007, 12:24 PM

Feather dusters, good aquarium animals.

mikewise1 · 10/14/2007, 02:06 PM

oh, nice! i realize now that i'm seeing two distinct kinds of worms, the bristleworms that crawl around and the feather dusters that filterfeed.

i'm also noticing some little white particles that cling to the green hair algea. i initially thought they were aragonite particles and tried to blow them off, but then i noticed that they seemed to swim right back to the algea. maybe these are some growing 'pods.

awesome, i'm so excited.

mikewise1 · 10/14/2007, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by demonsp
Looks good but you say lots of stock. Keep in mind that each guy will want hie or her own spot to call home. SO if you have more fish then good spots there will be high stress and fighting.

oh yes, i am trying to stay conscientious of overstocking risks. the only reason i will be stocking at all for the next couple months is to build up the bioload before getting the octo., as they produce about 3 times as much waste as a normal marine organism of the same size.

If i can build up a sufficient load with a cleanup crew only, i might just do that. otherwise i was thinking of adding 6 or 8 damsels, 1 or 2 at a time, which i would return to the LFS before adding a ceph.

does that seem like it might be overcrowded for a 40 gal. breeder with 80 lb of LR?

thanks, everyone, for the quick and well informed responses

bertoni · 10/15/2007, 02:57 PM

For a 40g breeder, I'd target something like 4 fish, royal-gramma-sized.

10/13/2007, 09:46 PM	#1
mikewise1 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 66	bristleworms: harmless new friends or a new source of anxiety? so i've finally got my first tank set up and the water's flowing. it's a great to know that in another week or two i'll be able to start stocking the tank with some hardy fish and cleaners! I made a discovery yesterday now that the cloudiness of messing around with the sand has cleared: small bristleworms. LOTS of them. I am seeing their tiny orange fans peeking out all over most of the rockwork, and my first reaction is intense fascination and happiness to see that my live rocks are visibly thriving. i just want to make sure that these little worms don't pose any threat to the system or future livestock. i will be adding an octopus is a couple months (yes i'm a tonmo regular at this point)

10/13/2007, 09:47 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I think those are tubeworms, not bristleworms, from what I can see, and they're harmless, unless you think they're ugly. Most bristleworms are good to have. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

10/14/2007, 10:08 AM	#6
Tahlequah Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tahlequah, Ok Posts: 311	bristle worms are awsome for a tank, unless they are the species of fireworm that comes out durring the day... The ones that come out at night are signs of a healthy tank. There is one species of fire worm that can come out during the day because nothing will bother it, and it can be damaging to your fish/corals.. __________________ "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." Current Tank Info: JBJ 30RL

10/14/2007, 12:24 PM	#8
loosecannon Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: port kent Posts: 1,292	Feather dusters, good aquarium animals. __________________ I like getting WET! Current Tank Info: 44gal. 40 gal. 75 gal. 30gal. and working on a 75gal. rigt

10/15/2007, 02:57 PM	#11
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	For a 40g breeder, I'd target something like 4 fish, royal-gramma-sized. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

10/13/2007, 09:55 PM	#3
demonsp Moved On Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: el paso tx Posts: 7,634	Looks good but you say lots of stock. Keep in mind that each guy will want hie or her own spot to call home. SO if you have more fish then good spots there will be high stress and fighting. You need lots of hiding spots from caves , large holes , overhangs or ledges. If you didnt know this then it will save a big headache.GL with your journy and send a prayer out to the reef gods every so often . Also i agree with bertoni and they have nice color.

10/14/2007, 10:13 AM	#7
harryk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 262	They are all harmless tubeworms, AKA feather dusters. completely harmless filter feeders. Bristle worms to not have a hardened shell around them. Bristle worms are by far the best detritus scavengers you can have. They are only a problem sometimes when they get too big, but they are easy enough to remove with a baited trap.

10/14/2007, 02:06 PM	#9
mikewise1 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 66	oh, nice! i realize now that i'm seeing two distinct kinds of worms, the bristleworms that crawl around and the feather dusters that filterfeed. i'm also noticing some little white particles that cling to the green hair algea. i initially thought they were aragonite particles and tried to blow them off, but then i noticed that they seemed to swim right back to the algea. maybe these are some growing 'pods. awesome, i'm so excited.