bristle worms

carnophage · 12/20/2009, 10:16 PM

Ok, i have a 12g aquapod with coral, no fish. And a ton of bristles. Are they going to bother the corals? If so, what can i get that will control them. i know that some are good scavengers, but i think there are too many. Thanks!

spleify · 12/20/2009, 10:47 PM

They will not harm your corals, and are somewhat self populating.

jcolletteiii · 12/20/2009, 10:47 PM

Do you keep mostly LPS that you feed alot? Do you feed your corals ALOT? Bristles are good scavengers/sand stirrers, but if you have no fish, and don't feed the tank much, seems like the population would be minimal.

There are bristle worm traps available for pretty cheap online, you might even be able to fabricate your own, I think there is a DIY here somewhere on McGyver-ing a homemade BW trap, if not here Google "DIY bristle worm trap," sure something will pop up. Basically, they're a tube with two inward facing cones with small holes in them. You bait them with a piece of shrimp or something, teh BW's crawl through the hole, but can't figure ou how to get out. Good luck.

reefgems · 12/21/2009, 12:44 AM

saw a bristle worm halfway inside a yuma one time, if there is a lot of them and you don't feed at all they are going to find food

bertoni · 12/21/2009, 12:48 AM

There are tens of thousands of species of worms. Most of the ones we get are harmless and can't eat coral. Some are problematic. Of the true bristleworms, only one problematic species comes to mind, and they're fairly rare.

Frogmanx82 · 12/21/2009, 12:54 AM

A DIY trap is very easy. 1/2 inch pvc about 4 inches long. Two endcaps. Drill a small hole in each end. Load with bait, some pellets will do. You could drill the holes big enough for a small piece of airline tubing to project into the pipe making it more difficult for them to get back out.

Lightsluvr · 12/21/2009, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertoni

There are tens of thousands of species of worms. Most of the ones we get are harmless and can't eat coral. Some are problematic. Of the true bristleworms, only one problematic species comes to mind, and they're fairly rare.

Agree with Jonathan. The only issue I had with Bristles was the sheer number - there were so many of them, they literally were annoying the zoa colonies to the point the coral was receding...

LL

blueridge · 12/22/2009, 07:25 PM

I use a small, commercially-available trap. It costs about $15. Bait the trap with fish pellets and it works great for trapping worms.

12/20/2009, 10:16 PM	#1
carnophage Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Wa Posts: 418	bristle worms Ok, i have a 12g aquapod with coral, no fish. And a ton of bristles. Are they going to bother the corals? If so, what can i get that will control them. i know that some are good scavengers, but i think there are too many. Thanks!

12/20/2009, 10:47 PM	#2
spleify Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 9,579	They will not harm your corals, and are somewhat self populating. __________________ Make it a Great Day!!!! Current Tank Info: 60 gal SPS cube, with 25 gal refugium, 400W MH, DIY Lumenarc III, DIY skimmer, DIY stand and canopy. 40 breeder LPS with 40 gallon sump, DIY stand, 250W MH

12/21/2009, 12:48 AM	#5
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	There are tens of thousands of species of worms. Most of the ones we get are harmless and can't eat coral. Some are problematic. Of the true bristleworms, only one problematic species comes to mind, and they're fairly rare. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

12/21/2009, 12:54 AM	#6
Frogmanx82 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 1,515	A DIY trap is very easy. 1/2 inch pvc about 4 inches long. Two endcaps. Drill a small hole in each end. Load with bait, some pellets will do. You could drill the holes big enough for a small piece of airline tubing to project into the pipe making it more difficult for them to get back out. __________________ Exodus 8:2 Check my homepage for tank pics and details. Current Tank Info: 90 gallon, 2x maxspect R420R LED, 4 Ocellaris Clowns, Yellow Eye Kole Tang, Flame Angel, Foxface Rabbitfish, Banggai Cardinals, Azure Damsel, rock flower anemone, cleaner shrimp, serpent star

12/20/2009, 10:47 PM	#3
jcolletteiii Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: 58703 Posts: 1,265	Do you keep mostly LPS that you feed alot? Do you feed your corals ALOT? Bristles are good scavengers/sand stirrers, but if you have no fish, and don't feed the tank much, seems like the population would be minimal. There are bristle worm traps available for pretty cheap online, you might even be able to fabricate your own, I think there is a DIY here somewhere on McGyver-ing a homemade BW trap, if not here Google "DIY bristle worm trap," sure something will pop up. Basically, they're a tube with two inward facing cones with small holes in them. You bait them with a piece of shrimp or something, teh BW's crawl through the hole, but can't figure ou how to get out. Good luck.

12/21/2009, 12:44 AM	#4
reefgems Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: WI NY Posts: 156	saw a bristle worm halfway inside a yuma one time, if there is a lot of them and you don't feed at all they are going to find food

12/22/2009, 07:25 PM	#8
blueridge Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 63	I use a small, commercially-available trap. It costs about $15. Bait the trap with fish pellets and it works great for trapping worms.