Bristleworm Found!

thecichlidpleco · 01/16/2007, 01:30 PM

I recently found in LR near to my newly prized hammer coral that there is a bristleworm scavenging. Any thoughts about getting rid of it or keeping and not trying to kill it?

drummereef · 01/16/2007, 01:53 PM

I don't understand how all the myths about bristleworms being bad got started. They are very beneficial to the tank. I would leave well enough alone.

tygger · 01/16/2007, 02:00 PM

I have them in my tank and they're fine. Just don't touch it with your bare skin.

sir_dudeguy · 01/16/2007, 02:07 PM

Quote:

I don't understand how all the myths about bristleworms being bad got started. They are very beneficial to the tank. I would leave well enough alone.

i'm with drummer all the way...where do all these myths come from? I mean sure if you get one that is 5 feet long then it may be able to snag a fish or something, but bristleworms in general are very good. Leave it. If you got one, you got a hundred

BurntOutReefer · 01/16/2007, 02:12 PM

ditto......

weaselslucks · 01/16/2007, 02:13 PM

could you take all the worms out even if you wanted to for every one you see there are probaly 10 you don't

greenbean36191 · 01/16/2007, 03:23 PM

The myths probably come from people not familiar with the diversity of worms in out tanks. They see something like a eunicid that really can cause problems and to them it looks the same as any other polychaete, so all worms get a bad name. There are also lots of cases where worms get caught at the scene of the crime and blamed for damage they didn't cause.

thecichlidpleco · 01/16/2007, 03:48 PM

Okay, I knew that there were two sides to the story, but my main concern is if it would do anything to my coral, but if not great detrious eater I have then.

TekCat · 01/16/2007, 03:56 PM

I bet ....99.9999999999% on that your corals wont be eaten by bristle worm.

I had explisitly added bunch of bristle worms to my tank. No worries.

Pygy88 · 01/16/2007, 04:00 PM

Well, for one they totally freek me out! Creepy nasty Vile little things give me the shivers. BUT... for the sake of having a biobalanced ecosystem I guess they and all of their (disgusting, icky) glory can stay. I take one for the "Team" and keep them around.

gabegmonkey · 01/16/2007, 04:27 PM

Bristle worms are fascinating creatures... I love to find them and watch them eat the shrimp pellets that I feed them...

NanoReefWanabe · 01/16/2007, 09:27 PM

i just found a boat load of red bristle worms with white tuffs...they look an awefull lot like fireworms...but they dont seems to be bothering my one red pollup i have on the same rock they all seem to be living in..

this is a brand new tank with brand new fully cured live rock..i will give them a bit of a break for now, for like everyoone said...i wont be able to get rid of them now anyway...there was atleast 15 differnet ones i saw.

heres hoping i will be okay..

Randall_James · 01/16/2007, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by greenbean36191
The myths probably come from people not familiar with the diversity of worms in out tanks. They see something like a eunicid that really can cause problems and to them it looks the same as any other polychaete, so all worms get a bad name. There are also lots of cases where worms get caught at the scene of the crime and blamed for damage they didn't cause.

Yea blame the cleanup crew for the wrecking crews damage

kass03 · 01/17/2007, 12:11 AM

I dunno where the myths came from but it started way back when live rock was first introduced as far as I can remember.
I remember people always saying at the LFS bristleworms were bad and trying to figure out ways to get rid of them.
I always had alot of them and never saw them hurt anything so left them be.
I think it was prolly said they were bad and can eat corals in some of the oldy books that were out. I do remember reading there were different kinds though.
Prolly like everything if you read 1 is bad then theres a lynch mob for all of them lol.

thecichlidpleco just let them be you'll be fine.

kass

aquarius77 · 01/17/2007, 03:27 AM

I Have harvested them from a friends tank and placed them in mine on 2 different occasions. Great scavengers.

01/16/2007, 01:30 PM	#1
thecichlidpleco Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 1,227	Bristleworm Found! I recently found in LR near to my newly prized hammer coral that there is a bristleworm scavenging. Any thoughts about getting rid of it or keeping and not trying to kill it? __________________ knowledge is power, power leads to abuse, study hard, be evil Owning a tank is like being with that girlfriend who could care less about you, but you couldn't stand being without her. Current Tank Info: 125 Reef, (3) 250w aquamedic oceanlights ETSS 600 skimmer, mag12 return, (2) Tunze 6055's with 7095 controller, 100 gallon sump

01/16/2007, 01:53 PM	#2
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	I don't understand how all the myths about bristleworms being bad got started. They are very beneficial to the tank. I would leave well enough alone. __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

01/16/2007, 02:00 PM	#3
tygger Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 1,631	I have them in my tank and they're fine. Just don't touch it with your bare skin. __________________ 15g Nano 72g reef + 29g sump/fuge

01/16/2007, 03:23 PM	#7
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	The myths probably come from people not familiar with the diversity of worms in out tanks. They see something like a eunicid that really can cause problems and to them it looks the same as any other polychaete, so all worms get a bad name. There are also lots of cases where worms get caught at the scene of the crime and blamed for damage they didn't cause. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

01/16/2007, 03:48 PM	#8
thecichlidpleco Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 1,227	Okay, I knew that there were two sides to the story, but my main concern is if it would do anything to my coral, but if not great detrious eater I have then. __________________ knowledge is power, power leads to abuse, study hard, be evil Owning a tank is like being with that girlfriend who could care less about you, but you couldn't stand being without her. Current Tank Info: 125 Reef, (3) 250w aquamedic oceanlights ETSS 600 skimmer, mag12 return, (2) Tunze 6055's with 7095 controller, 100 gallon sump

01/16/2007, 02:12 PM	#5
BurntOutReefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 4,376	ditto......

01/16/2007, 02:13 PM	#6
weaselslucks Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Oxford,Ct Posts: 1,393	could you take all the worms out even if you wanted to for every one you see there are probaly 10 you don't

01/16/2007, 03:56 PM	#9
TekCat Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: MN Posts: 3,130	I bet ....99.9999999999% on that your corals wont be eaten by bristle worm. I had explisitly added bunch of bristle worms to my tank. No worries.

01/16/2007, 04:00 PM	#10
Pygy88 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: TEXAS Posts: 98	Well, for one they totally freek me out! Creepy nasty Vile little things give me the shivers. BUT... for the sake of having a biobalanced ecosystem I guess they and all of their (disgusting, icky) glory can stay. I take one for the "Team" and keep them around.

01/16/2007, 04:27 PM	#11
gabegmonkey Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 413	Bristle worms are fascinating creatures... I love to find them and watch them eat the shrimp pellets that I feed them...

01/16/2007, 09:27 PM	#12
NanoReefWanabe Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 6,639	i just found a boat load of red bristle worms with white tuffs...they look an awefull lot like fireworms...but they dont seems to be bothering my one red pollup i have on the same rock they all seem to be living in.. this is a brand new tank with brand new fully cured live rock..i will give them a bit of a break for now, for like everyoone said...i wont be able to get rid of them now anyway...there was atleast 15 differnet ones i saw. heres hoping i will be okay..

01/17/2007, 12:11 AM	#14
kass03 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Kaukauna, Wi Posts: 2,937	I dunno where the myths came from but it started way back when live rock was first introduced as far as I can remember. I remember people always saying at the LFS bristleworms were bad and trying to figure out ways to get rid of them. I always had alot of them and never saw them hurt anything so left them be. I think it was prolly said they were bad and can eat corals in some of the oldy books that were out. I do remember reading there were different kinds though. Prolly like everything if you read 1 is bad then theres a lynch mob for all of them lol. thecichlidpleco just let them be you'll be fine. kass

01/17/2007, 03:27 AM	#15
aquarius77 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Highland, Il Posts: 2,198	I Have harvested them from a friends tank and placed them in mine on 2 different occasions. Great scavengers.