Adding Baby Bristle Worms - Good or Bad Idea?

mdeleon1 · 02/15/2013, 05:14 PM

I'm thinking of adding baby bristle worms to my tank.

Is this a good or bad idea?

MondoBongo · 02/15/2013, 05:29 PM

Are you sure you don't already have some in your rocks? They're fairly ubiquitous.

From what I understand the common ones are helpful detrivores, but honestly I find them a bit gross and occasionally try to trap and remove the larger ones.

mdeleon1 · 02/15/2013, 05:38 PM

I've never seen one in the past 2 years. I might have to do a stakeout tonight and see if I do have some or not.

MondoBongo · 02/15/2013, 05:48 PM

Mine will sometimes come out when I feed, but at night if I look around with a red LED I can occasionally catch them hanging out. Most of them do not stray far in to the open though and will hide at the first hint of movement.

cloak · 02/15/2013, 06:00 PM

Whether you already have bristleworms or not, adding some more wouldn't be a bad thing IMO. There great little janitors...

OregonReefer2 · 02/15/2013, 07:20 PM

You probably have more than you think.

More wouldn't be a bad thing but your tank will only support (depending on your feeding, parameters and another million things... Do you have a fish that eats them?) what it will support... the number in your tank will change as your tank does.

That said, don't buy them from IPSF

mdeleon1 · 02/15/2013, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OregonReefer2

That said, don't buy them from IPSF

Funny....this is exactly where I found them for sale online.

Why not and is there another site?

mdeleon1 · 02/15/2013, 07:26 PM

Also...I don;t think any of my fish (signature) are eaters of the worms, are they?

AWDcameoLSX · 02/15/2013, 07:42 PM

Your coral banded shrimp is a natural predator of bristle worms.

mdeleon1 · 02/15/2013, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWDcameoLSX

Your coral banded shrimp is a natural predator of bristle worms.

There goes that idea then. Thanks!

MondoBongo · 02/15/2013, 07:44 PM

I have heard that arrow crabs will eat them, along with (I think) a certain type of wrasse but most things won't touch them.

If there are other reefers in your area I'm sure they would be more than happy to donate some, or you get them as hitchhikers. I've found plenty falling off rocks corals are mounted on after a dip.

kismetsh · 02/15/2013, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OregonReefer2

That said, don't buy them from IPSF

Why?

Was just looking at their site tonight.

ArmanS · 02/15/2013, 08:35 PM

Yea Arrow Crabs are known to eat them, at night time put a frozen cube of like mysis in the tank while your moonlights or atinics are only on and you should see them.

Altezza01 · 02/15/2013, 08:35 PM

I don't even know why you would want those nasty things in your tank. I removed all of mine or atleast I hope it was all of them.

hillscp · 02/15/2013, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altezza01

I don't even know why you would want those nasty things in your tank. I removed all of mine or atleast I hope it was all of them.

Because they eat the left over food and crud that settles down and fish don't get (Detrivores). I have doubts that it is possible to remove 100% of them once they are present.

Mine come out to clean up and if a fish dies (wich hasn't happened in a long time) they take care of that too.

OregonReefer2 · 02/15/2013, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kismetsh

Why?

Was just looking at their site tonight.

I ordered their pick 10 package and added micro stars (All I really wanted was the stars) for free freight

ALL of the stars where DOA

I think all but one of the worms was DOA (they where so small it was impossible to tell)

The hermits where all very small Left handed Hermits... tank terrors

Pod Matt was a small batch of Ulva

Pod Food was a small package of cheap fresh water flake food

Extra shells for the hermits "to grow into" where all too small for the baby hermits they sent me

They refunded the extra cost of the stars after some back and forth

All in all it was a huge waste of $150

Altezza01 · 02/16/2013, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hillscp

Because they eat the left over food and crud that settles down and fish don't get (Detrivores). I have doubts that it is possible to remove 100% of them once they are present.

Mine come out to clean up and if a fish dies (wich hasn't happened in a long time) they take care of that too.

That's why I have nassarius snails and hermit crabs.

cloak · 02/16/2013, 12:42 AM

Don't your hermit crabs eat your snails? The bristleworms will pick up the slack. lol.

whodeydan76 · 02/16/2013, 04:00 AM

Check into www.garf.org look at reef maint packs, sw mollys and grunge or super grunge. I put this in.each tank I set up. I never put bristle worms or brittle stars in my tanks but that grunge stuff is full of good worms pods stars all kinds of stuff..plus they sell bags of pods, rocks covered in coraline ans other good hitch hikers...its worth looking at their website.

02/15/2013, 05:14 PM	#1
mdeleon1 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 424	Adding Baby Bristle Worms - Good or Bad Idea? I'm thinking of adding baby bristle worms to my tank. Is this a good or bad idea? __________________ Starting over!

02/15/2013, 05:38 PM	#3
mdeleon1 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 424	I've never seen one in the past 2 years. I might have to do a stakeout tonight and see if I do have some or not. __________________ Starting over!

02/15/2013, 07:26 PM	#8
mdeleon1 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 424	Also...I don;t think any of my fish (signature) are eaters of the worms, are they? __________________ Starting over!

02/15/2013, 07:42 PM	#9
AWDcameoLSX Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 83	Your coral banded shrimp is a natural predator of bristle worms. __________________ 72 gallon bow, Koralia 3 Powerhead, 100 lbs of rock, Protean 400 Sump, 200w Elite heater in display, 150w in sump. Herbie overflow.

02/15/2013, 08:35 PM	#13
ArmanS Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 90713 Posts: 1,391	Yea Arrow Crabs are known to eat them, at night time put a frozen cube of like mysis in the tank while your moonlights or atinics are only on and you should see them. __________________ 120" x 34" x 30" 540g Build Starting Soon! Royal Exclusiv Dream Box Sump, 2 x 60" ATI LED/T5, DaStaCo CARx, Apex, Genesis, BK SM 250, 3 x RD 3 230w, UV, ATS, & Arid Reactor! Will have build thread so

02/15/2013, 05:29 PM	#2
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	Are you sure you don't already have some in your rocks? They're fairly ubiquitous. From what I understand the common ones are helpful detrivores, but honestly I find them a bit gross and occasionally try to trap and remove the larger ones.

02/15/2013, 05:48 PM	#4
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	Mine will sometimes come out when I feed, but at night if I look around with a red LED I can occasionally catch them hanging out. Most of them do not stray far in to the open though and will hide at the first hint of movement.

02/15/2013, 06:00 PM	#5
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Whether you already have bristleworms or not, adding some more wouldn't be a bad thing IMO. There great little janitors...

02/15/2013, 07:20 PM	#6
OregonReefer2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 324	You probably have more than you think. More wouldn't be a bad thing but your tank will only support (depending on your feeding, parameters and another million things... Do you have a fish that eats them?) what it will support... the number in your tank will change as your tank does. That said, don't buy them from IPSF

02/15/2013, 07:44 PM	#11
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	I have heard that arrow crabs will eat them, along with (I think) a certain type of wrasse but most things won't touch them. If there are other reefers in your area I'm sure they would be more than happy to donate some, or you get them as hitchhikers. I've found plenty falling off rocks corals are mounted on after a dip.

02/15/2013, 08:35 PM	#14
Altezza01 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 79	I don't even know why you would want those nasty things in your tank. I removed all of mine or atleast I hope it was all of them.

02/16/2013, 12:42 AM	#18
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Don't your hermit crabs eat your snails? The bristleworms will pick up the slack. lol.

02/16/2013, 04:00 AM	#19
whodeydan76 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Lima, Ohio Posts: 364	Check into www.garf.org look at reef maint packs, sw mollys and grunge or super grunge. I put this in.each tank I set up. I never put bristle worms or brittle stars in my tanks but that grunge stuff is full of good worms pods stars all kinds of stuff..plus they sell bags of pods, rocks covered in coraline ans other good hitch hikers...its worth looking at their website. __________________ "Don't sweat the petty things, don't pet the sweaty things" ~bazooka joe~ \,,/ REEF ON \,,/ Who Dey!?!? Go Bengals, Reds, Celtics, and most of all my boys midget team the Shawnee Quilnas! Current Tank Info: 75 gallon factory drilled set up. Oak stand and canopy.