Bristle worm/fire worm

Jesus · 09/30/2006, 11:04 PM

Is there a way to get rid of them without taking live rock out of the tank. I think they are bothering my fish. I have alot of wrasse that are dear to me. I wonder if I have a mantis shripm, but I sit there all day and night and not hear a thing. Any ideas?

jesus

Sk8r · 09/30/2006, 11:07 PM

They don't hurt the fish. You may occasionally have a fish get some bristles in the mouth from having bit one, but they're harmless to fish and corals. Your wrasses are far more dangerous to them than they are to the wrasses, and every tank should have a few...I have several hundred, I'm sure.

The only worms you really need worry about are eunicids, that look like armored centipedes. Generally wrasses are the predators.

You would do far more harm to the fish by stirring up debris while moving rock around, and might accidentally trap a fish by setting a rock onto its escape hole.

Jesus · 09/30/2006, 11:20 PM

Maybe there's something else. It's just puzzling when I feed my wrasse I see them healthy and eating. Then the next night two of my wrasse a hooded male wrasse and a mystery wrasse gone and no where to be found. I have a net covering over the tank so the wrasses could not jump out. I also notice that one of my sea cucumber has a chunk missing from his body, like something bited it off. I had my mystery for about a year and the hooded about a month. I know that the worms are just scanvengers. But one time I accidentaly touch one and one of my finger was numb and swollen.

jesus

Sk8r · 09/30/2006, 11:37 PM

That's right---OUR skin is sensitive to them. But as far as them damaging fish, they won't. Their mouths can only eat tissue that's dead and rotting, so carrion and waste is all they can eat.

Wrasses, however, are known for biting: one wrasse picking on the inverts or on other wrasses is a possibility. They are also known for hiding deep in the rocks, if harassed by more aggressive fish, and even for making cocoons of slime about themselves and going to sleep, say, during shipment. They're very interesting and beautiful fish, but they can nip and chase one another. What species of wrasse do you have in this tank? The fairy wrasses are calmer, gentler types, but some of the bigger species can be really pushy.

Jesus · 10/01/2006, 12:04 AM

Here is my wrasse list:
Hooded wrasse(recently could not find)
mystery(recently could not find)
AU Scots(male and female)
Exquiste(Jump off daughter forgot to put the screen back on after feeding)
Solarenses
Pencil wrasse
Rhambotoid
Red Margin
Blue Margin(Jump along with the exquiste)
Unknown wrasse(it has neon green strip and black strip)
Rosy scale
four line

jesus

Bdimas · 10/01/2006, 11:32 AM

It sounds like you might have a bully in your tank. Maybe someone is getting aggressive.
Also i think that Arrow Crabs eat Bristle Worms.

Jacob D · 10/01/2006, 11:50 AM

I doubt it could be common britstle worms, or even fire worms which I think are more known to bother corals if you had one of those by some rare chance. I also doubt it is a eunicid worm, since all of your rock was base rock.

Is it possible they jumped into an overflow or got sucked up in your closed loop? Are you sure they didn't jump when you had the top open ? Only other thing I can think is what Bryan said, someone is bullying and killing them, then they are being eaten by worms, crabs, etc... I've heard that Scotts and the mystery wrasses are both aggressive to fairy wrasses.

Jesus · 10/01/2006, 07:12 PM

I had those wrasses a long time now. I always watch them. They do not bother each other. My overflow has a cover on it. The only thing that was really bully was the mystery wrasse which is mia.

jesus

09/30/2006, 11:04 PM	#1
Jesus Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: tracy Posts: 661	Bristle worm/fire worm Is there a way to get rid of them without taking live rock out of the tank. I think they are bothering my fish. I have alot of wrasse that are dear to me. I wonder if I have a mantis shripm, but I sit there all day and night and not hear a thing. Any ideas? jesus

09/30/2006, 11:07 PM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	They don't hurt the fish. You may occasionally have a fish get some bristles in the mouth from having bit one, but they're harmless to fish and corals. Your wrasses are far more dangerous to them than they are to the wrasses, and every tank should have a few...I have several hundred, I'm sure. The only worms you really need worry about are eunicids, that look like armored centipedes. Generally wrasses are the predators. You would do far more harm to the fish by stirring up debris while moving rock around, and might accidentally trap a fish by setting a rock onto its escape hole. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/30/2006, 11:37 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	That's right---OUR skin is sensitive to them. But as far as them damaging fish, they won't. Their mouths can only eat tissue that's dead and rotting, so carrion and waste is all they can eat. Wrasses, however, are known for biting: one wrasse picking on the inverts or on other wrasses is a possibility. They are also known for hiding deep in the rocks, if harassed by more aggressive fish, and even for making cocoons of slime about themselves and going to sleep, say, during shipment. They're very interesting and beautiful fish, but they can nip and chase one another. What species of wrasse do you have in this tank? The fairy wrasses are calmer, gentler types, but some of the bigger species can be really pushy. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/01/2006, 11:32 AM	#6
Bdimas No on 15 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 2,518	It sounds like you might have a bully in your tank. Maybe someone is getting aggressive. Also i think that Arrow Crabs eat Bristle Worms. __________________ Bryan Current Tank Info: 90gallon mixed reef.

10/01/2006, 11:50 AM	#7
Jacob D Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: North Bay Posts: 6,613	I doubt it could be common britstle worms, or even fire worms which I think are more known to bother corals if you had one of those by some rare chance. I also doubt it is a eunicid worm, since all of your rock was base rock. Is it possible they jumped into an overflow or got sucked up in your closed loop? Are you sure they didn't jump when you had the top open ? Only other thing I can think is what Bryan said, someone is bullying and killing them, then they are being eaten by worms, crabs, etc... I've heard that Scotts and the mystery wrasses are both aggressive to fairy wrasses. __________________ Jacob. Current Tank Info: Retired from reefing...

09/30/2006, 11:20 PM	#3
Jesus Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: tracy Posts: 661	Maybe there's something else. It's just puzzling when I feed my wrasse I see them healthy and eating. Then the next night two of my wrasse a hooded male wrasse and a mystery wrasse gone and no where to be found. I have a net covering over the tank so the wrasses could not jump out. I also notice that one of my sea cucumber has a chunk missing from his body, like something bited it off. I had my mystery for about a year and the hooded about a month. I know that the worms are just scanvengers. But one time I accidentaly touch one and one of my finger was numb and swollen. jesus

10/01/2006, 12:04 AM	#5
Jesus Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: tracy Posts: 661	Here is my wrasse list: Hooded wrasse(recently could not find) mystery(recently could not find) AU Scots(male and female) Exquiste(Jump off daughter forgot to put the screen back on after feeding) Solarenses Pencil wrasse Rhambotoid Red Margin Blue Margin(Jump along with the exquiste) Unknown wrasse(it has neon green strip and black strip) Rosy scale four line jesus

10/01/2006, 07:12 PM	#8
Jesus Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: tracy Posts: 661	I had those wrasses a long time now. I always watch them. They do not bother each other. My overflow has a cover on it. The only thing that was really bully was the mystery wrasse which is mia. jesus