Bristleworms and Clams

N

Nazrac

Now i know that some say bristleworms are good some say they are bad and I'm not trying to start that argument. I dont mind them at all as long as they stay in check. I dont want to look at a wiggling mass of junk but dont mind a few. But this morning on my way out the door i saw a worm wraped around the side of my new clam and some slime that was clear around the front of it. I am pretty sure my clam is not dying but i am woried now. I have seen this slime before but it was coming off a fish and no worm was around it. Any thoughts would be good.
 
As long as your clam is healthy and not dying, please do not worry, there are a few types of Fireworms out there that are predatory but are rare in our tanks. Bristle worms are the trashmen of our tanks, incredibly helpful, but not something one wants to be next to :p
 
I know that they arent fireworms as i have had my reef tank set up for a while now and growing well. you know its odd butt just a few days ago i picked up a rock and felt something move and instantly dropped my stomach waiting for the pain. None was recieved and i really touched him like squezed would be more accurate. maybe i got lucky.
 
Bristleworm sensitivity is overblown in most cases.... unless you are sensitive to them. Its akin to fiberglass, some people can work with it and not have issues, others get really bad reactions. I've held, squished and plucked them from rocks before with no issues, but I also have known people to develop rashes.
 
From my own personal experiences - Their spines aren't long enough to penetrate the thicker skin on your hands and fingers...

Now, have one hit you on the thinner skin of your wrist, where the venom is able to get past the skin and into your innards, and they HURT...
 
I've had them stick in my fingers, even the pads of my fingers. Feels like a tiny needle if they hit just right, but no rashes or anything.
 
wow im getting more response on my accident toching of them than my real question. I am not a opponent of them so i will sitck with my first response and if they eat the clam then i know it wasnt doing good anyways. BTW can a bta sting a clam?
 
On your original question, IMHO if a generic bristle worm is "attacking" a clam, then the claim is dead or dieing already... But what you're describing doesn't sound like the worm was attacking it...
 
i didnt really think it was it retracted instantly when the cell phone light hit it and i dont think that it was actually touching the inner parts just wanted to be sure.
 
@Nazrac wrote:
wow im getting more response on my accident toching of them than my real question. I am not a opponent of them so i will sitck with my first response and if they eat the clam then i know it wasnt doing good anyways. BTW can a bta sting a clam? said:
Im not an expert, but from my basic biology courses, nemocyst (?sp), which are the stinging cells that anemones use, have the ability to pierce any type of animal cells and attack them. So I would think theyd pretty easily be able to sting a clam mantle. May want to move one or the other.
Click to expand...
 
doesnt really mater now came home after the ranger game last night and it was dead. 2 days and it died cant figure out why but I think i will give up on clams.
 
I'm having some trouble with bristleworms and my clam too. I noticed today that it wasn't open like it normally is. I thought maybe it wasn't getting enough light so I moved it up higher on the rocks. When I picked it up I noticed what I thought was a bristleworm next to the foot, but I thought it was too big to be that. I looked at it later in the afternoon and it hadn't opened up anymore so I decided to move it back to the sandbed. When I picked it up a huge bristleworm fell out and slimed its way back into the rockwork. It's the biggest one that I've seen in my tank so far. I think that the worms are killing my clam. Any thoughts on how to prevent this?
 
I've heard that if you put a clam in your sandbed bristle worms attack it from underneath. I can't remember where I heard that and don't really know if I believe that. However, I've kept two clams, one of which on a rock towards the middle of my tank, the other at the bottom on the sandbed. The one on the rocks thrived until I had to break down my tank and sell everything. The clam on the sand died mysteriously after about 3 weeks...and it wasn't a lighting issure or anything. I had a 250watt MH on my 45gal tank. However, I've seen many people keep clams on their sandbeds.
 
If you pick up any large rock, you'll likely find a bristleworm. Doesn't mean bristleworms are attacking your rocks :)

*edit* some clams like the sand, others don't. Put the wrong kind on the sand and they'll fail to thrive, and can be smothered by sand.
 
Bristle worms will never attack a clam unless its dieing.. you have to be really honest about the health of your clam. If you think it has not looked right maybe it has a pinched mantle or something else it could have parasite snails on the bottom. Mine had a pinched mantle and I did freshwater dip and he has been fine since. I am sorry you lost your clam!!!
 
Well last night I put the clam up on the very top of the rockwork on the other side of the tank. When I woke up this morning it has made its way all the way down to the sandbed and across the tank back into its spot in the sand. I was pretty amazed. It was standing straight up and everything. I guess it likes it better on the sand. I'll just have to see if it improves.
 
Usually crocea like rocks. They may wander onto the sand to find a spot with good flow / light, but if they do end up back on the sand, I'd get a flat rock and place it under them.
 
yeah my crocea wondered around for a while on the sand and it finally liked one spot facing one direction so i put a rock there and he attached to it.
 
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