Darn bristle worms - Help me get rid of them

L

LawAndArt

[I bought a cool rock at the LFS and It has a monster bristle worm in it. I know some people like them, but they make itch. :D Anybody got any good ways to get him out of the rock so I can grab him with tweezers? The thing is in my 7 gal now, but I wanted this in my 100 gal and I don't want this big boogger in my big tank. I'll never be able to tweez him out of all that rock. The rock also has some softies on it that I don't want to squish or stress.

Would a freshwater dip work? How long should I dip it?

Thanks,
Dana]
 
[Freshwater dips don't work but dipping the rock in high salinity will work. Dip it in saltwater with a specific gravity of 1.035 to 1.040 for one minute.]
 
[Sorry, I didn't realize you had corals on the rock. I don't know if it will damage it. I wouldn't risk it.]
 
[David (Nautilus) posted a pic of his spiffy bristle worm trap a while back. I dont recall the thread but maybe someone else can point you to it, or if he see's this maybe he will post it again.

That big booger is an extremely useful critter though, even if it makes you itch. They can do wonders to help keep a tank clean. Chances are, you really wont see them that often in the daytime.

Amanda - trying hard to talk you into keeping your worm :)]



Edited By Amanda on 1102318126
 
[Bristle worm hunting is usually not worth the trouble. I am sure there are already many lil bristle worms in your tank that will eventually become bigger in the long run. Out of curiosity, how does the bristle worms cause itching? Do they have to come in contact with you?]
 
[Amanda,
I've read many of your posts, and I've always thought you gave great advise, but I have read horror stories and even seen tanks myself where these worms get out of control. I have read in reef books that they can blind fish who pick at them like angels and hawks by wrapping their bodies around the fish's face when they are caught - which is exactly how they react when I get them with the tweezers. I really like all the mini stars that live in the rocks in my tank and I feel that these gross worms out compete them for food if not kept in check. I'd like to read an argument for the other side, but I haven't seen any reliable source that says any thing great about them. Do you know where I could find a good article on them either on the web or in print?
Thanks]
 
[Hey bigStun,
Just the sight of bristle worms makes me itch, but they do have to touch other people.
I'm not really trying to rid my tank of worms, I just don't have anything in my tank to keep their numbers in check - so I do it. This one is really big - about the thickness of a pencil, and I don't know how long.
When I see big ones like this they really make my skin crawl, which is not what I am going for when I gaze fondly at my 100 gallon in-wall "child" so I fish them out with surgical tweezers when I can.]
 
[that does sound like a large bristle worm...somewhere on reefcentral is a tread of a 4 foot bristleworm, the thing was a monster. Goodluck trying to get that thing!]
 
[If you do catch it I'll take it off your hands, even pay you a bit! The big ones are fantastic scavangers. I have had several foot-longers over the years. I am sure that there is always an exception to every rule, but I have never seen one damage anything that was not already dying.]
 
[Another vote for keeping them! The key is to not overfeed. They will not take over your tank unless you overfeed.

Even if they do they are easy to trap but the problems with them are way way overrated.

Blinding fish and such is a one in a million deal! And the worm would have to be huge. Bigger than your pencil size!

I do understand the freaking you out part so if you really have to get it then try to trap it. If you tweezer them you risk creating 2 or more worms. They are like earthworms in that if you cut them in half you will have 2!

I'm second in line to steve if you do trap it. They are great scavengers. Probably the best!]



Edited By kwl1763 on 1102343033
 
[You can do a freshwater dip with a Alkaseltzer in the water.. he will run outta the rock fast that way,, but Id keep him.. if anything they clean up the stuff that you wont....:)

Nathan]
 
[Hi Dana, yikes what books have you been reading! Those really are stories of the extreme. There should be lots of positive info on Dr. Rons pages that Matt linked you to.
Just the thought that two very successful reefers here are waiting in line for it should speak volumes for you.
They also shouldnt be much of competition for your asterina stars, they both eat many different things.
That all said, if we havent convinced you then give Davids trap a shot.

Welcome to the board, btw!!]
 
[A little off subject here but read this 1998 link:

Ron's Plankton Link

His last paragraph is very prophetic. "I think the development of some way to supply phytoplankton will be the next significant advance in reefkeeping."

We've come a long way in a few years!]
 
[I was treating with this medicine that killed all of my bristle worms and while they were dying my loubouti fairy wrasse went after the biggest one. It shot bristles at it My wrasse looked like it had a mohawk with bristles sticking out of its head and eyes.]
 
[No, I didn't take pictures. I should have. The bristles fell out the next day. My wrasse is still scratching his head though. I was using Quinsulex for ick and possibly other parasites. It was in my QT. I did not expect the medicine to kill all the bristle worms.]
 
@Nicki wrote:
[I was treating with this medicine that killed all of my bristle worms and while they were dying my loubouti fairy wrasse went after the biggest one. It shot bristles at it My wrasse looked like it had a mohawk with bristles sticking out of its head and eyes.] said:
[Bristle worms do not "shoot" bristles. Your wrasse tried to take a bite out of it. I had a clown with a bristle worm beard a few years ago. They get over it, and learn a lesson I'm sure. :nod:]
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