Worms!! Please help!
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: General Help
Forum Description: The place to ask about pest, problems, hitchhikers, etc.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47402
Printed Date: May 12 2025 at 10:38am
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Topic: Worms!! Please help!
Posted By: justinstank
Subject: Worms!! Please help!
Date Posted: March 09 2011 at 12:18pm
I have some bristle/fire worms in my rocks! how can i get rid of them without having to get rid of all my rock and livestock! ? please help.
  ------------- justin williams |
Replies:
Posted By: WhiteReef
Date Posted: March 09 2011 at 12:30pm
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Bristle worms are a great thing to have in the tank and add to the cleanup crew you have. If you do want to remove them, there are traps that you can purchase or make that attract them into it. http://www.marinedepot.com/Coralife_Trap%60Em_Bristle_Worm_Trap_Fish_Hatcheries_Breeding_Supplies_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Coralife-ES09550-FIMIBN-vi.html - http://www.marinedepot.com/Coralife_Trap%60Em_Bristle_Worm_Trap_Fish_Hatcheries_Breeding_Supplies_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Coralife-ES09550-FIMIBN-vi.html ------------- ---------------- Richard Former 47G Column Reef, Magna 20" x 18" x 31"H |
Posted By: bfessler
Date Posted: March 09 2011 at 12:39pm
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That's right. Bristle worms are a great part of the clean up crew. Just be sure you don't grab one of them with a bare hand because they can inflict a strong sting. A few of them are good but if your tank is over run with them you need to stop over feeding and you can make a trap using a piece of shrimp and some bridal vale material. See Mark Peterson's post http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36683&KW=bristle+worm+trap&PID=325784#325784 - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36683&KW=bristle+worm+trap&PID=325784#325784 ------------- Burt An equal opportunity reefer, I support all hobbyists and organizations involved in Marine Aquarium Keeping. [email protected] |
Posted By: justinstank
Date Posted: March 09 2011 at 1:26pm
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Thanks a bunch for the suggestions. if they are not harmful to fish and coral, then thats what i was worried about, but ill check and see if they multiply more. i dont want to have my tank over run by them though.
Thanks again ------------- justin williams |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: March 09 2011 at 2:18pm
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It's all about feeding. Check the thread that Burt pointed to or click here to avoid the highlighted search terms): http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36683 - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36683 Bristleworms are quite fascinating and extremely useful. There are thousands of types of worms in the ocean and all of them have a purpose, usually to clean things up. Chances are you'll never encounter any worms that harm your tank.  Remember, 99.9% of all the different species we find in our tanks are beneficial. The bad things make up a really short list that many hobbyists never have problems with or they tolerate or they eliminate with various methods discussed here on the MB. Here's the animal list; Aiptasia and Majano anemones, a couple types of Flatworm, Rock Crabs, Red Bugs Mantis Shrimp and a Zoanthid eating Nudibranch. Like I said, the chances of encountering most of these is slim. When I was new to the hobby, I unknowingly bought a Mantis Shrimp because I could see it's cool little eyes looking out at me from a small piece of LR. I look back now and can imagine the two LFS employees chuckling under their breath as they sold me that tiny rock for a buck. The Mantis grew large enough that at night you could hear the Ping--Ping--Ping of it's claws snapping. Sometimes it was so loud I thought it must surely be hitting the glass with it's claws, but even after a thorough search with a dim flashlight it was always pinging from around the rocks. Eventually it died when I unknowingly allowed the Alk to drop to about 3 as I went 18 months without a water change. Those were the days...  And when it comes to Algae, there are some nuisances. We know how to prevent and control all of them, like Hair Algae, Valonia, Cyanobacteria(not a pure algae), and Bryopsis algae. The great thing about all these pest animals and algae is that we know how to prevent, to control and to remove them from our tanks. So no worries mate. Just keep an eye on things, like you are doing  , and anytime something unfamiliar comes up ask us here, like you are doing, and we will help you around it.On Saturday, I met a guy in my apartment complex that had heard I had aquariums so he came over, because he needed help moving his 9 month old reef. He told me the story of how he was feeding these cool little clear/tan anemones and how their growing population had made him happy to be able to see them thrive. He happened to mention it to a LFS and they proceeded to educate him. He carefully killed each one and hasn't had any since. We have all been there, fascinated by the amazing first life in our tanks.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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