bristle worms
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27313
Printed Date: December 12 2025 at 8:21pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: bristle worms
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Subject: bristle worms
Date Posted: August 05 2008 at 7:39pm
| So I have a few bristle worms in my tank and I don't mind them but would prefer to keep them under control now before they become a problem. What are predators to them? I know coral banded shrimp but I have a peppermint shrimp in there now so I can't do that. Anything else I could put in to keep em under control before they beome a problem? |
Replies:
Posted By: john hill
Date Posted: August 05 2008 at 8:21pm
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my skunk srimp will eat little ones ------------- out with the large and in with the nano |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: August 05 2008 at 8:22pm
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six line wrasses
------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: August 05 2008 at 8:29pm
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Many Dottybacks eat them.
Mike -------------  |
Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: August 05 2008 at 9:27pm
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Arrow Crabs love to eat them.
One of the main ways to keep bristleworm population to a minimum is "Don't overfeed."
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: August 05 2008 at 11:23pm
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I've never had a problem with them because I followed Will's advice about feeding. ------------- 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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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: August 06 2008 at 8:16am
I have a coral banded shrip as well as 2 peppermint shrips and they seem to be okay together for the time being (had them for two months), although i did start with 3 peppermints 
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Posted By: mikeden
Date Posted: August 09 2008 at 11:41am
I bought an Arrow Crab for this purpose. Turns out he can tackle and dismantle the 2 or 3 inch or less ones, but all the ones bigger than that he just tickles. And I have a ton that are close to 8 inches now.  ------------- 150G Reef |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: August 20 2008 at 12:53pm
| So I bought a coral banded shrimp and he seems to be doing fine with the peppermint, But now he i attacking my condy anemone. I was just watching him and he kept pinching at the condy but not actually ripping off chunks yet. So that kinda sucks. Hopefully it will all work out. Thanks for everyones input |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: August 20 2008 at 2:06pm
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Now you have a hungry CBShrimp that will probably eat everything else, including the Peppermint shrimp and coral. To pacify it you will have to feed more which will simply increase the population of BW's
I would not buy a CB Shrimp with the intention of controlling Bristleworms. It won't help. There are easier and no cost ways to reduce their numbers we can share with you if you really want to know and follow our suggestions.
------------- 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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Posted By: nitrotmann
Date Posted: August 20 2008 at 3:04pm
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The little saddle back blenny that I think I have, lol, attacks the britsle worms in my nano. She must eat them, as she has a full belly, even if I haven't fed recently. this is what she looks like..
   ------------- I'm typically a sarcastic ___hole, so hate me if you want...I'd be jealous too. |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: August 21 2008 at 8:15pm
| I will just watch over feeding and spot feed my shrimp to hopefully keep him under control. The big reason I got him is because I think they are cool looking and if he helps with the bristle worms awesome. |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: August 21 2008 at 9:40pm
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I don't understand why people don't care for bristle worms. Is it their looks?
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: mikeden
Date Posted: August 21 2008 at 9:53pm
I don't mind the little ones, and I beleive the little ones are beneficial. It's the ones that look like they could eat a pit-bull that I don't trust. It's not the looks of them as a whole, it's the looks of the ones the size of your forearm that scare the crap out of ya! (Some exaggeration and embelishment.  ) ------------- 150G Reef |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: August 21 2008 at 11:34pm
| No I want them in my system just not out of control. I have read they are beneficial and see why. So I don't want them gone just kept in control. |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: August 22 2008 at 1:28pm
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The population will change according to how much food is available.
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: Slick Eelie
Date Posted: September 21 2008 at 7:43pm
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If the natural preditors don't work, you could try a trap. Just take a piece of pvc pipe and put end caps on both ends. Drill holes in the pvc and put a piece of frozen food in the pipe. Let it sit overnight. In the morning you should have a pipe with bristle worms inside.
I used to have several bristle worms in my tank. Some of them very large. When I removed the LBTR rock and replaced it with other types of rock, I found the the bristle worms were gone. They must like living in the LBTR more than the other types of rock I had in my tank. ------------- James Mellor Eagle Mountain 210 gallon reef |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: September 21 2008 at 11:54pm
Yeah my shrimp is keeping them under control. I don't want to get rid of them just keep them under control. If I see big ones I try to get them but other than that I do not see to many unless my shrimp has one in its claws . My arrow crab makes short work of them in my nano. Thanks for the tip. Hopefully it wont come to that point.------------- 150 gallon Reef Millcreek Utah |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: September 22 2008 at 12:26am
for me its the fear or moving rocks around and find one hiding under there and getting some bristles in my fingers, i dig in my tank alot and i dont want to worry about them. that and the bigger ones eat corals. ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Mike Savage wrote:Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: September 22 2008 at 7:24am
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Where did you get the information about them eating corals?
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: September 22 2008 at 8:33am
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fellow reefers ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: September 22 2008 at 9:56am
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The truth is that only a few of the possibly 100's of types of Bristleworms munch on coral. Don't let yourself fall victim to unfounded fear and ignorance. It usually goes this way: A new hobbyist sees one bristleworm cleaning up the dead or dieing portion of a coral or simply the detritus at the base of a coral. Then someone screams Killer Bristleworm and the rumors start to circulate. The truth is: Bristleworms are our friends. They help clean the tank as part of the cleanup crew. That's why LS and LR are good things to start with because they bring Bristleworms. They are also useful as an indication of overfeeding. They live in the sand and especially at the base of porous LR like LBTR. ------------- 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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Posted By: IdahoReef
Date Posted: September 24 2008 at 10:32pm
I have quite a few bristle worms, some quite large. The large ones live where ever the heck they WANT to.  I don't know if I have a "problem" or not though. I have a friend that wants a few and that pipe trick sounds like the trick for getting some to him safely.
------------- Beginner Steven Build Thread http://idahoreefs.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1295 - http://idahoreefs.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1295 |
Posted By: Slick Eelie
Date Posted: September 28 2008 at 7:31pm
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I never saw my 6 line wrasse eat any, but my sand perch loved them. ------------- James Mellor Eagle Mountain 210 gallon reef |
Posted By: Yindar
Date Posted: September 28 2008 at 9:17pm
I'm confused  yet again..Dumb question(s) time! 
Of everything I've read about Bristle worms, I've come to the understanding that they are not a good thing to have in your tank. But another book I have, showed this as a Bristle Worm (also refered to this as a Fireworm). Both pictures are from a book.
So these are the good ones?
  And these are the bad ones?
 What I have seen (and probably have in my tank now) are like this but the body is more redish in color. I picked up some small rock pieces from someone and when I got home there were six of these crawling around the bottom of the bucket. I do have an Arrowhead crab and also a CB Shrimp in my tank so I hope I'm covered. But I would like to understand why Bristle Worms are beneficial or evil and which type is which. Someone please enlighten me!
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Posted By: IdahoReef
Date Posted: September 28 2008 at 10:20pm
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I have the worms that are shown in the second picture. Without any reference or story to validate what is occurring it is difficult to give you a proper evaluation. I do know this though; bristle worms are scavengers. Dying or dead flesh puts out a different smell than live animals do. They seek out the dead or dying scents. In the second picture I would guess that the fish (a catalina goby) is either dead or very close to it and they are just doing what comes naturally. If bristle worms were hunters, I would not have nearly then number of snails in my tank that I do as they would decimate them in short order. I certainly would not have nearly the number of baby snails. My worms live in and around my rock, they also live in the sand. There is nothing living in my tank that would be able to keep the rock crevices and cavities clean like they are able to do. Ultimately, the choice is yours to decide whether to keep them or not. ------------- Beginner Steven Build Thread http://idahoreefs.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1295 - http://idahoreefs.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1295 |
Posted By: larhalli
Date Posted: September 29 2008 at 12:34pm
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I also have to say like Mike (MIKEDEN) and Shane (pa-reptileman-4) that I do not like the big ones. Since first getting into this hobby my opinions have changed on how I feel about bristleworms. I used to stay up nights and catch as many as I could. I think my record was 24 in one night. You can never catch them all. I also once thought they were eating my zoos and mushrooms. Never any real evidence of that, they just hung out in the rocks they were attached to and came out when I fed them. They gave me the creeps. Now I rarely see them, maybe once in a while when I feed my tanks. The trick is like what has been stated. Don't over feed your tanks. I am sure the Coral Banded and other shrimp mentioned will work but I really never witnessed any of my shrimp actually going after or eating any. I no longer have any of these shrimp and my bristleworm population now is the least it has ever been. But I still may be tempted to get the big ones out if I ever see any again. I think they are an essential part of the clean up crew.
------------- Larry Halliday West Jordan |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: September 29 2008 at 2:10pm
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I have learne that they are good. Out of my arrow and coral banded I see the arrow constantly with bristle worms and have only see the coral banded a few times. I agree with above that I do not like the big ones but keep your feeding in check and you should be fine with these guys. They are great cleaners. ------------- 150 gallon Reef Millcreek Utah |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: September 29 2008 at 5:24pm
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The bristleworms in my tank look like the bottom picture. I believe fireworms are a type of bristleworm.
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: PMGuernsey
Date Posted: September 29 2008 at 10:29pm
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I have one in my small 5 gallon tank with only coral in it that I have nicknamed snoopy, because he lives in the same rock as some of my polythoa and anytime I feed them he snoops around to get some. Since it is on my desk I see him sometimes while doing homework. I think hes great because beside the one hermit crab and snail he is the only other semi big live animal in the tank. I used to worry about them, but I almost get excited to see them now, I don't really have that many though. I sometimes stay up at night and spot light them for fun. ------------- |
Posted By: gobie
Date Posted: October 29 2008 at 7:51am
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Could be wrong but whenever I switch from one tank to another my bristle worms look like the top pic , but when they are out feeding they look like the bottom pic. seems like when they are scrunched up they are more bushy , and when they are stretched out thier bristels bunch together the more they stretch? I have never had a problem with them either way ,plus I watch them push out built up detirus from the rock work wich must help a little.
One other thing I have noticed about them is when I have an over population of them they do tend to sting my yellow headed jaw fish more around the gill area as well as all of the firefish I have had and lost. Looks like they have gotes . Feeding every 3 days keeps them in check for me. ------------- 135 with vhos |