Bristle Worm Hotel

[Pola0502ds]

When they get out of hand and can't stand it any longer fenbendazole is a great cure

Can you explain this?? Maybe someone can explain which fish, crabs, etc, really work on these worms. I know they are not bad for the tank i just hate how they look and i want them out.

 

[Zoey]

i had 3 pom pom crabs that really made a dent in my bristle worm population, they would rip the small/medium ones outta the rock work and eat them. i dont have many now, when i look at tank at night under red light its no where near as crazy as it once was.
Ive been stung by them before,too. it really does sting bad, had to pull the little hairs outta my fingers!

 

[Pola0502ds]

Where do you guys typically find them? I have only seen them in my filter socks. If i wake up in the middle of the night i will check the tank with the lights off and i can never find any.

 

[Zoey]

if i look in my tank at night with the red light i'll see them crawling around the sides of the rocks. dont really see them crawling around on the sand anymore

 

[Mark3]

Night time shot then I got a 6 line wrasse ... I can't find them anymore

 

[RobberyinCSharp]

My second bristle worm hotel I have invaded. This time they even have bristle babies. Don't worry this is only a tiny population of bristle worms that is in my tank. I have thousands of them in my rock work and sand bed. I have an arrow crabs but it only eats about 1 or 2 a day which doesn't even make a dent in the population. Manual removal is required to control their population. They love turbo snails.

dangit, is that why my turbos keep dying even though my algae is... In abundance and everything else is alive?!

 

[Engloid]

I have never heard of a bristleworm eating a healthy snail. The worms can't get into a snails shell unless the snail can't shut the flapper.

I used to have a ton of bristleworms. I got an eyedropper and found that if I went for one with tweezers and it went into a rock, I could squirt white vinegar into the hole and the worm would usually come out quickly...and be caught.

And if you think you don't have bristleworms, pull your rocks out and you will probably find some under them.

 

[N1Husker]

I have a coral banded shrimp that ate mine. He cruises the whole tank at night finding and consuming them. I had a dartfish that came out one day with some of the barbs sticking out of his head. They fell out a few days later. Prior to that I tried two of those green bristleworm traps. They worked pretty good, some times there would be 4 or 5 in one trap. I had an endless battle with them. Now since I have the CBS, he keeps the population in check. I also have a Melanurus Wrasse that will gobble them down.

 

[Engloid]

I got a red coris wrasse and he loved eating bristleworms.
a yellow coris eats them also. Both of these are prettier and not as mean as a 6 line wrasse.