You'll get a lot of different opinions about bristleworms if you do a search here and on the web. You'll get people who remove them, people who say keep them, people who say the worms ate their fish and at least 2-3 people per day in the hitchhiker critter forum spotting their first bristleworm saying "help.. what is this?" lol
I was exactly the same way -- I wanted to get rid of them all. I first noticed them when the lights were out, pulling out 1 or 2 and thinking that was it. Spotting more and watching all those vids to build traps...etc. Over time, I learned that they are absolutely the best clean up crew I could have. #1 - they were free. I started with live rock and so I inherited quite a few, #2 they stay hidden during the day (except during feeding).
I've never had to control my feeding (and I feed a lot) to help reduce their population. I have one yellow coral banded shrimp and I saw him eat a tiny worm once. I follow the "if they get too big, pull them out" and whenever I catch a few in compromising positions at night, I scoop them out with my glass cleaner. Everytime I do I always say to myself, "he sure looked bigger when he was in the tank".
Another reason they're the best CUC you can have, #3- they clean up EVERYTHING. Like I said, I feed A LOT, and food is never leftover. I've had fish and inverts not make it after QT/acclimation (it happens), snails that have died - the bristleworms are likely the group that saves me from having to scoop them out (they're very efficient).
I've never had any attack my live livestock. They seem to coexist fine. I have a yellow watchman goby who has a pistol shrimp buddy but it also seems like they bunk with 3-4 bristleworms as well haha. Same with my hi-fin goby and his shrimp on the other side of the tank.
It wasn't until I set up a pico tank that I realized how valuable they were. I decided to go with dry rock and dry sand and only had 1 fish and 1 shrimp in it. I fed the tank 1 flake per day and 1-2 pieces of mysis shrimp every 3-4 days. After a month, the tank was pretty filthy because of leftover food -- and we're talking very little feeding.
I was exactly the same way -- I wanted to get rid of them all. I first noticed them when the lights were out, pulling out 1 or 2 and thinking that was it. Spotting more and watching all those vids to build traps...etc. Over time, I learned that they are absolutely the best clean up crew I could have. #1 - they were free. I started with live rock and so I inherited quite a few, #2 they stay hidden during the day (except during feeding).
I've never had to control my feeding (and I feed a lot) to help reduce their population. I have one yellow coral banded shrimp and I saw him eat a tiny worm once. I follow the "if they get too big, pull them out" and whenever I catch a few in compromising positions at night, I scoop them out with my glass cleaner. Everytime I do I always say to myself, "he sure looked bigger when he was in the tank".
Another reason they're the best CUC you can have, #3- they clean up EVERYTHING. Like I said, I feed A LOT, and food is never leftover. I've had fish and inverts not make it after QT/acclimation (it happens), snails that have died - the bristleworms are likely the group that saves me from having to scoop them out (they're very efficient).
I've never had any attack my live livestock. They seem to coexist fine. I have a yellow watchman goby who has a pistol shrimp buddy but it also seems like they bunk with 3-4 bristleworms as well haha. Same with my hi-fin goby and his shrimp on the other side of the tank.
It wasn't until I set up a pico tank that I realized how valuable they were. I decided to go with dry rock and dry sand and only had 1 fish and 1 shrimp in it. I fed the tank 1 flake per day and 1-2 pieces of mysis shrimp every 3-4 days. After a month, the tank was pretty filthy because of leftover food -- and we're talking very little feeding.
