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One is too many as it is for me. I have pulled a 12" and 14" one before and despise them,, however many regard them as cleaner crew and they keep sand loose and consume detritus and uneaten foodI began my reefing journey a few years ago as many do: visions of a pristine reef with wavy corals and anemones hosting natural instinct-competent clownfish. Maintenance of a pest-free environment was, of course, a top priority, and among those critters categorized as pests was the unsightly bristleworm. As the story goes, the first tank was problematic, and I eventually came around to embrace full ocean live rock and sand and all the critters that don't spell imminent death. Curiously, I went bristleworm-free until my third and current tank. They are fine They do a great job. Acceptable tenants... until they're not.
My question is, do bristleworms become problematic once they are very large? I've read that they regulate their own population based on availability of food, but will a large hungry bristleworm just let itself starve or begin to experiment with living foods? At some point, simple biomass would become a problem, no?
I don't harbor ill feeling toward them, but I also don't have any ethical dilemma in culling the population. I see them like an algae scrubber--removing some of them and turning them into fertilizer is essentially nutrient export.
This is one of the yasha goby's back doors. When I feed corals at the end of the day and the lights are dimming, these guys start pouring out like they're crawling out of the pits of hell! Some are becoming quite large.
I bet I hate them moreEW! I hate those so much. I got a predatory wrasse (rainbow) to eat these MFs. They creep me out. If I see one I grab pinchers and pull them
My favorite video LOL
My favorite video LOL
I'm in the thought process of when is the time for a good culling. After the tank transfer, I'll re-evaluate, but it might be time to bring the population down a bit and let the young'uns have their turn.I let them get out of control in one of my tanks….to the point where I don’t even feel comfortable putting my hands in the tank!!!
The tank isn’t big enough for a wrasse, so I’ve been trying to trap them unsuccessfully...if I could have a do-over, I would’ve started chopping their numbers when I first started seeing them.
Some fish do do this but you’d expect to see it searching the disturbed sand afterwards for dislodged critters. Flashing isn’t necessarily a sign of disease. Can also just be an itch. Regular flashing is the worryI'm in the thought process of when is the time for a good culling. After the tank transfer, I'll re-evaluate, but it might be time to bring the population down a bit and let the young'uns have their turn.
@Slocke I've observed my leopard flash against the sand a few times. I doubt she has any illness, so I was wondering if she's doing that to stir up the sand in the hopes that a few baby worms might kick up. Does that track?
My favorite video LOL
Times like this I want more reactions. R2R need a vomit emoji reaction. I like bristleworms…..
She does this when she's picking around in the limited space between corals.Some fish do do this but you’d expect to see it searching the disturbed sand afterwards for dislodged critters. Flashing isn’t necessarily a sign of disease. Can also just be an itch. Regular flashing is the worry
Welcome to the clubTimes like this I want more reactions. R2R need a vomit emoji reaction. I like bristleworms…..
Nope scratch that. I hate bristle worms now…. I don’t ever want to see another one. That was nasty!
Maybe only cause you have a username declaring it!! LolI bet I hate them more
A six line wrasse will decimate a population of bristleworms.
One of my all time favorite movies!
I actually wish that I had some in my tank. There were some babies on a frag that I got a while back, but the dip knocked them all off and killed them. They work great in the rocks and sand!Oh they're not all that bad! Ugly as sin, but don't deserve all the hate.
My favorite video LOL