How do I get rid of a bristleworm?

[glb]

I think a bristleworm is eating my zoas. I saw an iridescent worm with small spiky things sticking out of its body. I've lost almost two colonies and am at my wits end trying to figure out why. Does this sound like something a bristleworm might do? The colonies are disappearing rapidly. If so, how can I get rid of it???

 

[Mr. E Wrasse]

Never herd of it. Bristle worms are great for reef tanks eating excess nutrients and such. Could be a zoa eating nudi or spider

 

[Connie]

If the zoas are where you can remove them, you can dip them in Revive and that will get rid of a spider or nudibranch.

 

[Reefing Madness]

I agree with both above statements. Bristleworms aren't going to eat but dead tissue or dissolving Zoas, not living tissue.

 

[mcarroll]

It's also seeming not so well known that zoa's can be extremely temperamental in terms of growth as well as sudden die-off. I'm guessing something is tweaking your colonies and the worms are coming around for the excess slime and/or die-off. They are not the culprit.

Any changes at all (even ones that should make no difference) to the system around the time (or before) that you noticed this issue?

-Matt

 

[glb]

It's also seeming not so well known that zoa's can be extremely temperamental in terms of growth as well as sudden die-off. I'm guessing something is tweaking your colonies and the worms are coming around for the excess slime and/or die-off. They are not the culprit.

Any changes at all (even ones that should make no difference) to the system around the time (or before) that you noticed this issue?

-Matt

Yes. I changed the compact fluorescent bulbs a few months ago. Then I gradually remove the bioballs and old carbon and ceramic rings and replaced them with denitrate purigen and chemipure. The tank is cleaner now, and the numbers stayed about like this throughout

SG: 1.024-1.026 (crept up so I'm bringing it down. It's at 1.025 now

Nitrates: 5-10
Calcium: 420-500, now at 420
Kh: 8-9.5, now at 8
Ph: 7.8-8.1, daily range due to co2 buildup
Mg: 1180-1300, add 3ml once/twice a week.
Temp: 78. Very stable
Ammonia and phosphates: always zero

My biggest colonies are the ones that are dying. I've dipped in Coral Rx and lugols several times and freshwater dip and they keep getting worse. Only amphipods came off in the dip. No sign of nudibranches or eggs. No small snails that I can see. Polyps are disappearing daily. Other corals in the tank that are fine are Florida ricordea, acan lords (far from zoas), gsp's and some of the other zoas. I'm going to frag what's left tomorrow to see if I can save some. These corals thrived and reproduced for several months before starting to recede. Everything I did was to make things better but I think something happened that I can't figure out to cause this. Help!!!

 

[mcarroll]

[...]The tank is cleaner now[…]/QUOTE]

That was a lot of changes so gonna be hard to know for sure "what did it", but in a nutshell I think the quote above summarizes what's getting to your problem colonies.

I'd consider selectively rolling back some of the changes at least for a while and see if anyone gets happier as the tank "dirties up" a little.

Unless you have specific, positive signs of a predator I think I would avoid more dips or any other stresses.

-Matt

 

[glb]

[...]The tank is cleaner now[…]/QUOTE]

That was a lot of changes so gonna be hard to know for sure "what did it", but in a nutshell I think the quote above summarizes what's getting to your problem colonies.

I'd consider selectively rolling back some of the changes at least for a while and see if anyone gets happier as the tank "dirties up" a little.

Unless you have specific, positive signs of a predator I think I would avoid more dips or any other stresses.

-Matt

Thanks! I'll try not cleaning the filter media and see what happens.