What is the bristle worm doing?
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Currdawg12
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I bought a yellow cortis wrasse and he ate all 60 of my worms in a week! (60 is an estimate)
Wee Mad Arthur
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Not to add to any future nightmares but have you tried removing a large one with tweezers? You can feel them fighting the tweezers, they’re very strong! I’ve done it in the past and thinking about it still creeps me out which is why my large one can stay in my tank!
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No. I’ve only ever had super tiny ones. Like maybe a little thicker than a hair. Haven’t seen any in my new tank yet. But they may be lurking. I can’t imagine. I’d probably call in professional help. 311 or animal control?
;Hilarious
Scotty Buttons
Valuable Member
I know there ugly but I'm not sure why everyone wants to eradicate them from there tanks. There one of the best scavengers in a reef tank. If you really wanna get rid of them I've seen people selling them on ebay.
Wee Mad Arthur
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Only issue I’ve had with them is when they get big they can knock coral over that isn’t attached to rock.
bluprntguy
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Pretty much describes every member of my clean up crew. I’m convinced that there is a bar or nightclub somewhere in my tank and they are all just stumbling home and knocking things over at 3AM.
Terri Caton
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You made Bristleworm pO¥n!!! Lol
Wee Mad Arthur
Active Member
This time around I purposely didn’t put any hermits or large snails in for that reason! Give me my nice gentle stomatella snails all day long and they were considerate enough to come free with the live rock. Best of all they actually eat algae!
After making a few different contraptions I made this one that works crazy well. I got a barely opaque bottle, and heated up the bottom and pushed a small screw driver so that it made a hole that is kind of like a funnel that goes into the bottle. Then I take a piece of a straw and jam a broken up brick of frozen mysis into it( just so the food doesnt float all over the place, it makes it where they have to go all the way in to get it). Pushed this down next to the rocks, not into the sand, but it can lay on the sandbed. I did this because I had fire worms, but if you want to cut down on population this would work and is kind of fun.
What are the bristle worms doing? The same thing they do every day.
They're daydreaming about the moment I stick my hand in the tank so they can sting the everliving crap out of me, leaving my hand swollen and painful for 2 or 3 days.
They have little brains. This is the only thought their little brains can hold: "can't. wait. to. sting. the. hand."
They're daydreaming about the moment I stick my hand in the tank so they can sting the everliving crap out of me, leaving my hand swollen and painful for 2 or 3 days.
They have little brains. This is the only thought their little brains can hold: "can't. wait. to. sting. the. hand."
jlts21
Well-Known Member
You can make a trap using a bottle or capped pvc if you want to get rid of some. But I honestly don’t understand why people want to completely eradicate them. When they get big, by all means get them out, but we put things in our tanks that can nuke the entire tank (anemones, cucumbers, etc.), but everyone wants to get rid of one of the best detritus cleaners there is.
There is nothing else in my tank that inflicts painful stings 100% of the time if I touch it. I can't understand why people like them. There are plenty of other detritus feeders out there!
(That said, they are also impossible to eradicate so waging war against them is pointless IMO. Best thing to do is hate them from a distance)
MERKEY
Cronies
Ok so I have found a pretty good way to get them out and it's super simple.....
At night is when my population comes out grazing the sand for left overs of the day.
I tried everything from traps, cups, nylon, and plucking by hand.
Then it hit me!!! Ok it really is silly how simple it is......I just uses my siphon tube that's about 1/4 inch in diameter and suckdd those bad boys right off the top layer of sand...BAM
You will get more at a time than you think. I get a good 50-100 or so on any occasion. Very little ones you didnt even see right below the surface. Only pull put the slightest layer if possible. Suction is hard even on those little tubes. And you will get faster and better at it so you really aren't even getting sand or much water when you know how to attack with it hahahah
THIS NEXT PART IS IMPORTANT.
If you put the sand back in PLEASE rinse it really well until it runs clear. You really shouldn't have more than a cup or so once you get your way of doing it.
It actually is kinda fun and it keeps your bed a little cleaner
This only works if you have the room to do so in your tank
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