what the heck??! I cleaned my tank and it looks like some one dumped these things inside??!!

[Glass Algae]

Curious for those saying to leave them, is there a worry of food competition and a mass die off causing an ammonia spike?

 

[Revnobody]

I have never seen anything like this! That's a whole new level of bristle worm infestation. As others have said, take out as many as you can get. The amount remaining will be beneficial to your tank.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

Wicked

 

[Tired]

THAT is a eunicid worm of some brand. Not a bristleworm. Bobbits are one of the bigger eunicids, and are the most well-known, but there are many smaller species, of varying levels of threat. Some are even small, harmless detritivores.

With that many, I suppose a die-off is possible. Hence the removal. I would ask why there are that many in the first place. OP, where did you get your rock, and how much do you feed?

 

[lsawchuk]

How the crap did you get so many bristleworms?! The only comparable amount I've ever seen was in a tank full of dead animals, and even then there weren't as many as there are here... as anything died recently?
As others have mentioned, they are good CUC but they sting really hard so be careful if you remove them. I say your best course of action would be to get a basslet of some sort (Chalk is a good one) and one or two arrow crabs, they both eat bristleworms voraciously.
Good luck man! I hope you can discover the reason for the epidemic.

Thank you

 

[dvgyfresh]

Lol are you filming a new season of fear factor

 

[Tired]

Oh, I would not advise arrow crabs. They'll very likely attack fish and small inverts once they get big. Chalk basslets are nice. Just remove the worms by "hand" (metaphorical hands only, no bare skin), until you have a reasonable number.

 

[Thales]

I wouldn't worry about them at all. And, I have seen worse!

 

[Bfragale]

I’ve never seen so many like that! Creepy

 

[Tired]

Oh, also, that round green thing in one of your pictures is a bubble algae. They can be a pest. Remove any of those you see, preferably without popping them.

 

[Rrwilson1223]

Well Being 2020, I now know how the world will end. The Bristle Worm invasion has begun.

 

[reefiniteasy]

Just saw this on Instagram. What a coincidence. Order it and let us know if it works.

https://jt-aquatics.com/

 

[living_tribunal]

There are bristleworm traps..seee if you can find how to make it

But why....

 

[Thales]

Oh, also, that round green thing in one of your pictures is a bubble algae. They can be a pest. Remove any of those you see, preferably without popping them.

You can pop them. The idea that there are spores inside is inccorect.

 

[Jonify]

My six-line would have a feast. He's a pig.

 

[terraincognita]

Don't do a RODI freshwater bath. That will destroy your bacteria. Instead do a high salinity bath. The worms will leave the rock. If you have sand in your tank, the worms are in there too.

I read an article a few weeks ago that said something about 75% of BB surviving saltwater to freshwater switches and vice versa.

Wonder about that, I think there was some research behind it.

 

[Chibils]

I think a lot of people are overreacting. Your garden-variety bristleworm is a harmless detritovore. They clean up your tank for you. Like spiders or opossums, they are creepy and we often think of them as dirty but they do the dirty work of quietly cleaning up from the shadows. The reason so many folks on this thread are advocating for reduced feeding is because they're supporting themselves on all the extra food in the system. Did "cleaning your tank" involve blowing off the rocks and stirring up the sand, possibly for the first time in a while? If so, they're just here for the feast. You could absolutely siphon most of them out, and you probably should if you're going to reduce feedings, but generally speaking they don't hurt anybody. They're just an unsightly part of our tanks' wonderful biodiversity. I wonder if people have become so averse to bristleworms because of the popularity of starting with dry rock? It used to be just another part of the hobby, back when live rock was a standard part of starting a tank.

 

[Katrina71]

I have a bunch and they never bother anything. It is a little creepy at feeding time, but they are merely a layer of the CUC. Imo

 

[Cell]

Some bristleworms are good, that many is a risk imo. What happens if they run out of food and start dying off?

 

[shred5]

Some bristleworms are good, that many is a risk imo. What happens if they run out of food and start dying off?

Would not be much different if he removed them and kept adding as much food to the tank. If he just pulls them out and does not change anything he can end up with a ammonia spike, possibly bacteria bloom, algae outbreak..

They are there because there is to much food or detritus. Most likely overfeeding or not removing detritus.


Bristle worm population grow and subside by the amount of food. Those bristle worms are doing him a favor.

He needs to figure out what is causing them to take off and slowly change it. Drastic changes could lead to a issue.