bristle worm??????

hey all i picked up a frag and i think the rock has a bristle worm...

 

Yep, they are great detrivores and harmless.

 

really? i googled it and showed pics of people that had been bit. looked terrible. i always thought they were bad.

 

They weren't bit, they were "stung" by the "bristles". But I understand the concern. I have a number of bristle worms in my tank, and they are completely hidden until food hits the water. Then they come out of the smallest little holes in the liverock. Nothing else can really get into those spots, and they really don't hurt anything, so I am leaving mine. I know that there are horror stories of this super long bristleworms, but even then I hear that they are fairly harmless, al beit a bit ugly.

 

That's why you always ware gloves when handling live rock if possible. The fire bristle-worm or Fireworm is the bad one. Its all red I think. Thats the one that will eat coral and just about everything. They get very thick and very big quickly. Here is a youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_KbY2-hV_4

Remember with any unknown creature in you reef tank. If in doubt, take it out.


KP

 

would a fw dip kill it? if so how long should i let it sit in the fw? its a small rock with a couple mushrooms.

 

You can make a trap with a 20oz bottle and some superglue and try trapping it. Take your bottle and cut off the top 1/4 &#91;== and turn around the spout < so it can easily crawl in but not so easily crawl out, leave some food * inside the bottle &#91;*==< (terrible picture, I know). The idea is to draw the worm in and be too small to catch fish, I've never tried it because I like the little buggers for extra odd creatures creeping around and I'm not good at cleaning my tank, but the theory seems sound. Just put it close to the frag, or on the bottom of your tank and see who crawls in. If you do it, let me know how it works, and yell "Justice" when you trap something. If you dont yell, or say it at a normal volume with autority, Santa wont visit your house. Good luck!

 

you just made me wake my wife up because i started laughing so hard because of the JUSTICE! part. lol only problem is that my tank is only a 5 gal and a bottle wont fit...

 

I've heard of people taking small "Tupperware" type containers, cutting an "X" into the lid, again too skinny of cuts for fish to get in, but just thick enough for a worm or two to wiggle through. Put a piece of shrimp or other temping food item in the container, submerge it in your tank and wait. Do this in the evening, and in the morning you should have some trapped worms.

Same idea as the bottle, but you can use whatever size container that works. Of course, don't use your wife's favorite container, or go to Walmart/HyVee and get some cheap "Glad" or generic Tupperware style containers on the cheap and be done with it.

 

You can use one of the mini bottles they have now. The 8oz ones

 

I caught mine when it was out at night. Pretty long sucker.

 

+1 yep caught one at night also

 

tonight if i can see the little booger ill snatch him out. i know they arnt that bad but i dont wnt one more thing to worry about when i stick my hands in the tank