Bristle Worm Brutality, Who Started It?

[Mr Miagi]

Started a new thread for you Lucyq, if you wish to discuss your issue with these bristle worms again!

Original post:

Hi,
Reently, our family have set up a second hand 100 gallon marine tank. We also recieved about 30 kg of live rock, which we managed to keep alive in a large plastic box in the garage, whilst we set the main tank up.
The previous owner did warn us of a few BWs, but we did not think too much of it. We found some huge ones (over 10 inches in length and as thick as your finger) when we were moving the live rock into the main tank. We have heard many different opinions on these worms and our family are disputing the value of these worms, i.e. I hate em and my dad loves em!

Tonight we discovered a murder scene! One of our defencless hemit crabs was being brutally devoured by one of the alledged tank villians. I fear that this small crime may be the first of a hermit crab massacre, but my dad recons that the hermit crab must have been dead or dying, and the BW just polished it off.
What is also on my mind is that we have just this weekend introduced our first ever livestock, cleaner shrimp. My dad is deeply in love with him, and I am worried that these evil beasties of the deep will end his life unfairly and prematurley.
I am asking the forum for some feedback on whether we should hunt these treacherous creatures down, or whether they are harmless marine friends doing a good cleanup job.

Thanks,
Lucy

Later:

Thanks for the feedback

We had a family discussion and have agreed to carry out selective culling. The big ones will be caught to prevent the chance of livestock damage, but we will let the smaller ones continue their clean up operation. I plan to get some new live rock, so I suggest I will get a few more as well!!

To answer the other questions:

Future plans - Just a few fish with some soft and hard corals over the next 12-18 months.
The filter is a cannister type (RENA3) mounted under the tank
The skimmer is a Prizm (not very good I,m told)
There are 5 powerheads (3 on RHS and 2 on LHS) and I am still experimenting with the timers to make different heads come on at different times.
4 x 14k 54wT5s + 2 Actinic

Current livestock

Cleaner Shrimp
3 (now maybe 2) hermits
5 turbo snails
10 narcarisus snails

Great Forum by the way!

My reply with some Q's:

So are you saying you have no corals at the moment, but only plan to add them after 12 months?

If you dont have coral, and only planning them in 12 months, why dont you wait, buy some coral, and see if any actually gets taken. Its from my reading around the web giant bristle worms only consume soft coral, when they are large enough to consume coral, and shouldnt bother your hard corals.

This is just my opinion, but as Lynden pointed out, theres bound to be hundreds more, I fail to see what benefit selective kulling will have. All your doing is creating extra effort for yourself for little gain, having your hands in the tank more than what they need to be, and not acomplishing the removal of your bristle worms, because theres bound to be hundreds more.

You keep refering them as "evil" and "beasts", thats not going to help your view of them! :laugh: Your dad is wise, and you should take note. LOL. (I know it might be hard, LOL) They form part of marine systems, and they would have taken advantage of your hermits Carapeace after a moult, or a dying hermit.

Another point to consider, most cases of worms taking corals were through the night, not at daylight. Most said they'd wake up to one less piece of coral. The fact he was out in the daylight suggests to me he was just being opportunistic.

Ar eyou sure they are Bristle Worms also, and not another form of worm? Got pics?

The best example is from Oregonreef.com. Warning, NOT for the faint hearted, LMAO. The Great Worm Incident is a fine example of what a coral eating worm from Fiji looks like