Crap!

[Mr.September15]

I knew I had one of these buggers! I just found a bristleworm I'm not sure if its a hand of a brittle star or a bristle worm ATM. The reason is that its not that hidden, I can actually see it moving when the lights are on. I know there good and stuff but I dont want to risk getting poked by one I'm going to try to get it out using my turkey baster 8)

kk quick update: It ran away, but just a second ago I saw something with antlers grab something off the rock and eat it. It might be a tube worm from a feather duster? I'm not sure but thats what im thinking.

Another update:

The count is now at 5 bristleworms. Eww I never even knew I ever had them and there they are! Coming straight from the rocks ass. So weird to have them pop up like that. They have pink bodies with a fade blue lining in the middle.

 

[Donya]

I've never had trouble getting jabbed by them as long as I'm careful and only touch what I can see or wear gloves. My biggest problem with them has been the selection of species I wound up with...I had a Hermodice carunculata (sp?) at one point that did some awful work (but they're bright red and white). Pink with faded blue lines sounds like the dominant species I have, which do great substrate churning but will push the cleanup crew off the rocks and into a corner given the opportunity. They get gigantic too. If you see 5 of the pink ones, you probably have 500...I would give up with the turkey baster lol.

 

[Mr.September15]

500?!@@#@#$@#$ Crap. Just my flippin' luck.

 

[Donya]

Most will be really little. You're probably only seeing the ones that you are because either there is nothing keeping the big ones in check and therefore no reason for them to hide, or there is some food source that's drawing them out.

 

[Mr.September15]

Yeah I fed them when I was trying to catch them but when they saw the turkey baster they ran away. But they stole the food . I'm planning to get an exterminator to get rid of them.

 

[Donya]

You won't be able to get rid of them, just keep them in check and maybe get rid of the less fearful ones. CBS will sometimes hunt bristleworms, but I've also found that zebra hermits will attack them (they're just harder pressed to win). If you have an aggressive cleanup crew, the worms will probably make themselves scarce unless there is a big problem with excess food.

 

[Mr.September15]

You won't be able to get rid of them, just keep them in check and maybe get rid of the less fearful ones. CBS will sometimes hunt bristleworms, but I've also found that zebra hermits will attack them (they're just harder pressed to win). If you have an aggressive cleanup crew, the worms will probably make themselves scarce unless there is a big problem with excess food.

How come I wont be able to get rid of them?? I will go as far as breaking down my tank. Putting my L.R in a bucket with salt that the bristleworms as well as many other living creatures cant even live through

 

[Ranger]

Why can't you touch bristleworms? Sorry to hear about ur problem September.

 

[Mr.September15]

Why can't you touch bristleworms? Sorry to hear about ur problem September.

They have spkies on them that hurt like a mother if you touch them. Then your finger swells up and becomes a tiny ballon. I found another one, its diffrent from the others! It has black and yellow stripes.

 

[Donya]

They'll be breeding happily in your substrate and rock, and can breed at a pretty small size. You can reduce the populations but not eliminate them. All tanks pretty much have bristleworms, but they only become noticable if something is off in the tank's ecosystem. Don't break down your tank--they will come back. The eggs are extreemly resilient and it's not worth recycling your tank from the dead to get rid of some worms. There are biological solutions. However, I would get the black and yellow guy out if you can and take a picture to get an ID on the species. What color were the spines and gills on the black/yellow one?

 

[Mr.September15]

I didnt see him/her very well. I flashed the light in its face and it ran away. I never ever seen them before and I was curious on the arm coming out of arm. I then turned off the lights and dropped an algae pellet in and I then saw 5 of them coming out! It was crazy they were coming out from all sides. I would say the largest on I saw was slim and was about 2-3 inches in length. I then saw some sort of baby bristle worm hovering about. I was thinking of finding some type of chemical there attracted too and put it in a trap. Like a water bottle and put some food in there. But I'm sure they'll get the food and run away. I'm worried because I was about to put some corals in there and they might get eaten

 

[demonmagus]

when they saw the turkey baster they ran away.

sorry can't help but that sentence made me giggle

 

[Donya]

Best to hold off on corals until the worms are under control. Some species can rip corals up pretty badly.

 

[Mr.September15]

Yeah I've decided to get the Arrowhead shrimp for them. I've been told that there active predators of bristleworms and when they find one. They will carry it over its head and snap it in two. That should be entertaining to watch.

 

[robbhp]

Yeah I've decided to get the Arrowhead shrimp for them. I've been told that there active predators of bristleworms and when they find one. They will carry it over its head and snap it in two. That should be entertaining to watch.

got to say that sounds dam cool LOL

rob