Are Bristleworms helpful or harmful

[Captain Quint]

Ouch! I've heard their little bristles pack a punch

If you find them in your fingers just spray with some white distilled vinegar which helps with the sting and they easily then wipe off with a paper towel.

EDIT: Just saw you recently joined. Welcome to R2R.

 

[shred5]

There are nothing wrong with common ones and some actually eat algae.
They are a good part of the biodiversity and clean up crew.
Now there are some that are bad though.
If you have to many that means they have to much food.
If you cut back on feeding or making sure you are feeding the fish and not the tank their population will decline.
Catching them does little good because they can multiply fast to fill the void.
Once in your reef there is no way to irradiate most varieties.
Yours are common ones in the picture.
Just be careful grabbing one they can irritate pretty bad.
like I said their population are dependent on food available.

 

[MikeyD1182]

Hello, I'm curious to know what the thought is on bristle worms in the aquarium. I have several and I'm just wondering if I need to try to eradicate them or if they are actually scavengers and help keep the tank clean. I have not seen them bother anything actually except in my bigger tank I had a pair of clownfish lay eggs and the bristle worm came out of the Rock and ate the eggs when they were about to hatch.

I like the diversity of having them in my tank but a controlled amount. I've found them eating snails that were turned over that couldn't right themselves and by that point the snail was a goner. Other then that they are good at eating detritus and pieces of food that gets stuck in the hard to reach places for other things together to in the rock work.

 

[Sasquatchv]

Hello, I'm curious to know what the thought is on bristle worms in the aquarium. I have several and I'm just wondering if I need to try to eradicate them or if they are actually scavengers and help keep the tank clean. I have not seen them bother anything actually except in my bigger tank I had a pair of clownfish lay eggs and the bristle worm came out of the Rock and ate the eggs when they were about to hatch.

Mine looks identical, but never shows up in bright light.
Bugger just killed my blue legged hermit, plenty of food on the bottom, went straight for the crab.
Rock he lives in is out of the tank and awaiting execution, dip-x and flush, freshwater soak, or boiling for 10 minutes...