Biggest bristle worm in your tank.

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I have 3 giant bristle worms in my 10 gallon and there not shy at all. There out all the time. What’s the biggest you have seen in your tank before. Post a picture if possible.
B5F701D8-5384-4061-882F-EA48A899C77A.jpeg
 
Man that’s nasty!! Pulled out a big momma the other day. Been hunting her for WEEKS and she finally slipped up. About 6-7” flushed immediately
These guys haven’t eaten anything important but I’ve been watching them for about 5 months now so it seems good. Innocent until proven guilty.
 
No yet. I have a love hate relationship with them. I appreciate them for their CUC abilities, but they gross me out. I tend to ignore them until I see to many and then I use bait to get them out of the rocks and grab them.
 
Horror pic for the evening...Dwarf Zebra Hermit out of it's shell and attacked by 6" Bristleworm:

Dwarf Zebra Hermit & Bristleworm_052317.jpg


Longest one I ever had in my nano was 15" (wound nearly 1/2 way around my tank's bottom against the glass).
 
I have pulled 6 inches plus from my sump before. There are several varieties I believe, nothing harmful done from them in my tank. I try to take them out because they kind of dting you if they get in touch with your fingers. Then you get light swelling and goes away in a few days. They basically dip one of their spines into your skin and this irritates like crazy.
 
The big ones like zoas and snails at night. Had one close to 9".
 
I've had big ones to, but the common orange/brown ones seem to be harmless.

However, I got a blue/grey one with some live rock one time the size of a night crawler and it started destroying my sebae anemones. So, I can tell you first hand some varieties are not just deitrus eaters and are not reef safe.

Coral banded shrimp are voracious bristleworm predators. A big CB will ambush and take care of big bristles.
 
No yet. I have a love hate relationship with them. I appreciate them for their CUC abilities, but they gross me out. I tend to ignore them until I see to many and then I use bait to get them out of the rocks and grab them.
I just discovered a giant! He appears to be about 6” long and quite wide. I don’t mind a few smalls ones but he’s got to go. How do you bait and remove them?
 
I just discovered a giant! He appears to be about 6” long and quite wide. I don’t mind a few smalls ones but he’s got to go. How do you bait and remove them?
Lights off he’s gonna come out. You know where it’s probably gonna happen. Place a tube for him to crawl into. He will. Then remove it. They make traps as well. But watch your tank. They always come out lights off and it never takes long.

Study your tank at night. They aren’t that hard to remove. The big ones you don’t want. But bristle worms aren’t a sign of a bad tank. I like to get rid of the big ones as well especially in a Nano.

Blues off no moon phases. You’ll know when the sucker comes out. You could place some pellets in tube too. But as long as you got it right where he comes out. He’s gonna go in like it’s rock work.

I hate to say it most of us dip corals and do things to prevent invasions. It’s impossible. I don’t care what you do it’s population management and the big suckers. You will get them either way as theirs always one little ******* that survives lol. They are good for a few things tho.

It’s nature. Best part of reefing. We recreate it. Nanos yeah I’d remove larger ones.
 
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I have 3 giant bristle worms in my 10 gallon and there not shy at all. There out all the time. What’s the biggest you have seen in your tank before. Post a picture if possible.
B5F701D8-5384-4061-882F-EA48A899C77A.jpeg

not a great pic but here is the biggest guy in my 12 gallon long:

I would say easily 12”
78C767A4-FF75-4763-B115-E1EC0DE70801.jpeg
 
Lights off he’s gonna come out. You know where it’s probably gonna happen. Place a tube for him to crawl into. He will. Then remove it. They make traps as well. But watch your tank. They always come out lights off and it never takes long.

Study your tank at night. They aren’t that hard to remove. The big ones you don’t want. But bristle worms aren’t a sign of a bad tank. I like to get rid of the big ones as well especially in a Nano.

Blues off no moon phases. You’ll know when the sucker comes out. You could place some pellets in tube too. But as long as you got it right where he comes out. He’s gonna go in like it’s rock work.

I hate to say it most of us dip corals and do things to prevent invasions. It’s impossible. I don’t care what you do it’s population management and the big suckers. You will get them either way as theirs always one little ******* that survives lol. They are good for a few things tho.

It’s nature. Best part of reefing. We recreate it. Nanos yeah I’d remove larger ones.
Lights off he’s gonna come out. You know where it’s probably gonna happen. Place a tube for him to crawl into. He will. Then remove it. They make traps as well. But watch your tank. They always come out lights off and it never takes long.

Study your tank at night. They aren’t that hard to remove. The big ones you don’t want. But bristle worms aren’t a sign of a bad tank. I like to get rid of the big ones as well especially in a Nano.

Blues off no moon phases. You’ll know when the sucker comes out. You could place some pellets in tube too. But as long as you got it right where he comes out. He’s gonna go in like it’s rock work.

I hate to say it most of us dip corals and do things to prevent invasions. It’s impossible. I don’t care what you do it’s population management and the big suckers. You will get them either way as theirs always one little ******* that survives lol. They are good for a few things tho.

It’s nature. Best part of reefing. We recreate it. Nanos yeah I’d remove larger ones.
I have a 36 gallon. I’ve ever seen him before but I got some new food today that apparently he loves enough to come out. My tank is in my home office so I rarely see it with the low blues or lights out. Gross. Thanks for help!
 
not a great pic but here is the biggest guy in my 12 gallon long:

I would say easily 12”
78C767A4-FF75-4763-B115-E1EC0DE70801.jpeg
That’s about what mine looks like. You just leave him? I think he went after my anemone and my dartfish. My dartfish seemed stunned for about 2 days and is all back to normal. Odd.
 
That’s about what mine looks like. You just leave him? I think he went after my anemone and my dartfish. My dartfish seemed stunned for about 2 days and is all back to normal. Odd.
I let them do their thing.
 

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