Bristle worm eats leather coral?

[Wampatom]

I have many large (up to 1 foot) bristle worms in my tank. They seem to be useful scavengers but I have suspected they are snacking on my leather corals. Is there evidence they do this? I have attached a picture of the bit marks and the worms.

 

[DQM5]

I have many large (up to 1 foot) bristle worms in my tank. They seem to be useful scavengers but I have suspected they are snacking on my leather corals. Is there evidence they do this? I have attached a picture of the bit marks and the worms.

hmm i never experienced a bristle worm eating leathers. i wouldn't think so, probably a dead issue perhaps.

 

[weedyRdragon]

Wampatom, those are great photos. Can I ask what phone/camera you used to take them?

 

[Wampatom]

Thank you. Sure, I use a Nikon d810 and Nikkor 105mm.

The camera body is not very important since almost all DSLRs produce great pictures. The 105 lens is a classic for at least 25 years. It allows macro from a distance that is perfect for reef tanks and scuba diving. Canon also has a great macro but I have never used it.

You can get good shots with most cameras, including a phone camera. If you have a DSLR and don't want to spend much there are many macro tricks: reversed lens, bellows ...

 

[Wampatom]

Oh, and by the way, 1) I still think bristle worms eat a type of leather, 2) My favia is recovering. It hurts me to see it in this picture.

 

[minus9]

Bristleworms will not attack or eat healthy coral or animals. The pic of the bristleworm near the favia shows that it's near the favia, nothing more. It's scavenging for food. Turn your flow off and drop food in and watch all of the bristleworms come out after the food, you'll be surprised with how many you actually have in your tank. Also, your leather may be budding (creating a fresh frag for you)? They will drop off a piece, usually from the edges of the coral, which may seem like a tear (called fission). Traditional budding looks like a mini leather growing from the parent, then it will drop off.
Back to the worms, bristleworms are safe and their numbers coincide with the amount of food available to them. I have a ton of bristleworms in my tank and at night I see them crawling near and next to my sleeping fish. In fact, I see big bristleworms appear from the same burrow my sharknose goby sleeps in and yet, my goby appears every day, ready to go and clean his tank-mates.
Don't fear bristleworms, they are an essential part of a healthy living reef.

 

[Wampatom]

I have welcomed bristleworms for 20 years. It is shown being helpful near the favia. However, recently I decreased feeding to cut down on nutrients. I started seeing more furrows across one type of leather (pic 1). Some of these would then bud and drop off. I do not have proof they are eating the leather. I tried to get a picture but every time a worm crossed the leather it closed and hid the worm. The following day it opened with a new furrow in the leather. Do you know if there is anything else that might cause such a divot?

 

[Retro Reefer]

Not certain in your particular case but I have personally witnessed a unidentifiable bristle worm eating mushrooms in my tank. the Hermodice carunculata species is also a well known coral eater.

 

[weedyRdragon]

Thank you. Sure, I use a Nikon d810 and Nikkor 105mm.

The camera body is not very important since almost all DSLRs produce great pictures. The 105 lens is a classic for at least 25 years. It allows macro from a distance that is perfect for reef tanks and scuba diving. Canon also has a great macro but I have never used it.

You can get good shots with most cameras, including a phone camera. If you have a DSLR and don't want to spend much there are many macro tricks: reversed lens, bellows ...

Thanks for the reply! I have a Samsung S7 mini and it's not bad but it's not great either. I have been considering getting a new camera for a while now. I might finally get round to it!