Bristle Worms Eating Clam

[First Choice Aquatics]

Has anyone had an experience of bristle worms bothering their clams? Any suggestion on what to do? How can you decrease the reproduction of these things?

 

[homer1475]

I have several bristle worms living under and around my clams, they never bother them. Bristle worms only eat dead decaying matter. If you have bristle worms eating your clam, the clam is on it's way out.

 

[EMeyer]

I have several bristle worms living under and around my clams, they never bother them. Bristle worms only eat dead decaying matter. If you have bristle worms eating your clam, the clam is on it's way out.

That is a statement that gets repeated very often in our hobby.

It is also unfalsifiable, and therefore I am very skeptical. In other words, any time someone says "hey a bristleworm ate my X" the bristleworm folks chime in and say "your X was therefore sick, since they only eat dead or dying matter".

I've seen bristleworms play tug of war with NPS corals over food, and turn around and eat the polyp. I've seen bristleworms rise out of the sand and attack and eat a peppermint shrimp.

Theres probably nothing we can do to totally rid our tanks of bristleworms, but I will remain skeptical of this oft-repeated and untestable statement in favor of what I've seen with my own eyes.

 

[homer1475]

And I would argue with you that I have never seen a bristle worm attack anything that wasn't already dead and dying. Yes I have seen them steal a piece of shrimp or meaty food from a coral, but have never seen them outright attack something that wasn't already dead and dying.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

We have never seen a bristle worm eat a clam. @DSC reef

 

[Mical]

To rid yourself of bristle worms - get yourself a six line wrasse. At one point I had thousands it was a horror show at "lights out". Put a six line in and hardly see any. Some here say six lines can turn into tank bullies. Mine is a model citizen.

 

[VR28man]

I've seen bristleworms play tug of war with NPS corals over food, and turn around and eat the polyp. I've seen bristleworms rise out of the sand and attack and eat a peppermint shrimp.

That does not sound like a bristle worm, that sounds like a predatory worm of some sort.

 

[DSC reef]

In many years in our multiple tanks there has not once been a bristle worm bothering or eating a healthy clam. Keyword here, healthy. Bristleworms by nature are scavengers so confusing them eating food from other corals as a relation to eating a clam is false IMO. I truly believe people confuse the ID of the worm or the clam is dying and the bristleworm gets the bad wrap. We grew many clams for many years with a lot of bristleworms living under them without any issues. A dying clam is a free food source to any scavenger in your tank including bristleworms.

 

[Idoc]

I've seen bristleworms play tug of war with NPS corals over food, and turn around and eat the polyp. I've seen bristleworms rise out of the sand and attack and eat a peppermint shrimp.

I would be suspicious that you might have a bobbit worm(s) in your tank vs just regular bristle worms. Rising out of the darkness to attack something is more bobbit worm behavior. Maybe set a trap and see what you catch.

 

[Saveafish]

Bristle worms eat dead things. Fire worms eat any thing and are predators.

 

[NASOTANG87]

I would be suspicious that you might have a bobbit worm(s) in your tank vs just regular bristle worms. Rising out of the darkness to attack something is more bobbit worm behavior. Maybe set a trap and see what you catch.

I’ve had other types of worms go after healthy specimens. I agree it’s either a bobbit or spaghetti worm that’s probably making a lunch of your clams. As an aside, I’ve had nassarius demolish a clam before so be careful of you’re adding the tiger shell nassarius which I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, is called a Babylon nassarius.

 

[DSC reef]

Spaghetti worms shouldn't attack a healthy clam. There are whelks that get confused with nassarius snails that will eat a healthy clam in a hurry.

 

[NASOTANG87]

Spaghetti worms shouldn't attack a healthy clam. There are whelks that get confused with nassarius snails that will eat a healthy clam in a hurry.

Correct, but they are often sold as nassarius.

 

[DSC reef]

Agreed, that is an issue for sure.

 

[Joe11]

they do definitely bother my zoas, I have a rock infested with them and my zoas started to close up. Upon checking late at night I can see they are just all over but my other rocks without many bristle worms, my zoas were doing just fine. I ended up buying a trap and was able to get most out of that rock and my zoas started to open up again.

 

[Greybeard]

There are MANY types of worms that we call 'bristle worms'. Many are harmless, even beneficial members of the clean up crew. Some aren't.

Same with other worms, snails, isopods, copepods... even the 'asterina' starfishes. There are many different species that look similar enough that most of us just can't tell the difference.

IMHO, if you've got worms eating your healthy clams and corals, I do not believe it's the same critter I've got. That doesn't mean that I doubt your observations... just not the same critter.

I've watched my bi-color goatfish pull a fairly large bristleworm from under a rock and toss it right down... I've still got bristleworms, but unless I'm moving rocks around, I rarely see them.

 

[ca1ore]

If you have bristle worms eating your clam, the clam is on it's way out.

Yup! Bristle worms will smell death before you notice it.

 

[Marv]

I had way to many bristle worms at one point until I introduced a Longnose Hawkfisk into the aquarium. The Hawkfish kept the worm population under control.

 

[Reefbuds]

Arrow crabs will also demolish bristle worms.
To add tho, my reef was the healthiest it's ever been when I had a healthy population of the generic bristle worm. I only realize that now that I have none and have to add a lot of extra clean up crew. They never really bothered anything that I could notice. I just get the heeby jeebeys when I see them so I try not to have any.