Getting coral but worried about worms

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

This is a weird and dumb question. So I am petrified of any types of worms. And my biggest fear is a worm outbreak in my tank. I’m buying coral from my friends tank and am wondering if worms can form from coral. I know bristle worms are helpful and a good CUC but I absolutely cannot stand their appearance. I know I’m a baby

. I used dry rock when I started my tank to prevent as many as I could

Sump Crab · Jul 21, 2022

They will come in by hiding in rocks/corals.

Goaway · Jul 21, 2022

There are a lot more worms than just bristle worms. On boy. Ahh... Get a wrasse to eat the ones who make themselves seen!

vetteguy53081 · Jul 21, 2022

Dip or leave in container while acclimation and any may come out. Arrow crab will address bristleworms

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

Mibu said:
There are a lot more worms than just bristle worms. On boy. Ahh... Get a wrasse to eat the ones who make themselves seen!

Oh boy

Sump Crab · Jul 21, 2022

Mibu said:
There are a lot more worms than just bristle worms. On boy. Ahh... Get a wrasse to eat the ones who make themselves seen!

a worm phobia and a reef tank is a tough one

Goaway · Jul 21, 2022

lilly.hall said:
Oh boy

Jrain904 said:
a worm phobia and a reef tank is a tough one

This is going to be a difficult to do scenario.

Miami Reef · Jul 21, 2022

I never dealt with worms in my tanks, even when using rocks from LFS bins.

I did get large worms in my KP rocks, and I also culture bins of live whiteworms for fish food.

MaxTremors · Jul 21, 2022

Maybe this is an opportunity to confront your fears. Worms are just part of having a reef, if you absolutely can’t handle them, then fish only with dry rock is the only solution.

Goaway · Jul 21, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Dip or leave in container while acclimation and any may come out. Arrow crab will address bristleworms

If they have a phobia, I'd imagine them running into traffic the moment a worm showed itself.

Miami Reef · Jul 21, 2022

lilly.hall said:
This is a weird and dumb question. So I am petrified of any types of worms. And my biggest fear is a worm outbreak in my tank. I’m buying coral from my friends tank and am wondering if worms can form from coral. I know bristle worms are helpful and a good CUC but I absolutely cannot stand their appearance. I know I’m a baby . I used dry rock when I started my tank to prevent as many as I could

Why don’t you ask your friend if she’s ever seen worms in her tank? It’s really not as common as people are making it out to be.

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

Why don’t you ask your friend if she’s ever seen worms in her tank? It’s really not as common as people are making it out to be.
Will do !

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

Mibu said:
If they have a phobia, I'd imagine them running into traffic the moment a worm showed itself.

this made me laugh

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

MaxTremors said:
Maybe this is an opportunity to confront your fears. Worms are just part of having a reef, if you absolutely can’t handle them, then fish only with dry rock is the only solution.

Maybe

Goaway · Jul 21, 2022

Miami Reef said:
Why don’t you ask your friend if she’s ever seen worms in her tank? It’s really not as common as people are making it out to be.

Yes they are. They are as common as rocks on gravel.

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

Miami Reef said:
I never dealt with worms in my tanks, even when using rocks from LFS bins.

I did get large worms in my KP rocks, and I also culture bins of live whiteworms for fish food.

This made me feel alot better

Miami Reef · Jul 21, 2022

lilly.hall said:
This made me feel alot better

No problem!

Plus, Prazipro is a reef safe worm treatment used as a fish dewormer. It should kill most, if not all of the worms in a reef tank.

And even if you DO end up with worms (which is not so common), they will basically only come out at night.

Enjoy reefing!

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

Miami Reef said:
No problem!

Plus, Prazipro is a reef safe worm treatment used as a fish dewormer. It should kill most, if not all of the worms in a reef tank.

And even if you DO end up with worms (which is not so common), they will basically only come out at night.

Enjoy reefing!

Thanks again!

Tired · Jul 21, 2022

You could have your friend give you coral frags that aren't attached to any frag plugs. That would mean minimal to no places for bristleworms to hide. They usually hide between the coral and the plug.

If you decide to purchase corals in the future from somewhere else, you could enlist a friend to remove them from their plugs and dip them. That way you wouldn't have to see the worms yourself, if there were any. It's relatively unlikely for bristleworms to show up on coral frags, but absolutely possible.

Bristleworms are quite common in tanks that don't avoid them, and do come out during the day if they smell food, so you'll definitely want to avoid having them in your tank.

lilly.hall · Jul 21, 2022

Tired said:
You could have your friend give you coral frags that aren't attached to any frag plugs. That would mean minimal to no places for bristleworms to hide. They usually hide between the coral and the plug.

If you decide to purchase corals in the future from somewhere else, you could enlist a friend to remove them from their plugs and dip them. That way you wouldn't have to see the worms yourself, if there were any. It's relatively unlikely for bristleworms to show up on coral frags, but absolutely possible.

Bristleworms are quite common in tanks that don't avoid them, and do come out during the day if they smell food, so you'll definitely want to avoid having them in your tank.

Thanks!!