Need help found this in my tank is it bad???
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Lionfish Lair
Renee
Yes, it's a bristleworm and it's fine.
Lionfish Lair
Renee
They don't eat healthy fish, SaltyFrog. They know when something is sick/dying.
I believe bristleworms are only good if there kept small. So I've learned to feed my fish on a regular schedule no more than what my fish can eat. I had a few big bristleworms kill some of my Lyretail Anthias while they were sleeping in my live rock that I discovered in the morning. So I added pair coral banded shrimp, and yellow coris wrasse after I plucked out the big bristleworms. They definitely helped control my bristleworm population. That was a lesson learned for me. The best for keeping them in check are arrow crabs.
Lionfish Lair
Renee
These guys aren't predators. I too remove the big ones, because I don't care for them, but they don't actively kill healthy fish. A healthy fish can get away as as a bristleworm doesn't even have mouth parts for capturing and holding onto live pray. So even if one wanted to go rogue, they don't have the "weaponry". Sleeping or not, a healthy fish will wake immediately if something bits them.
If a worm ate your live healthy fish, it wasn't a common worm.
Think about fish when you try to catch them to remove them from the tank. They don't go quietly, they kick up a STINK. They won't just lay there as they are being eaten ever so slowly.
If a worm ate your live healthy fish, it wasn't a common worm.
Think about fish when you try to catch them to remove them from the tank. They don't go quietly, they kick up a STINK. They won't just lay there as they are being eaten ever so slowly.
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So if that's true, then where did 2 juvenile clown fish go without a trace? I manually plucked over 30 worms from the 29 gallon BioCube. Do the bristle worms not sting? Could they not gang up on a fish? I've seen these things come out of the rock with lights on and go after and attack food. Since reducing the numbers I have not lost any more livestock and my parameters have always been stable. A lot we don't understand or even know about what's in the oceans. Always that chance things just go a worm clans way lol.
Lionfish Lair
Renee
That variety is not a predator, so no, they don't gang up on fish. They don't sting things to death and many fish actually eat them and them go around with bristles all over their face. They indeed come out and swarm things that are dying, but not things that are healthy. They don't have the mouth parts to capture and hold on to a healthy fish. Think about people catching fish in nets... they don't get caught easily. If a worm bit on to them, they would also fight to the death to escape and there's no way that bristle could hold on and win in that fight.
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Salty1962
Wrasse and SPS Lover
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Bristles are a good part of a "CUC". They can be a problem if you feed allot and there is allot of food that isn't eaten. They will only eat something if it's already dead or about to die. Just think what would happen if they weren't there and some livestock died. It would quickly pollute or foul up your tank water
. They are part of your tanks natural biology and I for one am glad they do.
Just be sure to wear gloves if you have them, they leave nasty blisters! Just my $.02 worth.
. They are part of your tanks natural biology and I for one am glad they do. Just be sure to wear gloves if you have them, they leave nasty blisters! Just my $.02 worth.
Nibejeebies
R2R is the reason for my Insomia
Can you cite this article/book/mag that this is in? Not that I dont trust you, just for my reference. (Im building a database on everything)According to this article says the larger specimens are known to attack fish, coral and invertebrate. So keep them small and once larger pluck those suckers out!
Nibejeebies
R2R is the reason for my Insomia
Thank you sir!
you may like this to help id the differences between "bristle worms".
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php
i am a bit skeptical of that article as my brown flatworms have never taken over my tank. although the do say "can" and a "bristleworm" also "can" eat a fish is vague imo.
