Spiriboid Worms... How to get rid of them

[ASIN28]

Hey all,
My tank is becoming overloading with spiriboid worms and they are very annoying. Nitrates are high 50, trying to get them down. From what I understand they are there from high nitrates? Will they disappear as tank matures and nitrates drop?
Thanks

 

[vetteguy53081]

Take edge of an old credit card and scrape them off into a net and discard
For nitrates, add a pouch of chemipure blue or elite which will lower nitrate and keep it in check

 

[Joe Tony]

Why would you want to get rid of them? They're harmless filter feeders like feather dusters and sponges and are signs of a healthy tank. As the tank matures their population should stabilize. Occasionally you might want to scrape some off the front of the tank, and introducing other competing filter feeders would help, but you shouldn't purge them.

They don't feed on nitrates, but on the dead planktonic food you might be putting into the tank (that leads to nitrates), so cutting back on feeding would help.

 

[ASIN28]

Why would you want to get rid of them? They're harmless filter feeders like feather dusters and sponges and are signs of a healthy tank. As the tank matures their population should stabilize. Occasionally you might want to scrape some off the front of the tank, and introducing other competing filter feeders would help, but you shouldn't purge them.

They don't feed on nitrates, but on the dead planktonic food you might be putting into the tank (that leads to nitrates), so cutting back on feeding would help.

I understand they are beneficial to the tank however there are getting to be a lot lol

 

[Joe Tony]

I understand they are beneficial to the tank however there are getting to be a lot lol

How often do you feed your tank?

 

[Joe Tony]

I understand they are beneficial to the tank however there are getting to be a lot lol

Here's what you do. You wait a few weeks until your tank establishes, make sure you have some good scavengers in the tank (micro brittle stars, bristleworms, shrimp, hermit crabs, pods, etc). Scrape the spiroid worms off the front and side surfaces of the tank, while trying to just scrape the whole worms off without killing them. Keep maintaining those sides of the tank. After a few attemps most of the worms settle onto the rocks, shells, backwall, equipment, and sides/walls of your tank. In the meantime only put in plankton food insofar as your corals need it.

But wait until the tank establishes before doing this. The worms are doing their part to balance out your tank.

 

[N3mo]

They will balance our eventually as nutrients settle. Just keep the cleaning the glass and let the rest do its thing

 

[Aquaman508]

Why would you want to get rid of them? They're harmless filter feeders like feather dusters and sponges and are signs of a healthy tank. As the tank matures their population should stabilize. Occasionally you might want to scrape some off the front of the tank, and introducing other competing filter feeders would help, but you shouldn't purge them.

They don't feed on nitrates, but on the dead planktonic food you might be putting into the tank (that leads to nitrates), so cutting back on feeding would help.

Hi Joe. I hear those sayings alot: "they're good for your tank. They're harmless" Not true if you have zoanthids. They not only irritate them but I swear they eat or dissolve them. Ive spent a day watching them touch and feel all over my zoas one day. 2 days later the whole colony gone. Since last year ive been watching them do it and each time they destroy a colony.

 

[Joe Tony]

Hi Joe. I hear those sayings alot: "they're good for your tank. They're harmless" Not true if you have zoanthids. They not only irritate them but I swear they eat or dissolve them. Ive spent a day watching them touch and feel all over my zoas one day. 2 days later the whole colony gone. Since last year ive been watching them do it and each time they destroy a colony.

Well in that case I would recommend introducing competitor filter feeders like sponges, feather dusters, clams, etc. to absorb a lot of the food so that the worms can't reproduce too much. At the same time, scrape as much of them off the walls and rocks as you can.

I would NOT recommend using any chemical means of purging the tank. Just do your best to keep them under control.

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

Here's what you do. You wait a few weeks until your tank establishes, make sure you have some good scavengers in the tank (micro brittle stars, bristleworms, shrimp, hermit crabs, pods, etc). Scrape the spiroid worms off the front and side surfaces of the tank, while trying to just scrape the whole worms off without killing them. Keep maintaining those sides of the tank. After a few attemps most of the worms settle onto the rocks, shells, backwall, equipment, and sides/walls of your tank. In the meantime only put in plankton food insofar as your corals need it.

But wait until the tank establishes before doing this. The worms are doing their part to balance out your tank.

Does this mean they’re competing with coral for food by pulling it out before corals get chance to fully uptake it?