Bristle worm brute

[arpy]

I found a two different filter type feeders and decided to try feeding them brine shrimp... they ate 3 each and might have taken more... didn't want to over feed them (once I get a better camera, I'll post them for ID).

The smaller of the two was taking it's time on the 3rd shrimp and I notice a bristle worm slowly creeping up on it. I decided to watch as I knew there had been a small piece of brine that missed the target. As I suspected, the worm tried a couple times to get to the exposed half of the last brine but pulled back each time it touched a tentacle of the... filter feeder thing. It finally got around to a higher point of rock and grabbed the brine.... then started tugging to pull it away. I didn't want to have a tug-of-war, so I sucked the worm up in the eye dropper. I have read that they will cause problems anyway, so I decided to remove the worm from the tank... was I over reacting? Should I have left it alone?

 

[lotuskid]

Small bristle worms are fine in your tank. The act as part of the clean up crew. I leave mine alone till i see any over 6inch, then i'll remove em.

 

[New Reefer]

... was I over reacting? Should I have left it alone?

Yes - bristle worms are beneficial, as they are scavengers and eat all food which would otherwise have gone to waste. My largest bristle worm (and I have *lots*) is about 18" long and about 1/2" in diameter, and it has not done any damage to any of my corals in the years I've had it in my tank.

 

[Grins]

18" long?

 

[clown-lover]

PODS Question

I have seen these on my live rock scurring around.. But my question is what about things like Anemonies (sp?) etc? Are they still ok with those?

 

[New Reefer]

...my question is what about things like Anemonies (sp?) etc? Are they still ok with those?

Probably YES.

*Most* bristle worms are scavengers, and will attack any organism which is either dead, or busy dying - in doing this they actually help us in keeping our water quality high, by eating organisms before they can decompose and pollute the water. There are only a few species who are carnivores, and would attack healthy corals, anemones and clams - these species are quite rare, and are not regularly introduced to our tanks. In fact, in more than 9 years of keeping marine tanks I've never encountered any of these species in my tanks.

Hennie

 

[Reefkid 07]

I have to see a picture of your 18" long bristle worm

 

[New Reefer]

I have to see a picture of your 18" long bristle worm

Not in public, I'm shy...:grinyes:


Bristle worms are nocturnal, and it's not so easy to take photos in the dark - so unfortunately I can't show you a photo of the 18" giant. I can assure you that this specific worm I'm referring to is actually a bit longer than 18", as the last time I saw it, it was stretched out across the length of an 18" tank and still rounded the corned at one end, not having fully emerged from it's rock.

Just so show that I'm not lying, here is a photo of (probably...) the same worm taken back in January 1998 (as you can see, it was about 12" at the time...)

Hennie