Bristle Worms

[acraddock]

What is the best way to get rid of them? I am considering a wrasse or a coral banded shrimp. I don't have an abundance of them but the ones I do have are quite large and I definitely don't like the idea of getting stung or bit by one of them.

 

[jcook54]

I have never even tried to get rid of them. They can get pretty big but all of the one's I've ever seen in my systems have been pretty small (but I do have a wrasse in each system too). That being said, they do make bristle worm traps. The one's I've seen uses are nothing more than a plastic box with slats in it that you can put bits of food in. The bristle worms come in to eat and you can pull the trap to get rid of them. Not the most effective since they come and go but it'll allow you to get a few.

I just googles bristle worm trap and saw an interesting one made my JT Aquatics. Th amazon reviews were all pretty good, you might check that out as well.

 

[ActiveAngel]

Unfortunately, not many things will eat the large ones. You may get lucky like @bhodges82 and find a coral eating one though.

 

[ActiveAngel]

Another option, although I would not recommend it, is you can use certain chemicals to rid yourself of them. Prazipro isn’t typically used for this, but might work. I would check.

I usually ignore the small bristle worms that are probably as thick across as 1 mm. And am generally only concerned with ones that look more like a small snake.

The stings can be surprising, but most of them are only as painful as something between a mosquito bite and a bee sting. Still, they can be ugly little critters sometimes.

 

[acraddock]

Oh wow. I've never heard of a coral eating a bristle worm! How neat! These are only 3" - 4" so they aren't huge. I was just wanting to get rid of them before they get big.

 

[chuck]

I took a 3/4 in pvc pipe 6 inches long drilled small hole in iy pt 2 -3/4 pvc caps at each end. at night put a real small piece of shrimp in there. every day open 1 cap with caution. Do it again I got every worm out of my tank

 

[Shawn]

Honestly I wouldn’t bother trying to get rid of them. They will almost certainly come back as you introduce stuff to your tank. Besides. They’re some of the BEST detritavors.

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

I have a good size one I see now and then he doesn't stay still very long.

 

[chuck]

I literally hate them

 

[chuck]

Disgusting

 

[FutureInterest]

Make a pantyhose trap and bait with some shrimp. Use a portion of old pantyhose and simply tie up some shrimp inside it. I will sometimes tie the trap to a rock before putting it in the tank. The bristles on the worms will get caught in the netting of the nylons and they will get hopelessly entangled. Just remove the entire thing in the morning and throw it all in the trash as it's very hard to detangle any worms.

Try to just use old nylons with runs and other tears. The wife does not like it when I grab intact nylons for this...

 

[chuck]

that's correct Jin I did that too that works

 

[sergeantpup]

With a flashlight, I've caught my arrow crab wrangling sizable bristleworms in the middle of the night.

 

[bhodges82]

Honestly, they really aren't a big hassle. Bristle worns eat lost, uneaten food and other waste. I welcome them as free clean up crew members. As far as getting bristles in your fingers they don't hurt and are easily removed. Fire worms are a different story.

 

[camellia]

My pink spotted Goby kept my worms to a minimum.
They aren’t harmful, good for clean up but yes I agree, gross!
If your set up is new you can remove the most porous rock, set it on the counter for a minute, they’ll come crawling out within no time. Its easy to grab them with a turkey baster or tweezers. If you get a Goby now, it will keep them under control & diminish overtime.
I’ve got some awesome pictures of my Goby in action with large worms hanging out of its mouth, gotta find those pics

 

[Mom2Many]

I dont like the way they look but see them doing their job so we co-exist happily.

 

[Shawn]

My pink spotted Goby kept my worms to a minimum.
They aren’t harmful, good for clean up but yes I agree, gross!
If your set up is new you can remove the most porous rock, set it on the counter for a minute, they’ll come crawling out within no time. Its easy to grab them with a turkey baster or tweezers. If you get a Goby now, it will keep them under control & diminish overtime.
I’ve got some awesome pictures of my Goby in action with large worms hanging out of its mouth, gotta find those pics

What kind of goby??

 

[bigd]

If I see them, I grab them with tongs and flush them. I‘m with Chuck... I hate ‘em!

Always worried I’ll end up with one of these...

D

 

[CJD18]

Make a pantyhose trap and bait with some shrimp. Use a portion of old pantyhose and simply tie up some shrimp inside it. I will sometimes tie the trap to a rock before putting it in the tank. The bristles on the worms will get caught in the netting of the nylons and they will get hopelessly entangled. Just remove the entire thing in the morning and throw it all in the trash as it's very hard to detangle any worms.

Try to just use old nylons with runs and other tears. The wife does not like it when I grab intact nylons for this...

As long as your not wearing them!! LOL!

 

[CJD18]

There is an easy DIY thread on reef2reef about a water bottle trap!