More then I can take

[Jeremey’s reef]

so I have a bunch of worms that only appear when my lights go off, can someone please tell me if these are harmful or helpful. They seem to be multiplying by the day. Is there some sort of product that I can use to get rid of them?

 

[bhodges82]

Those are bristle worms. some say they are bad, I don't mind them, but in large numbers they can get a little pesky. You can get a worm trap or make one with pantyhose and a shrimp(youtube)

 

[Shawn]

They’re great detritivores. If you have a lot it’s a good sign that you’re over feeding.

 

[york1]

arrowhead crabs eat them. they aren't a bad thing tho

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

Should I be looking for a bristle worm trap or simply a worm trap?

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

arrowhead crabs eat them. they aren't a bad thing tho

I’ve heard that and also heard the coral banded shrimp eats them so I went with the shrimp as it was the better looking option

 

[york1]

I’ve heard that and also heard the coral banded shrimp eats them so I went with the shrimp as it was the better looking option

Yes they do eat em too

 

[jcook54]

In my experience, they aren't anything to really worry about. AS @aestheticlibra pointed out they usually are a sign that you're overfeeding but the flip side is that they're eating the food rather than having it rot away. I would caution against getting something specifically to try and deal with them unless you've already been thinking about acquiring something that happens to eat them. If the numbers really are getting out of control, I'd got for a trap of some sort before a livestock fix. Goole 'bristle worm trap' and you'll see all kinds of different options.

 

[bhodges82]

Amazon.com

 

[Rickdareefa]

My coral banded shrimp wiped them out

 

[NanCrab]

So, I read every thread because I'm trying to learn from each question asked. Where do these worms come from in the first place? How do they get into the tank? Are they a hitchhiker?

 

[lmm1967]

Hitch hikers. You could maybe keep them out of your tank but I think it would be tough and require a ton of diligence.

Normal bristle worms do no harm - other than to your fingers if you touch them. A similar family of worms called Eunice worms are the devil.

Personally - I ignore the bristle worms other than being a little careful when picking up rocks from the tank. They perform a necessary job in our tanks IMO.

 

[NanCrab]

Hitch hikers. You could maybe keep them out of your tank but I think it would be tough and require a ton of diligence.

Normal bristle worms do no harm - other than to your fingers if you touch them. A similar family of worms called Eunice worms are the devil.

Personally - I ignore the bristle worms other than being a little careful when picking up rocks from the tank. They perform a necessary job in our tanks IMO.

Thank you! I am going to QT everything to keep evil pests out but I know there are good things we need in there too. I appreciate the info!

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

I believe mines came in on my rock as I purchased it as live rock from Petco when I first setup my tank

 

[Shawn]

Bristle worms are inevitable as far as I can tell. Unless you’re QTing EVERYTHING. Which I simply don’t have room to do *currently*

 

[NanCrab]

Bristle worms are inevitable as far as I can tell. Unless you’re QTing EVERYTHING. Which I simply don’t have room to do *currently*

That new tank looks like it takes up a chunk of space for sure!

 

[Adam]

Bristle worms are a good thing in my opinion. They are scavengers and eat excess food, detritus and whatever they can find. I agree with @jcook54 that unless adding something that eats them or trapping I'd leave them alone. A product that kills them would end up releasing a ton of nutrients when they die.

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

In reference to over feeding what would be considered doing so? I feed my fish once a day but when I do feed I use a cube of frozen food whether that be Mysis or whatever I choose that day. Could this be too much at one time? My schedule doesn’t allow me to feed in the morning and then later when I get off of work and I work all week like any other person so I feed when I get home and showered. Should I attemp to spread it into two separate feedings? Or should I scale back to half a cube all together? I have two clowns and a zebra eel that eats table shrimp and there are no left overs when good old Marty (zebra from Madagascar the movie) eats .

 

[hzheng33]

i don't have time/room to QT my corals/rocks and therefore this is my mentality: no rock is going into my tank without getting bleached; no corals are going into my tank without going through Bayer.

i can honestly say i'm 99% sure that i don't have bristle worms. i will give it the benefit of the doubt that there may be 1 or 2 tiny bristle worms in my tank but they are definitely not there when i look and for sure there's nothing longer than 1inch.

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

i don't have time/room to QT my corals/rocks and therefore this is my mentality: no rock is going into my tank without getting bleached; no corals are going into my tank without going through Bayer.

i can honestly say i'm 99% sure that i don't have bristle worms. i will give it the benefit of the doubt that there may be 1 or 2 tiny bristle worms in my tank but they are definitely not there when i look and for sure there's nothing longer than 1inch.

I use coral rx but the rock was a rushed rookie mistake. Do you think I should bleach dry rock for my new build?