How to DESTROY bristleworms ??

[FWC]

I HATE these evil little beasts. Simply seeing one wrecks my day. I can't work in a tank if I know there are bristleworms in it. Hence having worms in my tank won't do.

I've seen one or two slithering abouts in my tank at night ,I acted quickly to remove them.

Along with traps ,what can I buy for natural control that won't :

Hurt/bully any of my fish
Hurt any of my coral (zoas ,LPS ,SPS ,'shrooms)
Touch my fire shrimp
Harm snails/crabs


Also don't bother trying to convince me I should just leave them be and let them live in my tank. I know what they do and that they aren't that bad. I hate them ,and won't have them stopping me from working in my tank and wrecking the fun of looking at it.

[albert_dao]

If you have a visible population, you're probably overfeeding.

Anyway, if you want to trap them, take a small pop bottle, cut off the top and invert it back into the bottle. Secure this with some super glue.

Now throw some sand into the bottom to weigh it down and a piece of food on top of that. Bury this in your sand so that the lip is only 2" or so above the surface. Provide a small rock to act as a ramp. Leave overnight, profit.

Too bad you weren't local, because I would be all over picking up a bunch to seed into my tank

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Too bad you weren't local, because I would be all over picking up a bunch to seed into my tank

right behind you!!

[FWC]

There isn't any visible population

I used marco rock for my tank ,and I try and dip any frag I let into the tank. I find fresh water will kill a bristle within 30 seconds.

However a few have managed to get in with the frags that I didn't dip, so I want to keep something in the tank for the odd worm that manages to escape my preventative measures.

[Proteus]

Stop feeding so much and they will disappear. I only have a few and rarely see them over a inch.

To be honest probably your best cleanup crew. I believe there's about 85 known spieces of brissle worm to which most are harmless to our tanks

[cale262]

I've watched my Coral Banded shrimp hunt them...I can't even remember the last time I've actually seen one unless I'm moving a rock.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Titus99

To be honest probably your best cleanup crew.

Sounds like it's going to take a lot more convincing and the aid of a high priced therapist to change this person's opinion on worms

[FWC]

I never said I had a bristleworm problem

I don't overfeed the tank. The goby and crabs clean up anything not eaten.

I just don't like them and want something in my tank that will eat any that some how manage to get into my tank.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by FWC

I just don't like them and want something in my tank that will eat any that some how manage to get into my tank.

not sure if theres an animal that can guarantee that for you, if you dont want them in there really you should dip everything BEFORE it hits your tank.

if you only have a few, do the trap as albert suggested its the best way to catch them.

you can also fish for them , basically its the same as alberts idea without the bottle, at night take a piece of shrimp , put it in a plastic cliop lay it on the sandbed and go fishing with a pair of tongs everytime one shows his head.

there are fish and shrimps that eat them but they all go for easier food when its available so hit or miss and not many attack the large ones:P

a sump is a great place to keep them if you absolutely do not want them in your display

[Coasting]

I can lend you a pair of 8" bristle worms They should out compete the little ones for food no problem