Bristleworm Bonanza

[asylumdown]

I took this video when the power went out at my house. The lights had been off for a few hours because it was night-time, and then with 40 minutes of no flow, these guys came out. Some had already scurried away because I'd been looking at the tank with my flashlight, so this isn't even as many as there had been. Is this a problem?

[Bblinks]

I hate those things but they don't do any harm, I have seem my flame wrasse eating it from time to time.

[lastlight]

my previous tailspot blenny would occasionally have a bristle beard due to some encounter during the night with one of them. I think they're harmless but that always annoyed me a little.

[Coasting]

I like flicking them into my Rock flower anemones when they start to **** me off when I'm doing something in the tank. They seem to make a pretty decent meal.

[asylumdown]

Yah there's just so many! I knew I had a lot because of how many pop out from the rocks when I feed, but this just gave me the willies. I think my long horn cowfish has started eating them, he finally started excavating the sand like his species is supposed to by blowing jets of water in to it and then eating whatever he finds. I haven't see what he's actually eating because he stops if I get to close to the tank, but I don't think there's much else in the sand except bristleworms.

[Magickiwi]

I had similar questions recently and all the feedback I got was that they are mostly harmless and potentially beneficial to your reef. I know exactly where a big one is living in my coral and the second I see him munching on it he's gone...