Bristle worm infestation?

Todd · #1 07-08-2006, 09:47 PM

I found a few of these guys stuck in the foam of my aqua clear filter. I started running a aquaclear mini and an aquaclear 30 because they seemed to polish the water as well as I wanted a little carbon.

Wondering if these are baby bristle worms (I have seen at least one larger bristle worm in the tank). Unsure as to how they would have ended up in the filter. If they are bristle worms, any suggestions as to how I should go about limiting them as they would seem to be reproducing.

Also, is this the best way to handle pictures?

Thanks,

Todd

Snappy · #2 07-08-2006, 11:16 PM

What size is your tank? In my 130 gal I find that my yellow coris wrasse keeps them in check for me.

Beverly · #3 07-08-2006, 11:25 PM

Don't know what kind of worm you've got there, but here's a link to Christy's Worm Hitchhiker Reference Library...

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=22163

BTW, how often do you clean your foams? I have foam in my 802s and 402s. They get cleaned weekly. Have never found worms in them during cleaning, knock on wood

AC33 · #4 07-09-2006, 04:23 AM

I think the bristle worms on the foam is a good thing, as they eat the detritus that gets trapped, and then release waste which can be easily removed by your skimmer. I may be wrong, however. I also have some attatched to the bag of chemipure in my refuge, and have not found a good reason to remove them.

G1GY · #5 07-09-2006, 05:45 AM

Are you feeding too much maybe? IMO, they can only reproduce as much as they're enviroment can support. So if there's enough food left over after feedings........... They have enough to eat. Without enough food, they won't be able to thrive. Besides, the worm in the photo is very small as far as bristle worms go.

Todd · #6 07-09-2006, 07:42 AM

Snappy - 33 Gallon tank with 2 x Maroon Clown, 1 x Coral Beauty, 1 x Purple Pseudochromi, Lots of crabs (blue and scarlet hermits), cleaner shrimp, and a dwindling snail population.

When I plucked a worm out of the filter I put him into the display tank to see what would happen and he was quickly munched on by the maroon clown, but I am still unsure of how he would have gotten into the filter in the first place - free floating larval stage?

I know I have at least one larger worm still in the tank, and I have removed one medium sized one too. None of my fish are big enough to get them, but definitely could handle the smaller ones.

Bev - I usually clean my aquaclear foam at least weekly, often more then that. But this time it may have been 10-12 days, as I also found more large pods then usual. Haven't had a chance to look up the worm yet, will do that tomorrow.

Gary - its possible that I am overfeeding, I have an auto feeder that puts a small amount of flake in twice daily. This is snapped up right away. I also feed frozen (blood worms and mystis) once every two days. I haven't checked my chemistry for a little while

- will do that tomorrow

AC - Wondering if leaving them in will lead to a population explosion. Have you found that they stay about the same? I already have an aiptasia epidemic on my hands....

reeferaddict · #7 07-09-2006, 08:04 AM

That's just a regular ole bristle worm... I used to worry too but they eat detritus and are actually desirable scavengers by most accounts. I have some in my system and have never noticed them munching on corals like I have reef crabs...

If you must get rid of them, put a red or blue light in at night & pick 'em out with tweezers or if you prefer the natural cure an arrow crab would be their natural predator and quite quickly will deplete the population. Arrow crabs are reef safe more often than not. It's not that I haven't read about bristleworm nightmares - just that the "mainstream" way of thinking these days seems to be to leave them as they're harmless unless you have them in plague proportions. Be careful if you handle them... the bristles punture the skin, break off and are next to impossible to extract...