Bristleworm debate

[Blom]

Snapped a pic of the little bugger. Sorry for the blur

[FishyFishy!]

I like them. I have rarely heard of any issues with them in a reef tank. They like to eat poop... which not many other things out there do.

Here's how I think of it: If its larger than a couple inches, if I can... I'll take it out. I keep the smaller ones around.

As for getting him out... a trap is easy. But the good old plastic tongs and a quick hand are the fastest and easiest way to get him.

[Proteus]

I leave the little ones alone as they've never seemed to harm anything. But there was a very large one in my bothers tanks which was killing snails and hermits. Not sure of the species but it was pink to red.

[Blom]

Again thanks for the advice. I just spent some time with a flashlight and I am amazed at how many I found. Most are small <1'" long and very thin. But that big bugger has got to go. Im going to gather some tools today for my hunting trip tonight

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

One big sucker (over 8" long) actually killed one of my seahorses years ago. I was watching the tank & it came out of its hole and bit the seahorse in the chest. The pony thrashed about but the worm didn't let go for over 10 secs. I ended up tearing apart the tank to catch the worm out. The pony died a couple of days later. So I'm in the "not a fan" category.

Small ones I have no problems with. Big ones I catch out and kill. A sign you're overfeeding is when there are lots of bristle worms.

Anthony