HELP! ?Bristle Worm

M

MaxC-130

Member
I have seen a small crab (?Xanthid) in my new live rock and placed a bottle trap in my tank to catch it.
I have now discovered that I have a 4"-long green bristle worm in there after it pulled the prawn out of the bottle and tried to take it back into the live rock! It has since disappeared and left a thread-like web on the live rock.
(How do I add photos and video to the forums?!) :confuseded:
There appear to be mixed opinions about the value of Xanthid crabs and Bristle worms but I am planning to develop a coral reef with fish and am concerned that these hitchikers may cause a problem.
I am hoping that others in the sanctuary will be able to give definitive advice...:biggrin:
 
M

Marty.h

Well-Known Member
Bristle worms are awesome CUC if you don't over feed the tank ECT they will never become a problem and there numbers will remain low they can clean places other CUC can't get to that easy and will be no issue in a reef tank.

The crab however is not ideal and you really want to look at getting it out they are opportunists and can't be trusted if you have a sump whack it in there once you have caught it may as well keep the sump clean.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Unless you find the bristle worms that are very large, as in over a foot long, you don't have a problem. If your worried about them, you can trap them out using a bottle trap.

Crabs can be a problem, but it depends on the species. Crabs that have "paddles" for the back legs or have pincers that are large in relation to the size of the crab, usually indicate problem crabs.
 
M

MaxC-130

Member
Thanks both.:clink:
The crab has not taken the bait as yet but I now have several long strands of white spider web-like hair floating from the live rock.
I noticed it yesterday after I placed the prawn in the bottle trap and it now appears to have spread overnight!
Is this normal during the cycling process? I've read that there can be at least six stages and I have diatoms, green fur, browning live rock and a small amount of red cyano on the walls. Is this hair just part of the process?
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Cycling tank:

Watch for the ammonia to soar then fall to zero, then the nitrites soar & then fall to zero, then the nitrates soar, once this happens, do water changes to get rid of the nitrates - tank cycled

Depending on the state of your LR (how cured it was & how much die off it had), in general it will look something like this...

CyclingGraph.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top