Bristleworm question

Kremlin

Member
are bristleworms bad or good? i have a big one in my tank. i think they are good but not totally sure. will they harm the fish? thx:smirk:
 

Bearjohnson

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
RS Ambassador
For the most part they are fine to have in the tank. They do sting so be careful not to try and grab them:)

Chances are if you see one, he's not alone. If I see any in my tank that are REALLY big I'll yank it out. They can kill fish but they need to be really BIG so I wouldn't worry about them.
 

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
The question is how big. Anything under 3 -4 inches I wouldn't worry about, and, they are actually a good thing. Here's some interesting facts about bristleworms: If they don't have anything to eat they will eat each other. They won't reproduce without enough food. So, the bottom line is you'll only have as many as your detritus and left over food will sustain.

On the other hand, I had a worm that was responsible for killing at least a hundred snails. They are known to catch and kill fish, but that's an entirely different worm. Here's a photo of it, it took me months to catch it.
 

blackbeltmom

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
They don't actually sting. They stick you with their bristles and then the bristles stay in you and hurt like .......
Then you have to pull them out....
 

ddelozier

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
RS Ambassador
Bristleworms are a good member of the CUC. They can get places even hermits cant, to eat leftover food. Their bristles keep tubes/tunnels and holes in the live rock swept clean. They arent aggressive, and wont harm anything living in the tank. Now all that said. Their bristles are just like Glass. They can pierce human skin, and fish if the fish tangles with em. The bristles break off, leaving the victom with spines. NORMALLY thats the end of it. I've heard of people having really bad reactions to bristleworm spines. I always wear thick cleaning gloves when im moving around my live rock. I've been bristled a time or two. The spines didnt really hurt, but the spot itched for days sorta like rubbing fiberglass.
Very few fish/crabs will eat them, but they will eat each other and balance out their population depending on competition and food. If you have tons of bristle worms 4+ inches, you can remove them manually(tweezers at feeding time), or beef up the CUC(crabs/snails) and they will thin out on their own.
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
are bristleworms bad or good? i have a big one in my tank. i think they are good but not totally sure. will they harm the fish? thx:smirk:

It depends on what type it is. Many people use the term 'bristleworm' loosely. I had a Oenone in my tank that ate my snails. Here are a couple of articles that you may find useful.
Polychaete Annelid Identification, or “You Can Always Tell A Bristle Worm… by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com
The Worms Crawl In… by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

And then there is this scary worm: If you thought big bristleworms were scary ... — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
 

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
The question is how big. Anything under 3 -4 inches I wouldn't worry about, and, they are actually a good thing. Here's some interesting facts about bristleworms: If they don't have anything to eat they will eat each other. They won't reproduce without enough food. So, the bottom line is you'll only have as many as your detritus and left over food will sustain.

On the other hand, I had a worm that was responsible for killing at least a hundred snails. They are known to catch and kill fish, but that's an entirely different worm. Here's a photo of it, it took me months to catch it.
This one is a Hermodice carunculata.
 

Kremlin

Member
nothing dead in my tank from it. i had a few small ones but they are gone now. i only have one big (4 in.) one. no inverts harmed. do u think i should keep it in the tank or remove it?
 

jsgarrido

Member
the first time i got bristle i thought a piece of glass was broken from my tank, thier britles are like little pieces of glass its preatty hard . i first had a whole bunch of them at the bottom of my sand bed but when i bought my first coral banded shrimp they were all gone. i still see some but only at night, they will only eat fish if its only about to die mostly like crabs. worms are really slow
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Bristle worms are great cuc. Depending on the fireworm and what it eats, they won't cause you any harm either. For the most part both are great cuc that get into locations in the rocks that other cuc critters can't reach. Plus, they are great for devouring dead animals before that rot and cause water quality problems (ammonia issues).
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Mike, can you tell from looking at this one (caught out of my tank) what kind it is?
It just doesn't LOOK like the other big bristle worms I've had in my tank.
And it was EATING SEAWEED that was on a clip for my fish. I know it ate enough of it that it pooped GREEN poo after I put it in this jar.
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