Reef Aquarium Discussion #245 Bristleworms are the most common "predatory" polychaete worm enc

[revhtree]

We are going to continue discussing the reef aquarium facts submitted by our members. Do you agree or disagree? What are your thoughts?

Fact #245

Bristleworms are the most common "predatory" polychaete worm encountered by aquarists.


Truth or False? What else might we need to learn on this subject? Please also share any pictures that may pertain to the subject.

 

[Mr.Acro]

False, while we may not like bristle worms in our tanks because they're ugly,and gross, they are actually amazing for our little ecosystems. Bristle worms are fantastic at eating any detritus in the sand or rocks and aerating our sand. The only problem with them is that when the population becomes to large then they will become hungrier and possibly do more damage, or if you have fireworms because they will eat corals.

 

[dgiglio3087]

I think for any statement to be confirmed or denied you'd really need to know know exactly what species were talking about.

 

[Nepenthe]

I waited way too long to add fish or shrimp into my tank while I was cycling and have (perhaps as a result) become quite attached to the two large bristle worms that hitchhiked in on my rock. They tend to steal food from coral if they don't get fed first, but they've never seemed to bother anything and do a great job of cleaning up left-overs. I believe they are Eurythoe complanata. There are a large number of much smaller orange bristleworms that also come out during feeding, and again, do a great job of picking up scraps too.

 

[Wesley42079]

I don't care if they eat any detritus.

Every chance I see a bristle worm, I pull them out with tweezers and dump them into a container of faucet water.

I am not a big fan of anything that stays in my sand and has a potential of stinging me as I move rock and corals around.

 

[mainereefer]

I don't care if they eat any detritus.

Every chance I see a bristle worm, I pull them out with tweezers and dump them into a container of faucet water.

I am not a big fan of anything that stays in my sand and has a potential of stinging me as I move rock and corals around.

you better get rid of the corals !! they sting worse than the worms

 

[Hyprviperx]

I think for any statement to be confirmed or denied you'd really need to know know exactly what species were talking about.

+1000 definitely there is a big diff between benign polychaetes, the fire bristle and also the ones with the big mandibles

 

[RDHDDRAGON]

The only harm bristleworms seem to do in my tank is to my hands. I leave the little ones, only removing large ones. By large i mean 3" or more.

They can get even bigger though! :squigglemouth: This was in the bottom of my 95 when we broke it down to move to a bigger tank:

 

[Nails12]

I think they are good unless they become a big size. Some i have seen are aggressive! And will hurt if you touch them.