Bristleworms

[Jimbo3006]

a word that strikes fear into some people heh

i have a species tank with a tniy amount of Figi LV in, and today i have noticed a 2" long bristel worm, i went straight in with the knife but didnt get to it heh, is this going to be a problem? will it harm my shark, or hermits?

 

[Anonymous]

That bristleworm shouldn't bother anybody. But I suspect someone is going to say something about you keeping a shark though.

 

[kevchev515]

Dont try and kill the bristleworm. They are a valuble organism to have in the tank. Bristleworms help to move the ls around and eat waste products in the tank.

The more you have the better.

 

[reefworm]

Jimbo,
Ditto to what KevChev posted - bristleworms are invaluable members of your cleanup crew. They've gotten a bad rap because the clean up dead tissue, and then get blamed for the death. Most all critters that you'll find hitchhiking in on your substrate or live rock are beneficial - mantis shrimp and aiptasia excepted of course.

Here's some good reading for you:

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen12.html

also look into Dr. Ron Shimek's articles, " A bag of worms" and "another diverse bag of worms"

You'll find them listed after clicking on his name at this link - Aquarium frontiers index

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_frontiers/index.html

happy reading! [I'll let others address the shark issue

regards,
-rw

 

[ddavis4um]

I have some huge bristle worms that have gotton bold all of a sudden. I removed one, and saw another yesterday. This fella is every bit of 8 inches and about one-quarter inch wide. Should I really leave it???

I have lost some new livestock recently without a trace. A new 6-line wrasse and a bangii cardinal. I would have to hear very convincing evidence not to remove this pink, hairy....

 

[toptank]

I would love to see the scientific paper saying that bristleworm won't kill clams.

Daniel Knop., " In addition it is not completely clear if the worms are really parasites or if they enter the clam after their demise. This is still an unsolved question".

Barry

 

[Jimbo3006]

thanks for your info guys, and links from reefworm much appreciated

 

[SPC]

Posted by ddavisaum:
I have lost some new livestock recently without a trace. A new 6-line wrasse and a bangii cardinal. I would have to hear very convincing evidence not to remove this pink, hairy....

-Dr Ron has stated repeatedly that the bristleworm mouth parts are not capable of injuring other animals, including clams.
Steve

 

[Chucker]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by toptank:
<strong>I would love to see the scientific paper saying that bristleworm won't kill clams.

Daniel Knop., " In addition it is not completely clear if the worms are really parasites or if they enter the clam after their demise. This is still an unsolved question".

Barry</strong><hr></blockquote>

Well, it's not a scientific paper, but I can definitely say that bristleworms did not even come close to my crocea clam until after it had died. At that point, it then became a swirling mass of bodies, reminiscent of the snake pit in Raiders of the Lost Ark with some peppermint snails cruising back and forth over the top of the heap. The soft tissues of the 5" clam were devoured in less than 48 hours.

 

[jamesw]

Since bristleworms don't have "teeth" I'd say it would probably be pretty hard for them to catch and kill your six-line wrasse and your bangaii cardinal.

I would look for another culprit, such as disease, water quality, a mantis shrimp, etc.

Without teeth, what bristleworms are EXTREMELY good at is cleaning up soft dead rotting flesh. Wouldn't you say that is a good thing?

Cheers
James Wiseman

 

[reefworm]

Dave,
16" bristleworms are not unheard of. They are detrivores and highly unlikely suspects in your fish's disappearance. An undiscovered mantis shrimp is more likely. Do you hear clicking noises, esp. after lights out?

Granted, bristleworms are not the loveliest creature in your tank. But don't let appearances cloud the issue. They perform an invaluable function. If you do happen to find the remains of a fish and see the worm on it, it's almost certain the fish was dead before the worm got to it and it's just doing its job.

regards,
-rw

p.s. check out the links I posted to Jimbo - they'll speak to your concerns more thoroughly.

[ April 23, 2002: Message edited by: reefworm ]</p>

 

[ddavis4um]

OK, I buy it and the worm lives.

I do have a pretty large pistol shrimp in the tank who has gotten larger over the years and just recently has moved out from under a rock to into the rock work. Perhaps it is the culptrit of the two referenced fish demise.

Thanks for the insights, especially clams as I have yet to get any due to concern over the bristleworms in my tanks.

 

[reefworm]

On behalf of your hard working worms, Thanks, Dave!

[ April 23, 2002: Message edited by: reefworm ]</p>

 

[Adam1]

Hi all,

I just wanted to add to the anectdotal evidence that bristle worms are not harmful to healthy clams.....

I have several clams on my sand, and everytime I pick one up, there are bristle worms near, on, around, even in they byssal opening. I have even seen them run for cover into the byssal opening! I have observed all of these things for at least months, and all of the clams continue to be healthy and grow.

Adam