Seems like a silly question... but my understanding is that bristleworms eat detritus and other undesirables in a tank. So... to what extent do you want to eradicate a tank of them and why? I'm new to the reef hobby.... appreciate feedback.
Great for your tank in general. Watch for any munching of coral that you cant explain, thats the only complaint I have ever heard, and those stories are unconfirmed.
Most will be eaten or run out of food before they could ever become a nuisance. Coral banded shrimp will keep populations down, as well as some wrasses, I believe.
Thaks guys. Seems like I'll just let the worms mind their own business. Fun to watch them work at night. They hide during the day. Probably see 10+ of them running around my 15g nano at night. they're about 1" long on average.
Yea bristleworms have over the years gotten a really undeserved bad rap. Dont get me wrong there is one particular genus that is called the Fireworm. Has venomus bristles and is a confirmed coral muncher, but there are hundreds od species that are tank friendly and as you said are great scavengers and help keep things cleaned up.
Here is a link that will show you what a problem worm looks like. If you ever find one in your tank use extreme caution removing it as the venom in the bristles will cause you major grief. Not fatal to adults but you will wish you hadnt gotten stung.
