a question for the pro's...

OK so I might be in the wrong place for this question but I’m sure I’ll be forgiven…:-X

I have heard that bristle worms are good for a tank because they are filter feeders but how many is too much? I thought I was lucky to have one in my tank about 5-7 months ago then I noticed them in my sump and now there’s about 10 I counted in the sump and about 10 in the tank they are all around 3inchs long and seem happy but I know they can sting if provoked I don’t think their hurting anything yet but I think the reproduce pretty quick.

Any info is helpful 8)

 

they are scavengers, they help clean up detritus. they dont hurt anything really so they arent bad and they clean, so the more the merrier except that they are ugly as can be, and might be irritating to handle. i have mixed feeling about them, which is a vast improvement over my previous hatred towards them. if you want to be rid of them, an arrow crab is a sure bet. wrasses too, but the arrow crab is a sure bet to put a dent in the population. Most people like them though, and they are part of a well rounded CUC etc...

 

Too many is a good indication that there is too much food for them and seeing as they eat leftovers and detritus it can mean that you're overfeeding.

 

In my personal opinion and taste, one is too many. You may think that you only have 17, but the truth of the matter is that theres at least double that. I share Johnmaloney's first feeling of the "monster" and take them out any time I see them. Some have been known to go after corals.


Luna

 

I'm agreeing with the beneficial detritivore side of things. Unless you have one of the very few harmful ones I would leave them in. As said before their populations will control themselves based on how much food is available for them. If you get a huge population burst they're getting too much food from somewhere and you're either overstocked or overfeeding somehow.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to try and get an idea of what type of bristle worm it is. There are lots of ID pages, most are harmless though.

 

I have had several tanks over the past 15+ years and each has had bristleworms. They seem to be very common hitchhikers in live rock. So far none have ever damaged anything in my tank. I keep mostly soft corals - mushrooms, zoas, polyps, leathers, etc. Again, I've never seen any damage from bristleworms. The ones in my current tank actually come out when I feed, then slide back into the various rocks they live in. I could see how overfeeding the tank encourages breeding!

I have read that there are certain types of worms that could be a problem, but I've only had the pinkish colored ones in my tanks. There is suppose to ge a grayish type that looks more like a centipede that can cause damage in the tank.

The natural solutions to ridding yourself of worms includes Arrow Crabs, Coral Banded Shrimps, and various types of wrasses. However you need to make sure the suggested livestock are safe with other types of fish or inverts you have in your tank before adding them. Some solutions to one problem can cause a different problem. And they ALL sting, so watch your hands in the tank!