S Helinski
09/05/2003, 09:01 PM
I have a 29 gallon invert/reef tank (which I am currently emptying) that has many bristleworms in it. Everyday average bristleworms. Most are about an inch long.
I have a 100 gallon planted freshwater tank with a few various fishes, not many. I decided to try to feed a bristle worm to the fish. I picked one out of my 29 and dropped him into the 100. He landed on the gravel and curled up, probably dying. All the fish came near the worm, looked at it, then rushed away. Almost simultaneously!:eek1: The next day the worm was gone, he probably burrowed into the gravel and died. I don't think the fish ate him.
As I said before I have many small bristleworms in a 29 gallon tank. Well a few days later I was looking at my 29 at night with a flashlight. I found a HUGE bristleworm!!:eek2: He was about a half an inch in diameter, orange with a blue stripe (like my smaller ones) and at least 5" long. This might not seem huge like a record, but he was too big for my tank. LOL
I also have a 20L set up with one big Oscar, a fresh water chiclid fish. Well I removed the Huge worm and dangled him in my oscar's tank (I don't feed my Oscar live foods). The oscar, who is pretty old and slow now, rushed up and bit the worm in half. He ate that half real quick, then he grabbed the rest of the worm, which was OUT OF THE TANK, and ripped him from the tweezers that I was dangling him with. This amazed me. That old fish moved fast. (and later panted) LOL
I watched him. The oscar chewed the worm for at least a minute, then he "burped" as pig fish like oscars do, and out from his gills came dozens of the worm's spines.
I am wondering if bristleworms might be nutricious for carnivore fish and omnivore fish. Perhaps this may be a good control method for people's tanks that have plague proportions of these guys, put them to good use, not down the toilet.
On the other hand, my oscar might just be dumb and hungry, as I have found most of my past oscars to be. And my freshwater community fish are smart. I will try to feed my oscar some smaller worms so there are fewer variables in my NEW EXPERIMENT. LOL
What do you guys think?? Is this safe for my freshwater fish??
Or are Bristleworms toxic or highly abrasive in one's intestines?
I don't really need help in controling them, as I am taking down the 29 gal tank I have with the many worms in it.
Thanks guys.
:) :)
I have a 100 gallon planted freshwater tank with a few various fishes, not many. I decided to try to feed a bristle worm to the fish. I picked one out of my 29 and dropped him into the 100. He landed on the gravel and curled up, probably dying. All the fish came near the worm, looked at it, then rushed away. Almost simultaneously!:eek1: The next day the worm was gone, he probably burrowed into the gravel and died. I don't think the fish ate him.
As I said before I have many small bristleworms in a 29 gallon tank. Well a few days later I was looking at my 29 at night with a flashlight. I found a HUGE bristleworm!!:eek2: He was about a half an inch in diameter, orange with a blue stripe (like my smaller ones) and at least 5" long. This might not seem huge like a record, but he was too big for my tank. LOL
I also have a 20L set up with one big Oscar, a fresh water chiclid fish. Well I removed the Huge worm and dangled him in my oscar's tank (I don't feed my Oscar live foods). The oscar, who is pretty old and slow now, rushed up and bit the worm in half. He ate that half real quick, then he grabbed the rest of the worm, which was OUT OF THE TANK, and ripped him from the tweezers that I was dangling him with. This amazed me. That old fish moved fast. (and later panted) LOL
I watched him. The oscar chewed the worm for at least a minute, then he "burped" as pig fish like oscars do, and out from his gills came dozens of the worm's spines.
I am wondering if bristleworms might be nutricious for carnivore fish and omnivore fish. Perhaps this may be a good control method for people's tanks that have plague proportions of these guys, put them to good use, not down the toilet.
On the other hand, my oscar might just be dumb and hungry, as I have found most of my past oscars to be. And my freshwater community fish are smart. I will try to feed my oscar some smaller worms so there are fewer variables in my NEW EXPERIMENT. LOL
What do you guys think?? Is this safe for my freshwater fish??
Or are Bristleworms toxic or highly abrasive in one's intestines?
I don't really need help in controling them, as I am taking down the 29 gal tank I have with the many worms in it.
Thanks guys.
:) :)