never really know until you kill it

UntamedBreez · #1 07/12/2007, 02:52 PM

I bought tank used from a guy...who didnt have a clue but it was a mess...couldnt see the fish for the algea more b worms then rock...took it unknowing of some issues plus it was a a great deal...money wize....
in my research I've found b worms arnt the evil being that they look like...however you have to control there poplation...I've pulled at least 100 out of this 20 gal nanocube in the last three months!!!!!!!!! ahhh
any way we had it down to only seeing one once in a while until I got a yellow watchman who quickly made a home under a peice of live rock and was shortly join by three HUGE worms...
I tried just getting them out using tweezers...not working....to far under a ledge so I have to more the rock...and then they are gone.
so I got the idea I'll stick the bottom part of the rock into FW...that should do it and 80% of the rock will be alive still, rest of it should be full of life in a month or two...so I do this kill the b worms....
the worms of course fall off...
along with six small brittle stars
and two clams

I didnt even know I had

sir_dudeguy · #2 07/12/2007, 03:56 PM

my question...why try to get rid of them in the first place? Sure they look weird, but they're good to have. They break down crap. If you've got one, you've got a hundred more, so there's no way you're gonna get them out unless you were to take everything out of water for like a week...but then everything would be dead. Plus, after a few months the tank will begin to balance out and there will be less gunk for them to eat, causing a lot of them to die off. This happens with lots of stuff (mostly filter feeders) as a tank ages.

Also, by putting that rock in freshwater for a while...you will have killed off some bacteria and other life obviously. The die off may cause a spike in something, such as nitrates/amonia. I'd test for those.

reefworm · #3 07/12/2007, 06:03 PM

leave the worms be! bristleworms are your friends, as sir due says. they are fantastic detrivores - getting into places others can't to clean up. He's also right that if you see one you've got LOTS more. No problem. The population will even out, unless you're over feeding.

mcombs16 · #4 07/12/2007, 06:20 PM

Will B worms kill sand sifters?? Like Yellow Headed Gobies and Diamond Gobbies.

sir_dudeguy · #5 07/12/2007, 06:41 PM

nope... Only time a bristle worm is gonna kill something is if its one of those 5 foot long ones

davidryder · #6 07/12/2007, 09:02 PM

Firefish gobies retreat into crevices at night and somehow lock themselves in. I've heard of firefish being eaten alive by bristle worms because they won't come out of the cavern.

Ebisan · #7 07/12/2007, 09:37 PM

I would keep them. Eventually the population will even out as posted above. Once they start competing for the food source, some will die off.

AquaReeferMan · #8 07/12/2007, 10:44 PM

Wow I would never want to get rid of my bristle worms. They are wonderful custodians.