Larry Grenier March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 (edited) I dunno. What is the problem with having large bristle worms? I hear of folks finding and removing them but I don't know what harm they cause unless you grab it bare-handed. I just saw a 10+" worm in my fuge. Do they like escargot or something? Edited March 18, 2011 by Larry Grenier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grav March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 People don't like them because they don't understand them and think they are ugly Yea, no fun when you pick one up on the bottom of a rock you are moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 I was in a tank moving some rock that had a couple small ones(4-5") and I found my arms very irritated from what had to be the hairs that got detached. There was nothing else in the tank at the time that could have had that effect. So, there is just another great reason to not handle our tank stock with bare hands( something I STILL do...) From what I understand they serve little help, and just eat through live rock. Yes it helps water flow, but it can really destroy otherwise strong rock over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 YEEEOOW!!! I only felt little bits of broken off bristle worm hairs, and it burned for about an hour. Not crazy bad, but annoying. I hope that was not u treesprite.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 It was me. That was my finger. At first I tried tweezing out and it got a lot out, but some bristles were too short and fine, so I did what I should have done right from the start, which is to apply masking tape - took them all out in a snap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 (edited) talk about a series of unfortunate events... how long did you feel the burn/sting? At least you thought to grab the camera!!!!! For that we thank you! Edited March 18, 2011 by LanglandJoshua Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 I got her beat:) I super glued them into my skin I was glueing a frag and picked up the rock and a little glue ran down on the worm and on my finger I had to naw the glue off.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 gmu if you get any superglue on you acetone will help break it down and allow you to remove or detach w/e you glued together. generally found as nail polish remover it works pretty decent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 Yes but I was in a hurry its worse then a bee sting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 Soak in vinegar to dissolve bristles. I do not want them in my tank, because I am reaching in to much to touch stuff. IF I had the willpower to keep my hands out I would not mind them. I hear they are great detritus eaters... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 generally we have them as detritus eaters as bowie said above, however between my porc puffers and a few other fish that took a liking to them, my main tank is very low on bristleworms, we made a point to move most of them to the refugium that we could find. this works well as the refugium is the nutirent sink area of the tank (slow flow and no powerheads) and they rarely wish to or survive the travel through the panworld return pump or the uv sterilizer. they are beneficial though, just not always welcome when disturbed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier March 18, 2011 Author Share March 18, 2011 Got it... don't touch them, don't look at them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 some people are not affected by the stings or not nearly as much as others (I do not react other then redden a bit, my friend is allergic to the sting) If you are concerned then a set of aquarium gloves and a small set of tweezers are good purchases for the fish toolkit. use the gloves when you move rockwork or disturb the sand bed, and use the tweezers if you find one and either want to remove it, or need to move it without dealing with the bristles. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 They are great detritus eaters, but too much overfeeding (leads to detritus) and you could end up with an outright infestation.... large particle substrate is bad if you don't want bristleworm over-population (years ago I had crushed coral and was overfeeding... worms crawling ALL OVER THE PLACE even with lights on.... glass was covered with them, every rock hole had worms slithering in and out.... very disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel not fish March 18, 2011 Share March 18, 2011 Got it... don't touch them, don't look at them. At least use sunglasses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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