Bristle Worms

[UTTAngel]

So lately I have noticed a lot of bristle worms in my tank.. I know I have 1 very large one that I have not been able to get out of the tank. (I think he's probably 6-8 inches long) I know that I have a ton more in the tank and I'm not sure how to control the population. I can even see the trails that they have made through the sand. I only see them at night never in the day but I have compared what I have seen to many many pictures and I am sure they are bristle worms. So far none of my corals have been damaged by them. I did purchase a purple Anthias not too long ago and I haven't seen him since I put him in the tank so I think he's a lost cause. With all the worms I'm sure as soon as he died he was pretty much devoured. Anyway.. anything I can do to control all these darn worms?

[WaterKeeper]

They really usually don't hurt anything, even the big ones. The will eat a dead fish if it is left in the tank and that is one method to catch them. Get some nylon pantyhose and put a dead shrimp in it. Ball it up and place it in the tank before lights out. In early morning, before the lights come, on fish it out and it should have a bunch of surprised worms caught in it.

[reefworm]

large worm populations are often the result of overfeeding the tank. cut back a bit if you can and see if the population doesn't adjust. kinda like the sub-prime market collapse :(

[loosecannon]

I have a Lysmata grabhami = ( skunk cleaner ) . It eats the small worms . As well as keep the fishes clean .

[Reverend Reefer]

i think wrasses eat bristle worms, like the six line one?

[Reverend Reefer]

arrow crabs too, but they aren't so nice to fish....

[returnofsid]

I have a 6 line in my 75. It keeps the population of Bristle worms under control. However, you have nothing to worry about. Of the 1000 or so species of Bristle worms, only a few species are dangerous to our tanks. Those are rarely found. Keep in mind that they're ALL dangerous to you!! Don't touch them!!

[WaterKeeper]

They need population control no doubt as there are 10,000 species around now a days. :D