Finally got a good picture of my monster bristle worm, is this a bad one?

[seminoleFLreef]

I was doing a water change last night and happened to see a bristle worm that I havent been able to see other than the first half inch.... and...

this thing is MUCH bigger than I thought it was.

The red color made me wonder if this was a bad bristle worm, I remember reading years back that there was one version that was best to remove from the tank.

So how about this one?

http://sbnhosting.com/saltwater/worm.jpg

[shaggss]

WOW, that's a good one! I'm no expert but I'm sure he is fine....

[toromp]

Never heard of the red ones ..but this one is a decent size!!

A buddy of mine had one that was 14"+! He saw it when he was breaking down a tank.. talk about scary!

[d2mini]

Someone needs to post pics of the REALLY big ones.
Not these little babies. ;)

[RyanSweatt2004]

I always pull them any time I ever see them. Only reason is I hate getting stuck with their spines. It makes my fingers swell up and burn for days.

[Teamreef]

I would pull the real big one

[Psirex]

I have one in my sump\refugeium that is about 6 inches... I will try to grab a decent pic the next time I clean it (he may be 12" by then)

[seminoleFLreef]

What you can see of him there in the pic is about 10 inches... I bet he can stretch to 14

[SNAKEMANVET]

It should be ok in your dt,if you not comfortable with it throw in the sump.

[barriosman]

Why would you want to pull it? What are down sides to large bristle worms? I have two or three decent size ones in my DT. Should I be concerned?

[rhdoug]

Great scavenger! Good animal for the tank.

[Dream2aReef]

Great scavenger! Good animal for the tank.

+1 just watch your fingers.

[seminoleFLreef]

wil rubber dish gloves protect enough? I need to do some rock moving soon

[BigAl2007]

Why would you want to pull it? What are down sides to large bristle worms? I have two or three decent size ones in my DT. Should I be concerned?

The only (at least for me) down side to a larger one is they will require more food. If your tank can support them no problem but as they get larger they get bolder but they are still "mostly" scavengers. A larger BW may be a bit more likely to go for a larger fish than a smaller worm but even then most of them only go after sick or injured fish. Some people feel like they attack and kill healthy fish when fact of the matter is that's usually not the case.

In my tanks I don't pull BWs out period. If their numbers increase greatly it just means I'm doing something wrong in other areas of the tank. When I correct the problem (usually over feeding) then the symptom (large number of BWs) takes care of itself. Their numbers will rise and fall in direct proportion to the amount of food available for them.

[TealCobra]

I would pull the real big one

That's what she said.

I would leave it alone. Most bristleworms are beneficial scavengers.

[d2mini]

wil rubber dish gloves protect enough? I need to do some rock moving soon

You need to be careful the gloves aren't treated with anything like powders.
I have a pair of these for when I'm feeling a bit cautious especially with the constant clicking in my tank. ;)

http://www.marinedepot.com/Coralife_Aqua_Gloves_(One_Pair_Shoulder_Length_Protective_Gloves)_Protective_Gloves_for_Saltwater_Aq uariums-Coralife-ES09505-FIMTPG-vi.html

[phk36]

I had one in the past two times that size. It was a dark red . I did not leave it in the tank it can sting real bad and will get larger. You may have many more you cant see. I had a bird wrasse who picked out the rest . This is way many start off with dry rock , lots of things you can not see that come out after the lights are out.

[d2mini]

I don't understand why people want a reef tank but not all the stuff that makes a reef a reef. Do you want a pretty decoration or a true ecosystem?

Of course there is always the occasional extreme situation, but as stated above by BigAl, bristles are there for a reason.

[DHyslop]

Why would you want to pull it? What are down sides to large bristle worms? I have two or three decent size ones in my DT. Should I be concerned?

I remove them whenever I can. If it grows any bigger it might leave the tank and eat your family while you sleep.

[coralsnaked]

I had one swallowed my entire nano tank. I wook up one morning to find this monster creeping up on my sleeping Doberman Pincher. Grabbed it by the electrical cord still hanging out his mouth from the wave maker and plugged it back in. It puffed up like a corndog in hot oil, made the entire house smell like fried calamari. Man did that dog eat good that week.

[LittleBee]

I don't mind bristle worms at all. They are a good part of your cuc. And I agree with dennis, they are part of the natural ecosystem so why not keep them. Just don't touch them or you will feel it for a bit :/

[Patrick Cox]

I had one that I believe killed my tube anemone. Anyway, I pulled a piece of rock from my tank and he ended up being in that rock so he is now gone. Mine was about that size.

[Sonny n Colleen]

I had one swallowed my entire nano tank. I wook up one morning to find this monster creeping up on my sleeping Doberman Pincher. Grabbed it by the electrical cord still hanging out his mouth from the wave maker and plugged it back in. It puffed up like a corndog in hot oil, made the entire house smell like fried calamari. Man did that dog eat good that week.

ROTFL!!! Thanks! I needed a good chuckle today.

[LaOtIn]

I wait till they get bigger then pull them and mail them to my friends. I don't have many friends left now a days :( I'm sure there's no connection there.

[supermancrv]

I like them they seem to benefit the tank and they look neat that one is a beast though

[iwishtofish]

I had one swallowed my entire nano tank. I wook up one morning to find this monster creeping up on my sleeping Doberman Pincher. Grabbed it by the electrical cord still hanging out his mouth from the wave maker and plugged it back in. It puffed up like a corndog in hot oil, made the entire house smell like fried calamari. Man did that dog eat good that week.

lol, good one!

[Huntor0]

I enjoy tanks full of Wrasses and most seem to keep my Pod and BW populations low.

[Ciscokid]

Someone needs to post pics of the REALLY big ones.
Not these little babies. ;)

This seems to be a BIG one...

www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm