Aptasia and bristle worms

[Zswift]

So I have a 55 reef.

Some softies, zoas and a few sps corals.

I have aptasia and bristle worms out the wazoo. I've been using aptasia x, but to no avail. :headwally: I tried peppermint shrimp but the two I had didn't eat them, so I returned them. (After a couple of weeks) :thumbdown

I am setting up a new 55 at my church, and was going to transfer everything over there since I'm transferring out of state for school.

Any ideas on how o kill the aptasia and bristle worms?

I'm a college kid on a budget so just keep that in mind.

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

For the aptasia i would recommend Berghia nudibranch this is all it feeds on.
So hopefully when it finishes up in your tank you could put it in other tanks infested with aptasia or take it to a pet store and hopefully they have tanks with aptasia
And for the bristle worms i would suggest a sixline wrasse, hope this helps!

[bjledbetter]

Bristle worms are not usually a problem just watch where you put your hand. And they eat all the leftovers in your tank. Not really sure how to get rid of them besides just picking them out. I don't know anything that eats them or that will kill them. They make a trap for them but ive never used it. I have one now that's almost a foot long and I just let him be. As for the aptasia have you tried a file fish they will eat them and some lfs will loan you one to take care of the aptasia. Lemon juice and vinegar if directly injected into them with a syringe will kill them also.

[jjwilbanks]

To add to what Chaotic Reefer said, the Berghia nudibranch and aiptasia anemones have a natural balance in the wild similar to owls and lemmings in Canada. The anemones will grow in number and, with the increased food supply, the nudibranchs will reproduce and grow in number. Eventually the nudibranchs will decimate the anemone population and begin to starve. They will quit reproducing and many will die and become food for you worms. Not all of the anemones will be eaten and eventually the population will bloom and the cycle repeats. With that being said, the anemones will likely not be gone completely but will be held in check by a natural predator. For more information, see http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/ac/feature/index.php . It is a great article and explains this process in greater detail.

[MJNTWise]

I just came across this...don't know if it really works or not..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=iSkx4_7l8DA&feature=endscreen

[Sk8r]

Don't try. Your problem likely lies in your tank size and food supply. Cut back on feeding and you will see fewer of both. They are eating the excess food: since they're not fast on their feet, they ONLY get the excess. If you start trying to kill them off specifically, you're likely to unbalance the tank and cause a worse problem.

[Zswift]

I feed with pellet food once every two days. Then two things of frozen food every 4-5 days in place of.
I have two clown fish, three damsels(will be removed when I switch the tank), coral beauty, dragon goby, Blenny. The eat ALL OF THE TIME. They will literally eat everything I give them.

[snowcarver75]

Join a local reef club if one's around you. I find that people are super nice, particularly among the reef crazy folks, and they will lend a copperband to you which is known to eat aptasia if asked.

[Zswift]

I haven't tried a copper band just because its only a 55. But I guess for a week or to it won't be a big deal. I don't care about getting rid of the bristle worms as much as the aptasia. The stuff is annoying and I've used 4+ bottles of aptasia x on the stuff. And the nudibranchs are edpensive.

[Elrodg]

I had an aiptasia the size of a half dollar recently. All it took was a pot of boiling water and a syringe. It certainly wasn't happy about it. Melted almost instantly.

[Paul B]

You can build a bristleworm trap in 5 minutes and bait it with clam. Here are three I use and every night get 4 or 5 worms in each trap.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/Bristlewormtrap_zps25ca566e.jpg

[Zswift]

On the second trap, it works to keep the worms in because they can't get back through the hole? Which one worked best?

[Paul B]

The middle one I just built and will try it tonight (if I remember), The first one caught more crabs and shrimp then worms but the one on the right catches 4, 5 or 6 worms a night.

[Zswift]

Any luck on the trap?

[Paul B]

Last night I caught a few small worms, a bunch of amphipods and something that looked like a squid. I don't know what that was but I put it back in with the amphipods.

[worm5406]

squid... really??

Any pictures?

[Paul B]

No pictures, it was about 1/4" long and had squid tentacles, but it crawled instead of swam. Don't forget, I add all sorts of creatures and mud from the sea so God knows what it could be.