I don't get it...bristleworm good or bad??

[wontonflip]

What's the verdict (or does it depend on who you ask?) I never saw them in the 2 months I've had this tank...although my brother said when he owned the tank he had bristleworms (hence why I chose to buy new live sand, but I kept the lrs).

SO....keep it or kill it??

 

[yote]

Keep it.
Bristle worms are probably THE best member of your clean up crew.

 

[cthegame]

definitely keep it +1 yote

 

[messiah023]

Bristle worms are fine in the tank.
Somtimes people mistake them for FIRE worms which are not good for your corals.

I have a bunch of bristles in the tank, good as cleanup crew.

Once in a while I find a really big one (10-12inches) which I try to pluck out and get rid of, but the smaller ones stay in there.

 

[wontonflip]

Thanks for that link of fireworms, Messiah...mine is definitely not a fireworm. "bristle" immediately popped in my head when I saw it. I think because I just got my clown yesterday and was feeding them shrimp, it finally came out when it saw the shrimp. that sucker was pretty long!...but not as long as the others I've seen on google.

 

[messiah023]

Yeah,

The bristles will tend to come out at night or during a feeding.
They eat the "extra" crap that falls to the sand or the rocks.

If they get out of hand, you can always add a sixline to your tank.
My old sixline used to pull those suckers out of the rockwork and eat them like he was sucking down spaghetti.

Good luck with your clownfish.

 

[dustin_P74]

keep em

 

[Bifferwine]

They are good for your tank. I don't recommend that people keep arrow crabs because they tend to prey specifically on bristleworms.

 

[PufferGuy]

do you only get them as hitch hikers or can they be bought? I wanna make sure i have a damn good cleanup crew and if they are that good i wouldnt mind having a couple.

 

[JAG107]

Very good to have, until they're as big as a ball python and start eating stuff you want to live.
My angels eat whatever ones they can find, so they're mostly hiding in the live rock, plus a couple monsters in the 'fuge.

 

[wontonflip]

I think mine might've been there from when I took it home from my brother's house. He said he had a bunch, and I didn't realize they were good for the tank. I don't know how mine survived all my putzing around in the tank. I hadn't seen it until today.

 

[wontonflip]

I actually got a good shot of it last night:

 

[flojo]

yeah as much as i hate the way they look theyre good for youre tank. like everyone else said i just wouldnt keep em around if they grow much past 12 inches.

 

[Bifferwine]

do you only get them as hitch hikers or can they be bought? I wanna make sure i have a damn good cleanup crew and if they are that good i wouldnt mind having a couple.

Someone recently posted a link to an Ebay seller that was selling them. A total ripoff, IMO. You get enough as hitch hikers to populate your whole tank.