Bristle Worm Removal

Albert J. Thiel

An Introduction

Bristle worms can be, and usually, are a real problem for reef hobbyists. Indeed, they create havoc in the aquarium, especially when they grow to larger sizes. Bristle worms grow quickly! Real quickly! They feed on anything they can find in the tank and grow to sizes that amaze most hobbyists. This process does not take long either.

Whereas small bristle worms may look really harmless, larger specimens that have grown to sizes of 24 inches or more in length are quite impressive and can cause serious damage. Remember too that the size you see is not necessarily the size of the worm. It may be retracted and look short and thick, but it can stretch itself to a real long size and be very thin. In either case it is a voracious eater.

Bristleworm Profiles

Guide picks

Here are Bristleworm profile and photo resources to learn about the identification, characteristics, control and more on these stinging marine worms, some of which are beneficial to saltwater systems, while others such as the Fireworm species are irritating pests that should be removed.

Bristleworms Profile

From your Guides, learn about what Bristleworms are, which types are beneficial to your tank as substrate cleaners, how to prevent unwanted infestations, and methods for removal.

check out

Andre's Aquarium Club's

SPECIAL

$9.95

MEMBERSHIP

A fireworm is a type of bristleworm. The common name fireworm is used to describe a number of worms that fit the same general description of appearance and action.

A good example is:

Phylum: Annelida

Class: Polychaeta: Polychaete worms

Subclass: Errantia

Family: Amphinomidae

Species: Hermodice carunculata

(fireworm)

Contents:

1. Fireworms

2. A little more info on Fireworms

3. Bristle Worms (again)

4. Bristle worms and arrow crabs

5. Liverock organisms

6.  More Liverock organisms

7. How do YOU trap bristle worms ?

Coralife Trap'Em

is a quick and effective device to lure, trap and remove bristle worms from any reef aquarium. Bristle worms grow and multiply rapidly and should be quickly removed from the aquarium.

Trap' Em comes complete with bait.

Stay calm!!!!!!! small bristle worms aren't a problem, in fact they probably do some good in removing excess food. Orchid (arabian) psuedos will eat bristle worms. They're attractive as well. Big worms (over 4") can be removed with a number of commercially available traps or by using a nylon stocking baited with a piece of shrimp or squid. The worms bristles get caught in stocking and cannot escape. Be careful, I've dared my friends to grab large bristle worms and they can be extemely painful!!! If they are not causing a problem and you dont see any really large ones dont worry, and try orchid psuedo.

Our interest extends beyond these pages, to promoting conservation and aquaculture research projects worldwide-from helping understand environmental changes, to saving the endangered reefs, and endangered species with captive bred freshwater and marine life.

Why aquarium fish die..

Fish health is a complex and sometimes baffling subject. The key to relatively trouble free fish keeping is prevention rather than cure. This means providing optimum conditions that encourage good health. It is equally important to nip minor problems in the bud before they get out of hand. Aimed mainly at beginners and intermediates, these key pages provide a 'core' understanding of the basics of fish health.

The importance of water quality

Water testing for healthy fish

The importance of water testing. Look after the water and the fish will look after themselves (most of the time).

Fish are like leaky parcels of water swimming around in a pond or tank. No wonder water quality has such a dramatic affect on their well-being.

Fish disease is really no different to disease in any other animal. An overview of aquatic disease, diagnostic methods and treatments.

The essential fish health work-up. When fish are sick, you have two basic options. You can simply try and guess what's wrong (the most common method) and usually get it wrong. The alternative is a l diagnosis.

Fish disease treatments

Find out a little more about common treatment methods before you put any 'medications' into your pond or tank.

Biological filtration

Why do we use biological filters on tanks? This essential piece of equipment is often poorly understood.

New tank/pond syndrome kills tens of thousands of fish every year.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Spaghetti and Hair Worms…

The name "spaghetti worm" predates the reef aquarium hobby by several decades. I first heard the term in my first marine ecology class at Woods Hole in 1969, and I am sure it wasn’t coined then and there. In all cases, prior to recent usage in the reef hobby, this term refers to the worms in the family Terebellidae. The terebellids live in tubes in sediments, rocks, or debris, and do not normally leave the tubes. The only parts of the worm visible on the substrate surface are typically the white to slightly pinkish feeding tentacles elaborated from the head. The tentacles from larger worms are about the same size and dimensions as angel hair pasta, and give these animals their common name. The feeding tentacles extend some distance from the burrow and collect small food particles in a stream of mucus which is moved along by microscopic cilia found in a gutter on tentacle’s surface. Arising from the head region are also two to four pairs of bushy, bright red gills. These are not generally visible outside the tube, but when the animal is feeding with the tentacles extended, the gills are located just below the opening of the tube.

THE FEATHERDUSTER

The Featherduster

Featherduster worms are common throughout the world in shallow water. In Hawaii, they are found on reef flats and in quiet bays and harbors, where there are hard surfaces to which they attach their tubes, as well as high concentrations of food particles in the water.