Bristle worm hunter?

[Croosh]

Hi guys,
I have a bristle worm problem in my reef tank: there are at least two
larke worms that are hunting my hermit crabs. Ove time my crabs have
been disapearing and empty shells apearing around the tank and I saw a
3" long worm capture one of them twice already.
The problem is taht I'm not fast enough to catch it with tweezers and
worm trap only traps smaller ones, which I don't have problem with.

The large worm I was didn't look like fire worm. It's purple-pinkish in
color with bristles of the same color. About half of the body is bluish
with same color of bristles.

Is there anything that would hunt them and be reef and fish safe?

Thank you in advance.
Yuriy

[Pszemol]

"Croosh" > wrote in message oups.com...
> I have a bristle worm problem in my reef tank: there are at least two
> larke worms that are hunting my hermit crabs. Ove time my crabs have
> been disapearing and empty shells apearing around the tank and I saw
> a 3" long worm capture one of them twice already.

Have you actually witnessed any worm capturing live hermit crab ?
Or just saw this worm in the hermit's shell and assumed it killed your hermit ?

From what I have read about them, they are rather scavengers
and not active hunters... They feed on decaying carcases only...
Crabs are usually strong enough to eat worms on its own if allowed.

[TheRock]

Leave the worms alone !!!
They are beneficial. Only get rid of them if there are more worms than
sand.
They do get big and ugly but they clean up the mess not make it.
They freak me out !

Arrow crabs and 6 line wrasse snack on them.
However they will not be your solution to a population explosion.


"Pszemol" > wrote in message
...
> "Croosh" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> I have a bristle worm problem in my reef tank: there are at least two
>> larke worms that are hunting my hermit crabs. Ove time my crabs have
>> been disapearing and empty shells apearing around the tank and I saw
>> a 3" long worm capture one of them twice already.
>
> Have you actually witnessed any worm capturing live hermit crab ?
> Or just saw this worm in the hermit's shell and assumed it killed your
> hermit ?
>
> From what I have read about them, they are rather scavengers
> and not active hunters... They feed on decaying carcases only...
> Crabs are usually strong enough to eat worms on its own if allowed.

[volux]

Wrasse works good -


"TheRock" > wrote in message
news:rlSIf.10521$C02.10414@trndny02...
> Leave the worms alone !!!
> They are beneficial. Only get rid of them if there are more worms than
> sand.
> They do get big and ugly but they clean up the mess not make it.
> They freak me out !
>
> Arrow crabs and 6 line wrasse snack on them.
> However they will not be your solution to a population explosion.
>
>
> "Pszemol" > wrote in message
> ...
> > "Croosh" > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> >> I have a bristle worm problem in my reef tank: there are at least two
> >> larke worms that are hunting my hermit crabs. Ove time my crabs have
> >> been disapearing and empty shells apearing around the tank and I saw
> >> a 3" long worm capture one of them twice already.
> >
> > Have you actually witnessed any worm capturing live hermit crab ?
> > Or just saw this worm in the hermit's shell and assumed it killed your
> > hermit ?
> >
> > From what I have read about them, they are rather scavengers
> > and not active hunters... They feed on decaying carcases only...
> > Crabs are usually strong enough to eat worms on its own if allowed.
>
>

[Croosh]

Pszemol,
Yes, I have actually witnessed one capturing a crab. The worm was about
2.5-3" long and 1/4" or so in diameter (the visible part at least).
Yesterday it was "siffing" the san and came acrost a crab that fell on
it's back. Fro what I saw it grabbed the crab and retracted to its
hole.
On previous ocasion I just was one in the shell, not the actuala
attach, so I assumed taht crab had just died from natural causes.

Thank you
Yuriy

[Croosh]

TheRock,
I'm not crazzy about eradicating bristle worm and their apperance
doesn't bother me, but I want to get the "boa" out of my aquarium.
I can't say that I have an explosion of population, but I can can see
some worms going about their business.
I'm not feeding my tank at all (at least not in last 5-6 months), so
cutting back on feeding will not fix it either.

Thanks
Yuriy

[Michael Lawford]

You dont feed your tank?

How do your fish survive?

~m

"Croosh" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> TheRock,
> I'm not crazzy about eradicating bristle worm and their apperance
> doesn't bother me, but I want to get the "boa" out of my aquarium.
> I can't say that I have an explosion of population, but I can can see
> some worms going about their business.
> I'm not feeding my tank at all (at least not in last 5-6 months), so
> cutting back on feeding will not fix it either.
>
> Thanks
> Yuriy
>

[~Roy~]

I agree...According to Shimek, there is something in the order of a
few thousand different types of worms, and out of this number there is
only a small handfull that would be considered problems, and
fortunately the majority of that handfull of worms are rarely
encountered in a home aquarium. They are scavengers at most, and are
very beneficial to a tank. They do more than what the average eye
sees, and usually when you wind up with a nice clean tank, they never
get the credit, as the snails and hermits usually do.....I have one
bristle worm about the size of a ball point pen......its huge. About
the only time I ever see any of my worms is at feeding time or after
lights out....I agree they do multiply if the conditions are right so
i do thin my stock of worms out periodically, but they do not get
flushed they get put in other tanks.
--
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oooO
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The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Pszemol]

"Croosh" > wrote in message oups.com...
> Pszemol,
> Yes, I have actually witnessed one capturing a crab. The worm was about
> 2.5-3" long and 1/4" or so in diameter (the visible part at least).
> Yesterday it was "siffing" the san and came acrost a crab that fell on
> it's back. Fro what I saw it grabbed the crab and retracted to its
> hole.

Worm draged hermit crab WITH CRAB'S SHELL ?

[[email protected]]

On 15 Feb 2006 19:59:36 -0800, "Croosh" > wrote:

>Pszemol,
>Yes, I have actually witnessed one capturing a crab. The worm was about
>2.5-3" long and 1/4" or so in diameter (the visible part at least).
>Yesterday it was "siffing" the san and came acrost a crab that fell on
>it's back. Fro what I saw it grabbed the crab and retracted to its
>hole.
>On previous ocasion I just was one in the shell, not the actuala
>attach, so I assumed taht crab had just died from natural causes.
>
>Thank you
>Yuriy

Hello Yuriy,

Bristleworms will enter empty shells to see if there is anything in
there to eat. I agree with the other posters, that they are "good
news" in cleaning-up the aquarium.

Regards, Fishnut.

[Croosh]

Michael,
The way I run my tank is somewhat controversialm but...
I do very few water changes (every three to four months about 10%
I have only a few fish and a LOT of LR in the tank and the sump
(doubles up as a refugium).
Yellow tang and tri-color blenny eat mostly algae, Mandain eats ...posd
and clowns do pretty good on other critters.
I'vebeen watching my tank at night and there is a lot of "food" in the
column, and since refugium is on opposite cycle, a lot of things end up
in the tank during the day too.
I'm watching them very closely and they look well fed and groomed.

Regards
Yuriy

[Croosh]

Yes :)
Again, that worm is HUGE. When stretched to 3" it was still almost as
thick as a pansil (around 1/4") and the head was even thicker (but
flat).

BTW, sorry for my spelling. I'm using google for posting and there is
no spell check (and I need it bad)

Regards
Yuriy

[Croosh]

Fishnut,
I know they are good news, and I don't have a problem with them in
general.
In my original post I wrote that worm trap only gets smaller ones, and
I actally released them, but I'm afraid that the big one(s) might
clean-up other mebers of my clean-up crew.
>From the monetary standpoint worm is free and crabs are $3 a piece.

Regards
Yuriy

[Pszemol]

"Croosh" > wrote in message oups.com...
> Yes :)
> Again, that worm is HUGE. When stretched to 3" it was still almost as
> thick as a pansil (around 1/4") and the head was even thicker (but flat).

If it is 3" long than it is not that huge...
If you want to see a really huge worm look here:
http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

[Croosh]

Wow :)
No, mone is still a baby, but it's different kind:
http://www.wildsingapore.com/riablog/photos/040804sek/photos/photo_12.html

Regards
Yuriy

[Pszemol]

"Croosh" > wrote in message oups.com...
> No, mone is still a baby, but it's different kind:
> http://www.wildsingapore.com/riablog/photos/040804sek/photos/photo_12.html

It is hard to believe this kind of worm could succesfully attack healthy
hermit crab and drag it with its shell to his cave... This sounds unreal.
But, you have witnessed it, so...

[Croosh]

Pszemol,
To say the least I was surprized, but on the other hand, may be this
worm had personal wendetta against taht particular crab ;)
I was able to catch it yesterday and it's about 5" in total lenght when
stretched.
I wasn't too hot about flushing it down the toilet, so it will live in
my refugium. To my best knowledge they are not great swimmers, so it
shouldn't end up in the main tank agin.

Just to confirm, the thing on the photo is not a nasty fireworm that
can get me across the room and bite off my leg, righ? :)

Regards
Yuriy

[Pszemol]

"Croosh" > wrote in message oups.com...
> I wasn't too hot about flushing it down the toilet, so it will live in
> my refugium. To my best knowledge they are not great swimmers,
> so it shouldn't end up in the main tank agin.

Cool :-)

> Just to confirm, the thing on the photo is not a nasty fireworm that
> can get me across the room and bite off my leg, righ? :)

Do not worry :-)))

[~Roy~]

On 17 Feb 2006 07:12:41 -0800, "Croosh" > wrote:
>><>Pszemol,
>><>To say the least I was surprized, but on the other hand, may be this
>><>worm had personal wendetta against taht particular crab ;)
>><>I was able to catch it yesterday and it's about 5" in total lenght when
>><>stretched.
>><>I wasn't too hot about flushing it down the toilet, so it will live in
>><>my refugium. To my best knowledge they are not great swimmers, so it
>><>shouldn't end up in the main tank agin.
>><>
>><>Just to confirm, the thing on the photo is not a nasty fireworm that
>><>can get me across the room and bite off my leg, righ? :)
>><>
>><>Regards
>><>Yuriy


Naw, but if they latch on to you they will burrow right into your body
and take up residence in the ciruclatory system and spawn in your
heart.........Sorry could not help myself .. On another forum one time
someone told another that same basic thing about it burrowoing in yur
body, and everyone kpet feeding the scenerio more and more......got
pretty interesting and hilarious.

Bristle worms are cool critters.
--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Croosh]

Oh my God 8-Þ.

I know they are good. Over all, most of my worms are on the smaller
side. I was just concerned with the papa-worm, as someone on this NG
suggested long time ago that they can become predatiry when they grow
large.
Some time ago I had a CBS that was supposed to be the nicest creature
on the planet, but for 3 or so months it was snacking on my peppermint
shrims. That made me paranoid about safe creatures...

Thank you
Yuriy

[~Roy~]

I seem to believe they get their bad rep due to their looks more
thanwhat they actually deserve........If you read the instructions on
the various bristle worm traps, and why you need to remove them, you
would be lead to belive that if they are not removed they will devour
all your corals, eat all your fish, turn your liverock into sand, and
then bust the glass on the aquarium, and crawl into a bedroom at
night and devour your kids or dog............

On 17 Feb 2006 12:40:39 -0800, "Croosh" > wrote:
>><>Oh my God 8-Þ.
>><>
>><>I know they are good. Over all, most of my worms are on the smaller
>><>side. I was just concerned with the papa-worm, as someone on this NG
>><>suggested long time ago that they can become predatiry when they grow
>><>large.
>><>Some time ago I had a CBS that was supposed to be the nicest creature
>><>on the planet, but for 3 or so months it was snacking on my peppermint
>><>shrims. That made me paranoid about safe creatures...
>><>
>><>Thank you
>><>Yuriy

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....