JGon Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 So I forgot to mention this earlier. The day we all had power outages everywhere, I believe it was saturday evening, I saw a HUGE bristle worm coming out of my live rock. It was about 4-5 inches out of the rock and who knows how much more of it was still in the rock. There was no light, no flow.......nothing. I shined a flashlight at the tank to look at everything in it and that's when I saw it. I tried getting it with some tweezers and it slipped and retracted back into the rock. I haven't seen it since. How can I get it to come back out??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I'd leave him be. He's beneficial. If you don't want him, just look up how to build a soda bottle trap and catch him that way. Works pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGon Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 I read a while back that they were good if they were small, but if they got big they could be aggressive and even attack fish. Is that right or should I not worry about it??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 They got a bad rap, but really they are good. Eat decaying / dead stuff, basically they add to your CuC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I read a while back that they were good if they were small, but if they got big they could be aggressive and even attack fish. Is that right or should I not worry about it??? I don't believe this is correct. As far as I know, the only worm that attacks fish is the Bobbit Worm. Most likely someone saw a worm eating a dead or dying fish and they drew the wrong conclusion. Coral Bandit Shrimp, Serpent Stars, Emerald Crabs, Arrow Crabs and Blue/Purple/Red Lobsters are all typically sold as CUC and they are known attackers of fish as they get larger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Bristle worms of that size aren't inherently bad, but I know that I removed ones that big because they annoy corals, generally disturbed/moved things, and filled my fingers with bristles when I accidentally brushed against them while moving rock or corral myself. Just like a snail, crab, or other critter that became I troublemaker I didn't hesitate to remove them when they become a problem, but don't feel that you need to remove him just to get rid of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I'd probably get rid of it if it's a eunice or fireworm. I don't think I've ever seen a normal bristleworm get past a few inches, but they should be fine if that's what it is. Dorvilleidae are fine as well, they definitely stay small though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGon Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 This is what it looked like. Just bigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Nothing to worry about. Just don't poke it with your bare hands or you'll get an nice itchy/burn/fiberglass feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGon Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 Well then. No touching the worm. Got it. Haha. Thanks guys. Really appreciate the help. [emoji2] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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