Bristleworm Invasion!

So I've had my current tank for almost a year now but Im using Live Rock that I've had for give or take 6 years. Bristleworms are something I've dealt with in all of my tanks since I use the same LR, and it's no surprise that they appeared in this tank as well. Unfortunately, they seem to be OVERLY ABUNDANT in this tank!!! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! They're not fireworms though, which is good, I guess...

They're in all my old rocks, they're in all my new rocks, they're in old discarded shells, some even just chill on top of the substrate cause I don't think there's a home left for them. I know having a few here and there can be a good thing but this many is just ridiculous. They're supposed to come out and scavenge at night, but mine seem perfectly comfortable chillin in the daylight and THERE'S EVEN MORE AT NIGHT! I need to teach them a lesson.

I want to add something to my tank that eats them and Im looking for suggestions. Requirements are:

a) Needs to eat bristleworms and IS KNOWN TO ACTUALLY BE EFFECTIVE
b) Can't be territorial, but needs to be able to hold its own. No pansies
c) Isn't sort of ugly
d) Will one day get along with a Spotted Mandarin (I've always wanted one )

I've had some things reccommended to me before:

Sixline Wrasse - I actually bought one a few years ago despite having bad luck with wrasses in the past. This one seemed cute enough and I was told they eat bristleworm so I bought one and named it Ping. I had him for about 2 years and he never seemed interested in the bristleworms. I even tried the "well I wont feed you, and then you'll eat them approach" but after 4 days, I gave in and fed him anyway.

Basslet - These guys are cute and I've heard they eat bristleworms. Im worried about it not actually eating them though or being too territoral. My two damsels arn't "aggressive" but they do play a little rough and I think if a new fish entered their tank it would have to be good at finding a low key denlike area. Im not too worried about the Spotted Mandarin since I hear they typically have a hideout, but Basslets like to swim around. Has anyone had a basslet and knows if it would be able to claim a small area against my jerk damsels? Or what kind of basslet would be best?

Arrow Crab - I bet an arrow crab would be good at finding a denlike hole to hide but.... they kind of creep me out....

Blue Banded Coral Shrimp - These guys creep me out a little less and I think I could tolerate having one in my tank after I warmed up to it. Especially since it matches the blue on my two damsels (a Yellow tail and an Azure). I also think it would be a good hider and would like the corner area in my tank where my damsels don't usually go. But will it be too delicate?

I've heard of bristleworm traps or using pantyhose to catch them, but I think there's way too many for that. I would have to do like 20 of them to make a dent in the population. Plus, if I can get a cool inhabitant I havent had before, I'd like that


If any one knows of anything else, Im open to suggestions.

1. Well, if the sixline hasn't worked for you so far I wouldn't buy another.

2. As far as basslets, it seems like pseudochromis have good recommendations for eating bristleworms. A pseudochromis is pretty IMO, and it will hold its own against damsels. However, I've heard that they pick on inverts like small shrimp. The only basslet I've ever kept was a royal gramma. While they are typically listed as "peaceful", mine beat the crap out of my yellow watchman goby. I walked into my dorm one afternoon to find my goby limp against the filter with the royal gramma still ramming the poor creature. Needless to say that the royal gramma found a new home after that. (Believe it or not, the goby actually survived!) Anyway, my point is that it's hard to tell you what the temperament of the fish will be, because they can vary greatly. I think it's safe to say that any basslet would hold its own against damsels, but their compatibility with a mandarin may vary...

3. I agree with you. Arrow crabs creep me out!

4. A coral banded shrimp would probably be fine for the job.

However, as far as keeping mandarins go, I think that, regardless of what method you use to remove bristleworms, you are going to have a problem keeping a mandarin in the future with your damsels. The damsels will most likely bully a mandarin and will also outcompete him for food. Therefore, I wouldn't let the possibility of a mandarin in the future be the basis for your decision. If it were me, I'd probably try a pseudochromis, a coral banded shrimp, or the pantyhose. If you really do have a TON of bristleworms, the pantyhose trap is probably a good method to give a try even in conjunction with a new bristleworm-eating fish or invert.

Good luck, and keep us updated! Hopefully, some other members will jump in with some advice as well!!

Sam_G wrote:

The only basslet I've ever kept was a royal gramma. While they are typically listed as "peaceful", mine beat the crap out of my yellow watchman goby. I walked into my dorm one afternoon to find my goby limp against the filter with the royal gramma still ramming the poor creature. Needless to say that the royal gramma found a new home after that.


However, as far as keeping mandarins go, I think that, regardless of what method you use to remove bristleworms, you are going to have a problem keeping a mandarin in the future with your damsels. The damsels will most likely bully a mandarin and will also outcompete him for food. Therefore, I wouldn't let the possibility of a mandarin in the future be the basis for your decision. If it were me, I'd probably try a pseudochromis, a coral banded shrimp, or the pantyhose. If you really do have a TON of bristleworms, the pantyhose trap is probably a good method to give a try even in conjunction with a new bristleworm-eating fish or invert.

My friend must have bought your gramma after you returned it. She had one for a while and all it did was be mean. It killed 2 fish and a cleaner shrimp! She eventually had to trade it in.

Im hoping if the mandarin can find a safe cubby area until the damsels get used to him, he'll be ok. I dont think I'll have food issues since mandarins are known for eating critters around the tank (except bristleworms). While my damsels eat the occasional amphipod, they're more interested in the food I put in there. I had a Green Mandarin for 5 years in my old tank and he NEVER ate the food I put in there. Then I got hermit crabs, and the hermit crabs ate lots of the random critters, and my mandarin starved to death DESPITE me putting food in front of his den. I didnt realize it was the hermit crabs eating the critters until a week after he died Ecology, go figure.

Anyway, I tried this whole pantyhose thing because I was certain I had so many bristworms that the pantyhose thing may actually bring up a decent amount. But something I forgot about pantyhose.... is that it floats. And so does the fish food. I got a knee high and cut of the end so it was just the foot, and rubberbanded it shut. Rubberbands sink, but the pantyhose still over powered it. I even tried weighing it down with some rocks in my tank, but I think my damsels investigated it and nudged it loose. I found it on my intake in the morning. How on earth is this suppose to work?

Yeah, that royal gramma was a butthead. He was beautiful, though...

As for the mandarin, I'm glad that you kept one before and know what you're doing. 5 years is a pretty long time to keep one. Congrats!

Hmmm... I would try to weigh it down again with rock rubble or something. I hadn't thought about the pantyhose floating... I know that this has worked for people, though, so I think as long as you find something to weigh it down where your damsels can't pry it loose, you'll be good to go!

After watching one of my worms shoot broadcast reproduction whatever all over the place (right in front of me, Im sure just to annoy me) my doomed feeling of never getting the population under control has brought me back here.

The panty hose thing still isn't working. I've caught maybe 4 each time I've done it, and mostly because they were trying to hide under it. None of them get "caught" in it. Do I have the wrong kind of pantyhose???

I've looked into Coral banded shrimp, but Im afraid one might not get along with my (already semi-aggressive) emerald crab.

A guy at MW suggested a neon basslet. He said they can be aggressive though, and I dont need anyone picking fights in my tank, because my damsels would be sure to defend. I'd prefer a sunset basslet but I cant seem to find much on how common they are in stores or many personal experiences with them. They're gorgeous though.

Someone else suggested a dip treatment in Coral Rx. It's supposedly safe on coral (hence the name) and is used to get rid of worms and other nuissence things. Has anyone had success with this? Used it at all? Heard of it? It seems like a really good option to me, I just don't know much about it.

I've heard of Coral Rx, but never used it. You could probably dip your coral/LR in an iodine dip (like Lugol's) and the worms would come out.

I've kept basslets for a while and never had a problem with them being aggressive.

although I don't think they would pick at bristleworms.. their mouth just isn't shaped right. Mine usually get a big piece of food, disapear and chew. They're just not the picking type..

Arrow crabs are supposed to work well.. I used to have one of those. They look weird but kinda cool

mangoman wrote:

although I don't think they would pick at bristleworms.. their mouth just isn't shaped right. Mine usually get a big piece of food, disapear and chew. They're just not the picking type..

+1 on that.

What about another type of wrasse, like a yellow coris or similar?

Also, they come out at night. Get a red flashlight, and a length of hose (the type used for a water change). Drop some sinking pellet food into the tank and when they are out, siphon them out into a bucket. You can either do a water change then, or let them collect in the bottom of the bucket, remove them, then dump the rest of the water back into the tank.

If a worm has at least 50% of it's body out of a rock, they shouldn't be able to swim away from the hose fast enough to escape.

Thanks for the input on basslets. I think Im going to give up one the "natural predator" aspect and just try to remove them myself. I'll look more into dips and until I actually get something, continue attempting manual removal. I'll definitely try the suction thing, Im just worried they're too big/strong/quick or maybe Im just too slow, lol