Food for Thought: QT, QT, QT, Dip, Dip, Dip

[Flame Angel]

Gee, just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.

I started a QT back in January when we had the bit meeting up in Newburyport. The one everyone went home with frags of different corals and learned to frag, dip etc.

So much for all the precautions. I do not feel these were generated from the corals as I dipped everything and nothing came out of the ones I dipped.

I feel that these came out of a piece of live rock that I purchased and put into the QT (of course, why would you dip live rock) This is why not eveyone uses live rock in their DT. There were at least a 1/2 dozen of other forms of life that came with the live rock.

Two bristle starfish-1 week, a few pineapple sponges-2 months, some tiny tube worms2.5-3 months, apstasia-2 weeks and now some bristle worms-5-5.5 months.

Look at it this way. One of the first things you always read is... "How did this get into my tank".

Well it took at least six months before I even notices these fellas in a 20g that I had made into a QT.

Now imagine if I found these in a 180g... it would have taken quite some time and the damage they could have done.

Bristle worms

View attachment 78786

 

[cstmpprl]

????? Bristle worms are GOOD...

 

[Turbosnail]

+1 bristle worms eat detritus and other left over food and stuff stuck in your rocks.

 

[PSU4ME]

I don't think bristle worms are bad.......if you have a bunch of detritus then they will multiply, if your tank is clean you'll only keep a few. Just like anything else, you limit the food source and you limit the population.

 

[aiaman]

You need a wrasse to eat them, dwarf lobsters eat anything they find as well . I don't believe I have any anymore as I have both

 

[JohnK]

I can't imagine a reef tank without birstle worms. That would be like a garden without earth worms.

 

[cstmpprl]

This needs a LIKE button.

I can't imagine a reef tank without birstle worms. That would be like a garden without earth worms.

 

[sumant19]

Speaking about bristle worms, are the bigger ones really good? I had couple of big bristle worms (4"-6" maybe) in my aquarium. I do not overfeed but I am worried that they might have eaten some snails because of shortage of food. Found some empty snail shells just the other day.

 

[cstmpprl]

Now this is BIG.
http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

 

[JohnK]

Speaking about bristle worms, are the bigger ones really good? I had couple of big bristle worms (4"-6" maybe) in my aquarium. I do not overfeed but I am worried that they might have eaten some snails because of shortage of food. Found some empty snail shells just the other day.

Generally they only go after dead stuff, but my rule is if a bristle gets big enough that it creeps me out I'll remove it

 

[Flame Angel]

Gee, that is funny. One of the first things I read said that they were not good. But everyone here is saying the opposite. Maybe it is the type of bristle worm? I will need to do some more reading instead of going with the first thing I see. Sort of looks like a two edged sword.

http://www.thereeftank.com/blog/what-to-do-with-bristle-worms/

Must be this one that is creeping John out.

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

 

[JohnK]

Yet another well meaning attempt to educate about bristle worms that totally obscures the fact that fireworms are very rare in the hobby, and describes them in a way that makes people think that every bristle worm is a predtory fireworm. It's kind of like an article about skin cancer that then describes the appearance of freckles.

 

[cstmpprl]

What!!! Freckles are skin cancer. JK My seahorse tank was loaded with Bristle worms, I hate them , but I did leave most of them in the tank. When they would get to numerous, I would put the handy dandy bristle worm trap in the tank and get rid of a few. Few like 10 plus some days. I would get a couple out that were 10+ inches. If you want to make your own, get a piece of PVC, cap both ends, drill a bunch of different size holes, put a wire tie through a hole from the inside (used to put it in and out of tank) Add a food, and drop into the tank at night. The next morning take it out and see what you have.