Bristleworms (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

I have a 24g nano and have had bristleworms from the start. I hear they are part of cleanup but my LFS says they may not be as beneficial as I think and I should get them out. What do you guys think? I know I have 3 adults about 7 inches at their longest and about 3 babies 3 inches each. They are brownish gray with bristles and a little iridescent. Kinda unsightly though.

What do you guys do and how? Hook-outs? Hemostats?

Any input is appreciated.

 

[breiter3]

Personally I would yank the big ones out of there and stick with the little ones. The larger bristleworms will attack smaller fish if there isn't enough food in the tank, and you don't exactly want to be feeding the little boogers.
I have them in my tank and they don't really bother anything, but I still pull out the big ones when I find them just as a precaution. If you end up with a ton of them in your tank it's probably a sign that you are feeding too much and you should cut back. They tend to regulate their population based on how many leftovers are available.
Other than that, enjoy the free clean-up crew.

 

[AquaNerd]

i have this monster, and a bunch more, in my refugium. i purposefully put them in there. they do a great job eating poop and uneaten food. and no matter how many you take out, there will always be more.