Bristleworm Infestation

[Kernlodge]

I have a 200 gallon tank that has been up for over 20 years. For the past year everything I put into it, except fish, dies. Finally yesterday we looked for possible Bristleworms at night. We were shocked. There were, no kidding, thousands. We have ordered a trap, but does anyone have any suggestions????

[dobejazz]

Welcome to TRT

What are some specs on your system? Lighting filtration ect

Bristle worms are mostly harmless and good additions to you clean up crew

A serious overpopulation is usually a sign of excess nutrient in the tank

[JY13131]

OOOOOh!
We want pics

[hng]

Welcome to TRT!

Most people no longer consider bristleworms to be a pest or danger to corals. Do you have lots of fish and feed a lot and often? The worm population is usually proportional to how much food and waste is present in a system. Food and waste translate to high phosphate and nitate levels which make it hard for corals to survive. I think the worms are a symptom of your underlying problem.

[trek2]

These guys eat garbage so to have an infestation that bad you must be supplying an ample supply of garbage. You should look at what you are feeding your fish, how much, and how often.

I think these guys live in all tanks that have live rock and substrate but too much of anything is a problem.

I’ve had disappointing results with the traps. I would recommend you get a Coral Banded Shrimp and a Bicolor Pseudochromis. They love to hunt and eat Bristle worms. You should also have a good population of Hermit Crabs and other critters that eat excess food and waste matter.

[Kernlodge]

I have two 400watt metal halide 4000K bulbs and two five foot HO 50/50 actinic/daylight florescent tubes. I feed my 7in HogFish Wrasse, three Yellow Tangs, 1 Queen Angel, 1 Long Nose Butterfly, 1 Tomatoe Clown and 1 Maroon Clown -- daily with freeze dried krill and Tetramin Tropical Marine Flakes.

[dobejazz]

What kind of corals or otehr inverts are you adding that aren't making it?

Is the Queen Angel reef safe?

[chrischris]

no the queen angel and long nose butterfly fish arent reef safe
do you feed them in little incraments? or in one big chunk?

[Kernlodge]

I recently put in 2 long tentical anemones and both died after four days. As one of the anemones was pulling his foot up out of the substrate, fifteen bristleworms were following the foots retreat. (The foot was next to the glass.) We have put in several corals, and all but the mushroom coral, have slowly died.

[hng]

Do you have a sandbed and has it ever been changed?

[Kernlodge]

I have a crushed coral sand bed. Two inches of dead water/crushed coral anorbic bacterial zone, two inches more of crushed coral in an arobic zone, separated by a mesh lining, and then two hundred pounds of live rock on top of all that.

[Kernlodge]

And is has never been changed since we set it up. Approx eight years ago.

[CSUTTLE]

Originally Posted by Kernlodge

I have a 200 gallon tank that has been up for over 20 years. For the past year everything I put into it, except fish, dies. Finally yesterday we looked for possible Bristleworms at night. We were shocked. There were, no kidding, thousands. We have ordered a trap, but does anyone have any suggestions????

Add a clean bear bottle with a panty hose inside of it, use a rubber band to ensure the hose won't come out, place some of the food you use to feed your fish inside and check the bottle every few days. The bristleworms will go after the food and get trapped in the panty hose. Also, Arrow crabs are great for controlling bristleworms

[CSUTTLE]

Originally Posted by Kernlodge

I have a 200 gallon tank that has been up for over 20 years. For the past year everything I put into it, except fish, dies. Finally yesterday we looked for possible Bristleworms at night. We were shocked. There were, no kidding, thousands. We have ordered a trap, but does anyone have any suggestions????

[Loverotties]

Sounds like it's your sand bed.What's your water paremeters?