Bristle Worms

[Margi]

I have bristle worms in my tank - some say they are bad - some say they are good - some say "who cares" - I don't know what to think.

They do help clean up the extra food (it is a seahorse tank, so I overfeed) - and they are kind of neat looking - BUT - I figure if I see several big fat worms, there must be MANY more.

Anyway - I wanted to open a discussion on others opinions about these creatures - AND if you feel they are bad, the best way to rid your tank of them (I have tried traps - no success as of yet).

Thanks,

Margi

[casper75]

Get it out of your tank my wife had a seahorse tank and the worm ended up killing her seahorses

[Margi]

Really - killed them - now that will get my attention quickly. How did it kill them?

Margi

[Rick O]

I can't speak specifically for seahorses but in general bristle worms are good for a tank. As you have already seen they will keep the tank clean. I suppose if you had one of the monster ones we've seen pics of they could be a threat to seahorses but the typical small ones that are so common are no harm

[Ray1214]

I had small ones in my tank with dwarf seahorses. I don't think they attacked them in any way, but I used one of those small green bristleworm traps to keep their numbers low. I don't think you can truly get rid of them, just control them.

They are beneficial to a sandbed and clean up detirius. However they give me the willies and I don't like them.

Are they in a big seahorse tank or dwarf? I had a orchid dottyback clean out the ones in my main tank. My wife had a Arabian dottyback do the same. But the Arabians seem to be a bit too temperamental for seahorses but the smaller orchids or those neon ones (blue) may do okay. If it is a dwarf tank, then I would not use any fish, just a bristle worm trap. They are about 6 bucks in any lfs. But instead of the freeze dried stuff they give you for bait, use frozen krill, frozen mysis, or the like. Don't be surprised at all the little brittle stars you catch as well.

Ray