Best method to control bristle worms
 

Don't want to get rid of them altogether, they are a natural part of the clean up crew, but I do want to reduce the population without enticing them to eat my polyps, etc.

Someone posted "other fish"....can you post what type of fish you are referring to? Thanks!:biggrin:

The population is only as big as it's food supply. Clean the tank of detritus and food bits, they'll decrease on their own.
And bristleworms don't eat polyps.

I'm using a strawberry dottyback to eat the worms now. In the past, I had a nano containing dozens of bristle worms in the rocks. After putting the strawberry dottyback in there for a month, it appeared that every single bristle worm was gone.

Now, I've added a strawberry dottyback in my main tank to take out the bristleworms in there. My orange ricordia and my zoos last year were dissappearing each night. At night, I'd see why the polyps were disappearing. The bristleworms were eating them because I had cut back on feeding food to the tank and they were hungry. Cutting back on food did not make a dent in the populatation at all after a year. So now, I've resorted to using the fish. However note that the dottyback may eat all of the pods as well so if you want pods in your main tank, then don't use this method.

I had a coral banded shrimp in my red sea max, and I would check out the tank in the morning and my CB would have a bristle worm behind the rockwork all wrapped up and twisted in his big claws and he would be having a big old bristle worm breakfast. Kinda gross to see, but kinda cool too. He definitely kept them under control.

But if they don't have anything else to eat, won't they naturally start going after the next easiest prey in my tank? Whether that is polyps, rics, mushrooms whatever???

I am weary on due to the different experiences of others. See the post directly after yours :cry::cry::cry:

Bristleworms are a great part of cuc. you can never get rid of all of them. control is by food and good maintenance. any polyps they may be eating are ones that are dying anyways. they won't eat healthy corals unless you have some predatory kind but the chances of that are small.

Jason

I agree for sure they are a natural and great part of the clean up crew. I just want to keep them in check. I have reduced feeding (about 3 months ago)and I also run an FX5 on my 34g RSM but I haven't noticed a reduction in the population. I should mention that I also blast my rock with a turkey baster to try and keep the detritus to a minimum, plus my corals love the "reef snow"....

Yeah, I've heard they are really good, but I am concerned it would eat my peppermint shrimp:wink:

My corals were pretty healthy when they were being devoured. The orange Ricordia (in the center bottom) had been splitting for a year and were always expanded during the day. Then they just started disappearing and it was clear that the mushrooms were being eaten. Even with pieces of the polyp missing, they would expand during the day. It was clear that the corals were healthy but just eaten. After the orange Ricordia were gone, the zoas in the area started to disappear as well. When I look in the tank at night, I can see bristleworms eating them. One minute, the polyp is there, the next, it is gone. To me, it is clear that they are eating healthy corals.

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