[Chikenb0ne]

My tank has been overcome by red and black bristle worms. I'm not sure how to handle it so I took all my live rock out and set it outside to dry out and kill all the worms. I lost 3 fish prior to this. I mean completely gone as in no remains left!!! Something is killing them. I am putting the live rock back in my tank and wanted to know if anyone had any pointers on how to keep the bristle worms from coming back or does anyone know what else could be living in my rocks!!

I have a 55 gal tank and currently only have a yellow tang, tomato clown, 6 striped Wrasse, arrowhead crab and a hermit crab... we lost 2 pseudochromis a lawnmower blenny and all of our other little crabs...

Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreicated!!!

[blind1993]

a mantis shrimp could be doing the killing.

six line wrasses will eat them.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

The tank is going to cycle again.And for all the things bristle worms are accused of attacking live fish isnt one of them.

[lynnvangsnes]

Generally speaking, bristleworms are actually beneficial to your tank. Even the fireworms (shudder!) are supposedly ok as long as they don't get to be 15" long and brush up against your corals and fish. I suspect something else is killing your livestock.

[dinor2]

Does anyone have a pic of a bristle worm? I think that's what I saw briefly but trying to figure that out still!

Also, I do have a manits shrimp that I have tried 4 times to catch but without success; but would it be too soon to add a 6line to my almost 6week old tank? All water parameters are good, just waiting to buy more lr which I will cycle in a big rubbermaid so it won't have to recycle in my tank since it's been doing so well lately.

Any suggestions for this?

Thanks,
Dana

[siredmund]

The mantis shrimp needs to come out! They are nasty buggers, I would try the tasty frozen treat at the end of a soda bottle trick...I have seen bristle worms everywhere, they are not bad until you touch one I just saw one about the length and width of a drum stick at the Seattle Aquarium in a tank with several large Cuttlefish.

But Mantis shrimp are insane I saw a great show on them years ago and never thought that they would end up in a tank until I started in on my tank and discovered they are a lot more common. Here is some interesting info on Mantis Shrimp

Mantis Shrimp Mantis Shrimp

And this one talks about them and other nasty predators Predators

Good Luck,
Evan