ReefDiver Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 I have a rock that was loaded with green/blue zoo's. Recently I've noticed the polyps missing and laying below the live rock on the sand. Two nights ago at about 3:00 am I got up and looked in the aquarium, the rock was covered with bristleworms. I also noticed a small brittle starfish that lives in a hole on the rock that zoos are on. I'm going to start pulling the bristle worms out of the aquarium when I find them on the rock. The zoo's have been in the aquarium for about 3 months and have been fine until just recently. I'll post before and after pics when I get home. If I stay up late tonight, I'll get a pic of the rock with all the worms on it. RD Link to comment
artc Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Yeah!!! I noticed my zoos are not opening up as often. One nigh I saw few bristleworms surrounding the zoo patch. When I tried to pull it out, it was pulling the zoo patch (small patch) with it... How do you get rid of those worms? Are those harmful to the zoos? Art Link to comment
birdman204 Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Most 'bristleworms' are cleanup. They aren't eating the zoas unless they are dying. There are exceptions, but usually only larger worms eat zoas. Check for crabs if polyps are being ripped off. Link to comment
ReefDiver Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 I don't recall reading anywhere that bristleworms were harmful to zoo's and I've had zoo's in my tank for 4 months now and I've never had any problems "until now". I'm pretty sure the bristleworms are causing my problem. I've been collecting the loose zoos and I've been gluing them to another rock. Some to the bristleworms are big about 7 or 8 inches long. Link to comment
Scribe53 Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Bristleworms will almost never bother corals unless the coral is dead or dying. If your bristleworms are becoming a problem you may want to add a shrimp to keep there population in check. If you have to many bristleworms and some are just getting to big, you could try a bristleworm trap. Personally, I've got some b worms in my tank that are a good 6 inchs or so long, and they never eat any corals. I have seen them on rocks with zoo's but the seem to always be working between the polyps. Once the worm is gone, I've never noticed signs of damage. The only inverts that have ever showed intest in eating my zoo's are an Emerald Crab that wiped out about three colonies, and nudibranchs. Link to comment
Scribe53 Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Am I mistaken, aren't bumble bee snails notorious for eating zoo's or is that a different kind of snail. Link to comment
ReefDiver Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 Bumblebee snails graze on algae and detritous, mine have never shown any interest in the zoo's. It could be that the bristleworms are rooting around and knocking the polyps off the rock. I'm seeing little clumps of zoo polyps all over my sand. They fully open when the lights are on. I've been gathering them up and ive been reataching them to another rock. What kind of shrimp is good at bristleworm control? I currently have a peppermint shrimp. All he ever does is hang upside down and sway in one of the caves. I've seem it do some scavaging around my shrooms. Link to comment
balla816 Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 coral banded does great in my tank..i havent seen any in my tank that got as big as 6 inches but then again i have had the coral banded for a month and i havent seen one since then.... Link to comment
ReefDiver Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 I read on liveaquaria.com that Coral Banded shrimp will rip apart corals and anenome's seeking undigested food:*( Link to comment
StephG Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Not 100% sure but aren't pepermint shrimps notorious coral eaters? Just my 2 cents. Link to comment
phergus_25 Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 i think they get sold as pepermint shrimp but they are really camel shrimp i aws looking for info on them once and that's what i found. Link to comment
ReefDiver Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 My Peppermint shrimp just seems to hang upside down in one of the caves, it never even ventures to the side of the aquarium where all my zoos are. I went to my favorite LFS and told them about my dilemna. They told me that the bristle worms will bite of the base of the polyps, hence all the loose polyps floating around on the sand. Josh the mgr suggested that I get an arrow crab. So I picked one up and he's in the tank. Hanging out on my affected zoo rock, he told me that the arrow crabs are good at combatting bristle worm infestations. I guess I'll find out tonight. On a side note, my wife hates spiders and the arrow crab freaked her out. Link to comment
jferebee Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I stumbled on a great way to rid my tank of bristleworms. I took a wooden Shiskabob stick. You know the thing you cook with that has a pointed end. Anyway I stuck a small piece of shrimp on the pointy end and stuck that end just into the sand and turn the tank lights off. The worms come right out to get the shrimp and they wrap themselves around the stick. I pull it out and presto one less worm. I've tried the trap and they go in and then come out so you have to get up in the night and check it all the time. Also the Arrow Crab I have will get the very small worms but leaves the bigger ones along. I have been pulling a couple of big ones out each evening. I have never noticed them eating any Zoo's but no since taking a chance. Some reefers don't mind them because they do eat waste but I just don't like the looks of them crawling around in there so I hunt them down. Link to comment
bobbittle Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Bristleworms aren't your problem. An arrow crab certainly isn't going to help. Link to comment
Angel Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Originally posted by Scribe53 Am I mistaken, aren't bumble bee snails notorious for eating zoo's or is that a different kind of snail. Different kind, Heliacus sp. snail. Check here for more info on them: http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/main_page...s/faq_rock2.htm Peps are not notorious zoa eaters either. I have two that haven't bothered any with the exception of the yellow polyps and that was my error (look so much like aiptasia). Some have had problems with them but you cannot lump all of them in one category either. Link to comment
phergus_25 Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 arrow crabs are not reef safe, they will rip us soft corals i would take it back, look on livaquaria on the livestock page Link to comment
ReefDiver Posted October 13, 2004 Author Share Posted October 13, 2004 Originally posted by phergus_25 arrow crabs are not reef safe, they will rip us soft corals i would take it back, look on livaquaria on the livestock page The arrow's been in there a month and things are fine. It hasn't damaged my shroom's, rics, zoos or anything else. I've seen it munching on small-medium bristle worms at night, and he gets a flake of food several times a week. Link to comment
johnq Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 I believe as long as the arrow crab has a source of live beef(bristle worms) he probably wont mess with the prized beef (Zo0zS). My arrow crab pigs out on hair algea all day long, I thought they were carnivors. Link to comment
ReefDiver Posted October 28, 2004 Author Share Posted October 28, 2004 I found this link about zoo eating snails in the general discussion area. I had one of these snails living among my affected zoo's. http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/picture_p...q_heliacus.html Quote from Reefs.org There is a very strong chance that this is a Heliacus sp. snail (Order: Mesogastropoda, Family: Architectonicidae). They are a hitchhiker commonly found on colonies of zoanthid polyps. A distinguishing characteristic of this snail is that the "door" (operculum) that covers the animal when it retracts into its shell is cone shaped (as seen on the picture page). This snail is a nocturnal predator of zoanthid polyps and should be removed. When removing this snail, be sure to check for smaller ones nestled in between the polyps. Link to comment
RoOk_Reef Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 I never had bristleworms eat any of my zoos, but I have caught some pods eating them, I just added a moonlight and I haven't seen as many, bristleworms and pods don't like to be out in the light I guess. Link to comment
ReefDiver Posted October 28, 2004 Author Share Posted October 28, 2004 I just noticed that Angel posted info about the Heliacus snails previously. Link to comment
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