How To Get Rid Of Bristle Worms In Your Aquarium?

If you have ever wondered about what an aquatic centipede looks like, look no further. Bristle worms are the answer.

This ugly-looking underwater creature is from the polychaete family. Warm-toned colors like red, orange, and yellow makeup most of their outer-body design.

These segmented worms are called bristle worms because the bristly tufts sprout from each segment. They can grow between one and six inches long and up to 24 inches long. They are nocturnal; hence they spend most of their time in the dark.

They can be found in saltwater aquariums, and people have mixed opinions. For some, they are good. For others, they are bad. Some people think they are good because they eat the remnants of food left behind by fish and thus help clean the aquarium. Others consider being pests that should be kept away.

There are about 10,000 species of the worm. Many of them live in aquariums. It is amusing how their sizes are hard to ascertain.

Sometimes, they may extend. At other times, they shrink. This gives them the ability to enter even the smallest of holes. How do they enter your aquarium? They enter the aquarium mainly when new natural decorations are added to the aquarium. Wood and rocks that are not thermally treated are their means of entry. Having a few of these worms in your tank is not bad. They clean up the aquarium.

It only gets bad when their population increases greatly. Bristle worms reproduce rapidly in areas that have good food sources.

Functions of Good Bristle Worms

Not all bristle worms are harmful to fishes in an aquarium. In fact, most of the species of bristle worms are harmless. They eat detritivores and live off leftover food, trash, and dead animals.

In this way, they are helpful to the aquarium as they clear away debris that could decompose and release ammonia into the surroundings. This can lead to the death of many fishes.

Bristle worms help in avoiding that. They are efficient tank cleaners in this regard. Bristle worms don’t kill fishes but may consume the dead body as they eat detritus.

Benefits of Bristle Worms

Although bristle worms are unattractive, the vast majority of them are suitable for any aquarium. If they are not the harmful kind, of course. By eating organic debris in the tank that would otherwise decompose and generate ammonia, the worms reduce the stress placed on the aquarium’s biological filter, which is responsible for processing the waste created.

Bristle worms are scavengers, and when they are housed in a saltwater tank environment, they consume uneaten food, trash, and carrion. Some people believe that a bristle worm has eaten a fish body in their aquarium and that the bristle worm is responsible for the death of the fish, but that may not be the case.

However, this rule does not apply to the stinging bristle worms, such as fireworms, which are exceptions to the expected behaviors of bristle worms.
In some cases, fireworms have been recorded attacking healthy fish (usually undersized) at night when sleeping in a crack or crevice in live rock.

Are there bad bristle worms?

Of the vast majority of bristle worms in existence, only a few of them are bad. Unlike other bristle worms, they don’t clean the tanks. Rather they attack the fish.

These worms are equipped with stings. They are called the Fire worms. Not all Fire worms are also harmful. However, the bearded worm is the most harmful of them.

They have more distinctive bristles. They are reddish in color. If you ever should need to get rid of a bristle worm, you should look for that reddish worm with distinctive bristles and stings. Bearded bristle worms are special worm that feeds on corals, crustaceans, and especially anemones in aquariums. They pose a significant threat to the aquarium’s residents.

How to stop bristle worms from multiplying?

Bristle Worms only reproduce in habitats that have a surplus food supply. Hence to reduce the reproductive ability of bristle worms, reduce the amount of food you give your fish.

This will lead to a reduction in the quantity of food leftover for the worms to feed on. Also, taking an intentional attitude to keep your aquarium clean can also reduce their presence and reproduction rates as they don’t like clean environments.

They rather like to be the ones cleaning the environment. Fire Worms produce more rapidly than other bristle Worms. Hence, this will be a great way of reducing their presence before taking other drastic steps.

How to get rid of bristle worms?

To get rid of bristle worms, there are several ways of going about it.

Introduce a natural predator into the aquarium

What can eat bristle worms? Many species can reduce the population of bristle worms. The coral banded shrimp and pufferfish are good examples of fishes and water species that naturally prey on bristle worms.

However, care must be taken to ensure that whatever species is introduced into the aquarium does not also harm the fish. Hence, extensive knowledge of the predator’s diet is needed before it is introduced into the tank.

Trap Bristle worms

A bristle worm trap may be the best option for people who don’t have much space in their aquarium to introduce a natural predator.

A bristle worm trap is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. An improvised trap can be made with a plastic bottle, a small piece of bait like shrimp, and tiny holes in the side.

Tubes should be run into the bottle through the holes. This will be the entry area for the bristle worm. Then it will get trapped on the bait.

You may also dive in yourself.

For large infestations, this is not recommended. However, if the bristle worms are not many, you may dive in and pick them out with tweezers. However, tweezers can be difficult to access since they typically only expose a tiny section of their body. If the worm breaks into two or more pieces, remove both pieces. The headless part will regrow, making it a new worm!

So there you go!

Bristle worms are primarily beneficial. But when they are not, they must be taken out with caution to avoid causing additional harm to the fish.