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what is it? It is 6 inches long and moves slowly


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Hi..

I am in frist week of cycling my 3 feet tank and today while doing my tests I saw this thing crawling from one hole to the other. Guess it hitched a ride on live rock. It seems around 6 inches long. Questions:

1) What is it and what's its purpose?

2) Is it gonna be harmful to my corals and fish when i add them?

I really hope i dont have to remove it cuz it'd be impossble to find it. Guess it helped me kickstart ammonia cycle lol.

Fawad.

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  On 4/27/2010 at 12:51 PM, creed2100 said:

Hi..

I am in frist week of cycling my 3 feet tank and today while doing my tests I saw this thing crawling from one hole to the other. Guess it hitched a ride on live rock. It seems around 6 inches long. Questions:

1) What is it and what's its purpose?

2) Is it gonna be harmful to my corals and fish when i add them?

I really hope i dont have to remove it cuz it'd be impossble to find it. Guess it helped me kickstart ammonia cycle lol.

Fawad.

That's a bristleworm. Some same pest some say harmless. To play it safe, remove.

Good scavengers. Eats detritus and leftover food.

post-1182-0-60431600-1322062247_thumb.jppost-2241-0-43391700-1354511230.png

"Be formless... shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend..." - Lei Siu Lung (Bruce Lee)

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  On 4/27/2010 at 1:31 PM, iskay said:

That's a bristleworm. Some same pest some say harmless. To play it safe, remove.

Good scavengers. Eats detritus and leftover food.

Hey.. Thanks alot. Hmm but it is kinna difficult find it and then catch it. Hopefully high levels in ammonia and Nitrites will kill it lol

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  On 4/27/2010 at 1:50 PM, creed2100 said:

Hey.. Thanks alot. Hmm but it is kinna difficult find it and then catch it. Hopefully high levels in ammonia and Nitrites will kill it lol

High chance it'll survive the cycle. Many ways to rid of them. One effective way is to leave the liverocks out of the water for 15 minutes or more. Critters inside the rock will crawl out searching for water. Remember to to keep the rock moist by spraying tank water on them else the beneficial bacteria also dies off.

I've successfully use food as bait and tweezers to pick them off while they munch on the bait. Beware, their bristles will cause swelling and itching on contact with skin.

post-1182-0-60431600-1322062247_thumb.jppost-2241-0-43391700-1354511230.png

"Be formless... shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend..." - Lei Siu Lung (Bruce Lee)

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  On 4/27/2010 at 2:04 PM, iskay said:

High chance it'll survive the cycle. Many ways to rid of them. One effective way is to leave the liverocks out of the water for 15 minutes or more. Critters inside the rock will crawl out searching for water. Remember to to keep the rock moist by spraying tank water on them else the beneficial bacteria also dies off.

I've successfully use food as bait and tweezers to pick them off while they munch on the bait. Beware, their bristles will cause swelling and itching on contact with skin.

Ah ok. I was reading online and there r mixed reviews. You were rite, some say it is good and some say very bad. Hmmm guess i'll keep it for a while and see if it causes any trouble.

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If small they are good.. But if they get too large, it is a problem for small fishes esp when the fish is sick and resting.. They will leave bristles on the LRs too... So it is a problem if you use barehand to move your LR..

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I personally believe they are okay as long as they don't get too large (aesthetically unpleasing) and your skin don't get in contact with them (pain and swelling). I have quite a few in my tank. No problems even with very small fishes like the spikefin goby.

post-1182-0-60431600-1322062247_thumb.jppost-2241-0-43391700-1354511230.png

"Be formless... shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend..." - Lei Siu Lung (Bruce Lee)

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Bro, what I usually do is to remove only if I see them, nothing to do with it being a pest... just find them disgusting haha. Otherwise, out of sight; out of mind, I'll leave them alone to be part of the natural bio system. They will mostly burrow in the sand or under live rocks, scavenging for detritus and left over food.

My 1.5ft nano cube

My 24G nano tank (Decommed)

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate.

And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.

-- Jack Handey

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take note it'll grow very quickly..

dont be surprise the next time u see it,

it could be 2 or 3 times its length, depending how "well fed" it is..

it'll only come out in the dark..

you'll never see it when the lights are on..

My Decomissioned 2ft Cube: (31st March 2011)

Carpe Diem~!!!

My Current 4ft X 2ft X 2ft:

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  On 4/27/2010 at 3:53 PM, kikobananas said:

take note it'll grow very quickly..

dont be surprise the next time u see it,

it could be 2 or 3 times its length, depending how "well fed" it is..

it'll only come out in the dark..

you'll never see it when the lights are on..

Mine are well-trained. Come out for food during night feedings with the lights on. LOL

post-1182-0-60431600-1322062247_thumb.jppost-2241-0-43391700-1354511230.png

"Be formless... shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend..." - Lei Siu Lung (Bruce Lee)

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  On 4/27/2010 at 3:53 PM, kikobananas said:

take note it'll grow very quickly..

dont be surprise the next time u see it,

it could be 2 or 3 times its length, depending how "well fed" it is..

it'll only come out in the dark..

you'll never see it when the lights are on..

ok thnx for all the advice. I'll juz monitor it if i can see it at all.

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