centipede looking thing

[sorelegsam]

i just cleaned out my tank today and saw this flat centipede looking worm its about 3 to 4 inches long when stretched. its a tan and white color i dont know if its a neusence or not... it is quite impressive any one know what this might be??

 

[haus]

Sounds like a bristleworm. Pictures would help.

 

[sorelegsam]

yep you were right bristle e worm. I googled it and its exactly that... that mught explain the missing hermit crabs!!!!

 

[Hara]

The hermit crabs would be safe from the bristleworms. They would dispose of them after death though.

 

[haus]

Do bristleworms cause problems if they get too big? I have a bunch of them in my tank that I can see at night. I have seen one that is about 3 inches long. It fell out of a rock when I moved some of them around.

 

[seafan]

Some of them do some of them don't, I think its probably a good idea to try to remove them. They have traps for them, and I have heard arrowhead crabs also work.

 

[kwan]

I removed one with a trap several months ago. It was about 12" long and giving my BTA some grief. Afterwards I introduced an arrow crab and I haven't seen anymore bristles since. I know there were a couple big ones in there, but they seems to have disappeared for good.

 

[seafan]

Wow you make it sound so easy.

 

[quarryshark]

Some of them do some of them don't, I think its probably a good idea to try to remove them.

I disagree. I have bristleworms that measure 8"+ and they bother no one.
In fact they come out at feeding time with the rest of the animals.
Great part of the cleanup crew and when they are small, super sand stirrers.

 

[Tito2491]

I would leave it , they are cool little critters that help clean , but if it gets too big you should probably give it to somebody that wants it