Worm Trap

[Purevil21]

I know, I know, bristle worms are good for my tank. But they are grossing my wife out and she wants them gone, I just saw one that was easily 6 inches long. I plan on buying a flame hawk, I have heard they will eat smaller ones, but I wouldn't imagine it can eat one that large. How do you make a trap for these worms? Can larger worms tamper with fish? I do have a midas blenny that sleeps on the sand next to the rock that is infested with worms.

 

[Purevil21]

I have found 9 worms so far tonight, two are over 5 inches long, the rest are smaller.

 

[XxVooDooxX]

Cut the top off, bait the trap, tape it shut and let the worm go in!

Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium

 

[Purevil21]

What would keep my fish from eating the bait though? Should I just put something too large for them to eat, like a shrimp?

 

[XxVooDooxX]

Yeah I would. Or a silverside

Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium

 

[PrettyFishies]

How is that a trap with such a large opening or is the premise to grab what's sticking out?

I would think my hermits would get in there and maybe my nassarius

 

[XxVooDooxX]

When the top of the bottle is turned inside out and placed back into the bottle. The whole isn't big at all, same idea as a lobster trap. I could be completely wrong
As far as the crabs and such, I'm not sure just hope that the worm goes in too and pull it out?

Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium

 

[PrettyFishies]

And the first guest is.... A nassarius.

The hermit can't crawl up. He must be po

 

[BallinCrew10]

I've tried that style trap and it works great if your hunting snails. What you might want to try is a bit of pvc pipe (might have to be quite long with a worm that size) with saran wrap on one end held on with a rubber band. Put the silverside all the way in by the saran wrap and put that infront of their favorite hide out. When it goes in for the fish lift up on the open end and you've got him. I've used this for removing a fish and it works amazingly well, they can't figure out...swimming up=freedom lol. Good luck

 

[joy13]

Purevil tell your wife they are rare one armed star fish. Either that name the worm some cute little name and then say it has a name you expect me to kill it?

I actually take mine out of one tank and put in another where I have a golden coral banded shrimp. I actually use a tweezers to hold the food in the tank and get them that way once they come out to get the food I let them have it and gently take them out with the tweezers. I don't suggest getting a shrimp to eat them because they cause more problems than they are worth.

My filament wrasse sleeps in the sand so if a worm was going to eat him they could. The only thing I have seen my bristle worms go after was already dead.

 

[Purevil21]

Lol, yeah I had bad luck with my old cbs, he was mean! No such luck with naming them, we have moonlights, so she sees them out and wants them gone because they are "disgusting" haha

 

[joy13]

My CBS eats the bristle worms like crazy I still think he had something to do with most of my snail empty shells around his cave too. I don't know how long they live but if I get another with a used tank he is going to the LFS on the way home.

 

[Purevil21]

My cbs went after fish! I saw him ambushing my clownfish, he couldn't catch them but he tried. I nearly killed him trying to catch him, but he went back to the lfs, never again.