A question for the learned.

[MarineDreamer]

On Tuesday, May 17th, 2005, I added a bottle of OceanPods to my refugium. All right! Here we go. Later that night I see a nice, fat, and very happy bristleworm who is apparently so content with the world that he didn’t even shy away from my mag light!

The whole purpose of the refugium is pump out ‘pods for the Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus) that I hope to get when the time (read: when the tank matures) is right.

But I can’t for the life of me recall or find if I need to worry about this bristleworm eating my ‘pods.

What do you guys think?

 

[mojoreef]

B worms are scavengers, so if its dead they own it, but they will not pass up an easy meal even if they have to capture it. I would pull him



MIke

 

[MarineDreamer]

That’s what I was afraid of.

Today I whipped out my copy of “The Reef Aquarium” and read up on the removal of said creature. But I’d like some additional input if you all don’t mind. First some basic information: the refugium has about two inches of sand and about ten to fifteen pounds of live rock. I put the rock in first and then added the sand. The rock that this thing is living in is one of the bottom pieces.

Options:
1) Manually remove the bristleworm. That would mean that I’d have to tempt him out into the open and try to catch him whole. Downsides would include tearing him in half and ending up with one smaller worm and/or where there’s one bristleworm, there are many. I could attempt to use a trap. But I have an inverted learning curve. The thing would have to be foolproof!
2) Chemically treat for the bristleworm. Chemicals scare me. I know that I’ve got some other bristleworms in the main display that I really don’t mind at all. So, could I drop the level of the sump down to the refugium and treat just the refugium. Or would it be a good idea just to do the whole tootin’ thing? I could also pull just that rock and treat it alone. But then we’re back maybe missing other worms in the refugium that I haven’t seen.
3) The Biologic option. I don’t think that this is much of an option as the whole purpose of the refugium is to make as many ‘pods as possible. And can’t think of anything that would not be a headache for me later down the road.

So, give me your options and your arguments, (either for or against) please!!!

 

[bc_slc]

manually remove with a trap in a fuge.

Even if you chemically treat just the fuge, the water will eventually be turned back on and cycle into the display. The alternative would be to remove a bunch of the water from the fuge after treatment - but I am with you...treating with chemicals is scary.

 

[mojoreef]

ah its no biggie. Just get a coke bottle and cut it in half, keep the bottom half. stick a small peice of shrimp in the bottom of the bottle, then go get one of your Nylon stockings, lol. cut a peice of it and stuff it into the bottle. then just leave the bottle lieing on its side near the rock. The worms will crawl in thier to get to the shrimp and their bristles will get caught up in the nylons. The just dump them in the main tank.


Mike

 

[MarineDreamer]

then go get one of your Nylon stockings, lol. cut a peice of it and stuff it into the bottle.

Mike

LOL; I’ve got to cut up a pair of my knickers!!! Too bad I’ve already gotten rid of them from my good ‘ol Army days. (For those of you un-educated folk, if you wear knee-high stockings under combat boot socks before you hump (Army slang for walking anywhere, anytime, with a large load on your shoulders.) it’ll prevent blisters.)

I'll go steal one of my wife's!!!

Thanks again, Mike!!!

 

[MarineDreamer]

O.K. Here we go! Got the ‘trap’ set-up and in the refugium. Here are some pictures of the process…..

 

[Jiddy]

I dont know MarineDreamer, ive done alot of humpin and never wore any nylons? LoL

 

[MarineDreamer]

I dont know MarineDreamer, ive done alot of humpin and never wore any nylons? LoL

But you didn't tell us if you got any blisters or not... Remember what they say: Pride goes before the fall....

And now for the sad news: My wife believes that tank belongs to her! I got up this morning and checked my trap, and sadly there was no bristleworm in there. -Sigh- 'Could Mikey be leading me down the path of darkness and evil?' I asked myself. Keeping the faith, I went to work leaving the trap in place. Around 3ish or so, I get a text message from my wife saying that the bristleworm was in the trap going for the shrimp. A follow up text told me that I was not to worry, that the worm was in the display tank; and that the snails all loved the piece of shrimp! Hold the phone! Whose tank is this? Anyhoo, the bristleworm is now happily in the main tank and all is well.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions!

 

[carsonc]

I must be old, I was wondering how he was going to cut the glass coke bottle
Carson

 

[mojoreef]

big plastic coke bottle

mike