What's the best home made bristle worm trap?

[brandyrb]

I have a lot of lps in my 40 breeder and was regularly feeding cyclopeze, rotifers, mysis, etc. At least once a day and apparently the bristle worms loved the feedings because I have a ton of them. When the lights go out, they're everywhere.

Well the other night I noticed one of them climbing out of the mouth of an acan. The acan appears healthy, but I'm thinking that bristle worm must've dug its way through it somehow. I want to trap a bunch and reduce the population.

Home made trap recipes that work please...

 

[returnofsid]

A mesh net, similar to nylons, tied in a knot, around bait with nylon string tied to it. Tie the nylon mesh net around a piece of frozen prawn, or something similar. Toss it in your tank, with a long enough piece of nylon string that the string can hang out and over the tank. Toss the trap in at night and retrieve it in the morning. The Bristleworms will burrow through the mesh and snack on the prawn. They can get out though, but you'll still catch a large number of them.

 

[brandyrb]

Time to buy nylons. I never wear dresses.

 

[roscoe]

I've used a very large snail shell in the pass and just put in a nice chunk of shrimp in it. Leave in tank overnight and retrieve in the morning. Sometimes I would get 20-30 or more at a time. I use to have a bunch of them also. After a month of doing this the BW population almost disappeared. Once the population dwindled my mystery wrasse took care of the rest of them because now I havn't seen a bristle worm in my tank for over a year.

 

[Chichas01]

I have a lot of lps in my 40 breeder and was regularly feeding cyclopeze, rotifers, mysis, etc. At least once a day and apparently the bristle worms loved the feedings because I have a ton of them. When the lights go out, they're everywhere.

Well the other night I noticed one of them climbing out of the mouth of an acan. The acan appears healthy, but I'm thinking that bristle worm must've dug its way through it somehow. I want to trap a bunch and reduce the population.

Home made trap recipes that work please...

If you catch them, let me know. I would be happy take them off your hands.

 

[jake65]

I have some long tongs and just used to grab a few a nite after the lites went out. Gotta be kinda quick tho... I could usually get 5-6 a nite, doing that for a couple weeks and reducing the amount of food I put in helped alot I know the nylon trick works well too but just goin in there and grabbing them with the tongs is kinda fun:badgrin:

 

[brandyrb]

If you catch them, let me know. I would be happy take them off your hands.

Are you going to come all the way to Spokane for some bristle worms?

I have some long tongs and just used to grab a few a nite after the lites went out. Gotta be kinda quick tho... I could usually get 5-6 a nite, doing that for a couple weeks and reducing the amount of food I put in helped alot I know the nylon trick works well too but just goin in there and grabbing them with the tongs is kinda fun:badgrin:

There's so many I'm sure I could grabe quite a few. I have scissor like tweezers, no clue what this tool is called that I use to pull off algae and I could grabe at them with those, but I'd rather not pick them out by hand. I'm looking for the effortless methods that will trap them.

 

[MrSculpin]

I'm looking for the effortless methods that will trap them.

So did you find a good method? I have a couple of huge ones Id like gone!

 

[brandyrb]

I haven't done anything yet. I'll update as I try different methods though.

 

[brandyrb]

Well my first home made trap attempt is 16oz Dasani Water Bottle. I cut an x in the cap and pushed it in so the pointy corners are on the inside. I'll try it tonight, but will most likely use formula one for the bait unless I decide to go get some shrimp at the store or something.

I plan on filling the water bottle with tank water, putting the bait in and leaving the bottle on the sand floor overnight to see what happens.

 

[MrSculpin]

Well my first home made trap attempt is 16oz Dasani Water Bottle. I cut an x in the cap and pushed it in so the pointy corners are on the inside. I'll try it tonight, but will most likely use formula one for the bait unless I decide to go get some shrimp at the store or something.

I plan on filling the water bottle with tank water, putting the bait in and leaving the bottle on the sand floor overnight to see what happens.

Good luck! I tried a homemade trap with a piece of clear tubing about an inch inside diameter. Put netting on both ends with an X cut in one end, and the bait in the other. No luck with that, but I only tried it for nights.

 

[brandyrb]

Well my Dasani bottle trap didn't even catch one bristle worm. I'll update again when I purchase some nylons and shrimp.

 

[roscoe]

Well my Dasani bottle trap didn't even catch one bristle worm. I'll update again when I purchase some nylons and shrimp.

Did you try the large snail shell trick? I'm telling you it works great. They all climb into the shell and you can pick the shell up before they have a chance to get out.

 

[brandyrb]

I didn't. I don't have any large shells to put in there other than decorations that probably have chemicals on them.

 

[grahamsn]

Tagging a long. Are bristle worms really that bad to have?

 

[brandyrb]

No, but we have an over abundance of them in one of our aquariums, so I want to reduce the numbers.

 

[MrSculpin]

Tagging a long. Are bristle worms really that bad to have?

Well I have heard they are fine, but when they get big and creepy...
I have two really large ones. They like the rock my goby and shrimp hang out under. Im always thinking the worm will hurt the shrimp or goby....
Or like Brandy is wondering, hurt coral...

 

[roscoe]

Try using a few of the small snail shells and just stuff some frozen food in there. They will get in there.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

I thought they were cool until i caught one in my hand a couple weeks back... jerks and their bristles! Was cleaning out some sand from my 5.5 and he was in the middle of the sandbed grr..

 

[Darthv247]

yeah they can get yah pretty good

should catch em and sell em brandy. Few places online get decent prices for em.