WHAT THE H$@L STUNG ME!!!!!!!! AM I GOING TO BE OK??????????

[Louie3]

Ok i was just going to get a fish and put him in a little quaratine net in the tank. i caught the fish and noticed the net kept floating up. so i found a rock in the tank to put it in the net. and OUCH!!!! something stung me! with a bunch of little white thin spikes, looks like fiber glass when its on your skin, and on the rock i saw a worm that i always see a bunch of them. i dont know what they are called though. was it the rock or the worm? Is the worm poisinus????????

[Viet-Tin]

Sounds like bristle worms

[carlinsa]

briste worm not deadly just a pain in the butt....................

[Louie3]

are they good???????

[Viet-Tin]

They are good detritus eaters. They are beneficial for your tank althought they may seem unsightly.

[Louie3]

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/HardRockerLouie/BristleWorm1.jpg
this is the sucka, im using gloves for now on.
Can you get rid of them? if so will it have any bad down affects.

[Viet-Tin]

You can get rid of them if you want. I personally dont really like them so decided to get a 6line and he took care of them.

[Louie3]

IM GOING TO THE PET STORE EARLY IN THE MORNING TOMORROW!!!!!!
THIS NEW 6LINE IS GOING TO BE SO FAT I HAVE A CRAPLOAD OF THESE THINGS

[tgray]

Hey Louie3 take some really sticky tape and put on the area touched by the worm and then pull it off in case the "bristles" are still there.

[jroescher]

I have just a few of these in my sump!

http://johnroescher.com/images/BristleWorms.jpg

[Louis]

I've found that the best way to remove the "thorns" is to put a light coat of elmers glue on the area, let dry, then peel off. It's a bothersome feeling but you'll be ok. Good luck!

Louis

[Louie3]

thanks you guys i've tried the tape thing, and still feel a few, im now need to wait for the glue to dry, I have an arrow crab and it is cool to see him rip it up into little shreds

[Instar]

After you tape and glue to get the bristles out, run your fingers under very hot water, as hot as you can stand it. Five minutes will help, and 10 will end the poison completely. The longer you wait for the hot water the greater the reaction will be and the less hot water will help. Hot water denatures the protein based toxin so it doesn't irriate you after that as it becomes non-toxic to humans from the treatment. A good thing for all reefers to keep in their box if tricks. If stung, scald it in hot water. That will even take care of the tip of a sea urchin spine thats imbedded.

Bristle worms are a good thing and a six line will not rid the tank of them, it just keeps their numbers in check. I had a mated pair of six lines and several copper bands and still have plenty of bristle worms to go around. And thats not the only thing you will encounter in your reef that stings. Also some animals are alergic to your touch and if touched can even die from that. Best bet is to always wear heavy gloves and use appropriate tools to handle all the things in the tank. This will pervent inadvertent stings from life in the reef. Just wait till you get it from a stinging sponge. Those make the bristle worms seem like a toy by comparison and hot water will fix it just the same.

[Marlin]

Nothing to worry about Louie, In a couple of days your hand will turn black and fall off. :P
Seriously, the worms are good for your tank unless they get out of control. I think your arrow crab will keep the numbers in check. You may want to put some into your refugium. Use a tweezers to pick them up.

[Louie3]

Louis:
Hey the glue worked pretty well, I applied it twice to be on the safe side. :cry
Instar:
Thanks for the info, I do have a arrow crab, but lately i think he is getting lazy, he learned that if he stays near the filter tube, food comes to him. rather than him going after and looking for food, he occasinally pics around zoos
Rick:
I'll do a transfer later on today, but ill tell you the same exact thing i told Insatr, lately i think he is getting lazy, he learned that if he stays near the filter tube, food comes to him. rather than him going after and looking for food, he occasinally pics around zoos

I'm going to try to get a 6line or something that will eat these things i wont mind if i see like 3-4 every other day but lately theres been alot i can see them next to the glass squirming through the sand.

Again thanks guys, i feel alot more better, still amazed something that little could do something, and i thought my reef was safe, it a pair of gloves for now on! :shades

[hoho19]

I have a question. If you have a tank without bristle worms would it be beneficial to add some or are you better off without the pain and suffering that they cause :P

[Bill S]

I've been stung by them many, many times turning over rocks in the Caribbean. They work their way out.

[JimD]

If you dont get all the bristles out of your skin, they can develop into mature worms and live between your dermis layers drawing its nutrients from your blood. Then one day, BAM!... Alien.

[Ed]

If you dont get all the bristles out of your skin, they can develop into mature worms and live between your dermis layers drawing its nutrients from your blood. Then one day, BAM!... Alien.

ROFLMAO! :lol

[Louie3]

If you dont get all the bristles out of your skin, they can develop into mature worms and live between your dermis layers drawing its nutrients from your blood. Then one day, BAM!... Alien.


:P funny, actually, I'm glad i ddint feel anything this morning.

To all:
Sadly I wasn't able to obtain a sixline wrasse, but on the up side im hopefully going to get one from petland a good sized one they told me that they're going to order me a medium one (3-5") for HALF PRICE! :D

[SGTDirk]

I think the reason you got stung is that you have baby hands. I've handled them many times and never been stung. Maybe it is because I'm a mechanic and have very thick caluses on my hands. I think my hands could double as sand paper. You know come to thing of it, I wish I had baby hands.

[Louie3]

i noticed that, my dad grabed the worm out of the tank, and it diddnt sting him, thats why i thought it was something on the rock, I;m more of a buisness mangament/corpertate owner,manager

[hoho19]

i noticed that, my dad grabed the worm out of the tank, and it diddnt sting him, thats why i thought it was something on the rock, I;m more of a buisness mangament/corpertate owner,manager

AKA PHB. :D oh yeah a PHB with baby hands. :P
FYI A PHB = Pointy Haired Boss (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointy_Haired_Boss)

[Louie3]

funny :zzz , well yeah when he grabed it unexpecidly nothing happened to him.

[Louie3]

good arrow crab, he finally went under the ship wreck ornament where its dark and the worms like to be. and hes munching out like crazy. he hasnt left that spot since the morning!

[Flobex]

wenn it stunng you, did you pull yoour hannd out of the tank really fast, and get water everywhere? i bet thats what will happen to me the first time i get stung :)

[Brett Wilson]

Here are two many year old videos I took of my arrow crab being hand fed some bristle worms.
Video 1 (http://www.killbuddha.com/videos/arrow_crab1.WMV), Video 2 (http://www.killbuddha.com/videos/arrow_crab2.WMV)

[Marlin]

Great videos Brett!!!!! Now I want an arrow crab! :skeezy

[hammondegge]

i want one too. where did you get that really cool tool Brett?
How's the hand Louie?

[Brett Wilson]

it's a cauterizing tool.
I got it from someone who used to be loved and adored on this board who was also a surgical assitant... I haven't seen them post in quite some time.

[Louie3]

wenn it stunng you, did you pull yoour hannd out of the tank really fast, and get water everywhere? i bet thats what will happen to me the first time i get stung :)

yup and jumped around in a circle like crazy!

[Louie3]

i want one too. where did you get that really cool tool Brett?
How's the hand Louie?
its been a while and im still freaked about putting my hand and touching rocks, thanks to the tunzee gloves ( witch im glad i bought ) im moving things that needed to be moved. i bought 15lbs of rock today so no bristles on my fingers

[Louie3]

got my 6line and hes very interisting, and this device thats supposed to catch BW but im only getting like 1-2 every other night so i figured its not worth it

[gjuarez]

it's a cauterizing tool.
I got it from someone who used to be loved and adored on this board who was also a surgical assitant... I haven't seen them post in quite some time.

You must be talking about Tim Marvin. I wonder if he still has his tank?

Louie, hows the tank doing? Is the 6 line munching on anything?

[Louie3]

Its doing better every week, my nitrates go down by half every week, now at 20ppm, Mr.6line found bristle worm heaven, hes fat!

[gjuarez]

LOL, thats cool. ITs good to know you are getting your nitrate problem resolved.

[Louie3]

this may be off topic but i bought a mj1200 and have it kinda facing my green button zoos and they seem to like it very well, now i just need 2 more mj1200 to complete my water circulation