Dead Bristleworm 5/30/07
Hi I am a new marine aquarist, <Hello> I bought some live rock that I later discovered is alive with bristleworms. <Common.> I have read that most are safe… I can’t identify if what I have is safe breed so have removed the rock from the tank & have it in a salt water filled tub & have been trying to capture them with tweezers & wiggle them out of there holes – but on occasion they have torn in 2 with the latter part retracting into the hole. <Almost impossible to catch them all. Not worth the effort either.>
Q: Do they regenerate a head or will they die within the rock? <Most likely die.>
Q: If they die how long should I wait before I move the rock back into my tank? <I would not worry about the worms, chances of getting any that are harmful are pretty slim.>
Cheers
Linda
<Chris>