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Swimming Decorator crab

Bristle worm trap

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I kind of like bristleworms but now I just have too many of them. Whenever I move a rock I notice it is loaded with the little slimers. I recently had a small clam up on the rocks and it fell onto the gravel. The worms sucked it out in no time so now it is war. Over the years I have made dozens of bristleworm traps and just about any design works. You can even put a piece of clam or fish into a piece of stocking and they will be stuck all over it.
This design I made in about 5 minutes and put it in the tank last night with a piece of clam. It netted 5 worms over night. I will use it for a few weeks to reduce the population to manageable levels.
It is just an acrylic tube about 1 1/4" in diameter but any pill case will work. I stuck in a smaller tube about 3/8" in diameter. Any tube will work as long as it is small enough to keep out the crabs and snails. The tube needs to extend into the container a little so the worms can't figure how to get out. Lobster traps work on the same principal. And lobsters are smarter than worms.
The worms have a great sense of smell and will find the bait but the end of the tube should be at sand level. For this model I bent the tube down to hit the sand.
I also have a string on it so I don't have to stick my hands in the water.
Have fun

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Comments

  1. blennyman's Avatar
    Do you think the bristleworms killed the clam, or do you think it may have died from other causes and the bristleworms were just polishing it off? I have a clam in the sand in my tank, and the worms seem to leave it alone...
  2. Paul B's Avatar
    No, they killed it. It was a tiny clam. Very healthy, They don't bother the large ones that I also had on the sand for years.
    I can see them all over the place, there are just too many so I know they aren't getting enough food.
  3. Paul B's Avatar
    This morning I collected about 20 worms
  4. baker.shawn's Avatar
    this is something i have been wanting to do for a LONG time...i may just have to make one of these
  5. Paul B's Avatar
    Newly designed trap with a water hose feeding it water to keep water in trap fresh
  6. melev's Avatar
    Add some air and you could have a submersible mouse.
  7. Paul B's Avatar
    Cool, I will try that