What will eat bristle worms??

[jamesbuf]

My population of bristle worms are starting to get out of control and I want to nip it in the butt. Other than an arrow crab, what can you put in a reef that will eat bristle worms??

[bk_market]

i think i heard of 6-lines but i have one myself never touch any worm in my tank.

[jamal]

wrasses of the halichoeres species. ie melanurus, radiant, checkerboard

[treesprite]

i think dottybacks sometimes eat them

[davelin315]

I have heard that long-nosed hawkfish will eat them but have not witnessed it myself.

 

Coral banded shrimp will also eat them.

 

If your population is getting out of control then that typically means there's a lot of detritus for them to eat. I bought a bunch of rock that was aiptasia and bristleworm infested from someone before who kept it in a predator tank and WAY overfed and after a couple of years without many other interventions, the number of aiptasia have gone down signficantly because of feeding less and keeping a cleaner tank so that today, they're no more plentiful than any normal tank (before they were literally so abundant that they'd be hanging off the rock at all times because they had no places left to hide. How much do you feed in your system?

[jamesbuf]

I feed mysis twice a day and about 15 mini-pellets drop in by automatic feeder twice a day. My mom has actually been feeding since I've been out of town for the last 3 weeks, so I think she might have been overfeeding while I was gone. My nitrates were a little high when I tested yesterday.

 

 

Do you think a Melanarus wrasse would get along with my leopard wrasse?

[lanman]

I feed mysis twice a day and about 15 mini-pellets drop in by automatic feeder twice a day. My mom has actually been feeding since I've been out of town for the last 3 weeks, so I think she might have been overfeeding while I was gone. My nitrates were a little high when I tested yesterday.

Do you think a Melanarus wrasse would get along with my leopard wrasse?

 

My bristleworms are bigger than my 6-line. That would be interesting...

 

bob

[Guest NSC]

Have witnessed my former domino damsel wolfing down bristleworms, he loved them. But you have to ask yourself...which is more troublesome? At least bristleworms clean up...

[rrubberbandman]

I have this one bristle worm...we have named the loch ness monster....he lives in the yasha/pistol shrimps hole w/them....he is bigger than the shrimp.....but they all seem to get along......

Bryan

[gastone]

Get an arrow crab. They will definitely do the trick and they are fairly inexpensive and easy to remove if you don't want they anymore. Do a search on RC. There was a video up a few years ago of an arrow crab tearing bristle worms to pieces.

 

Garrett.

[jamesbuf]

Get an arrow crab. They will definitely do the trick and they are fairly inexpensive and easy to remove if you don't want they anymore. Do a search on RC. There was a video up a few years ago of an arrow crab tearing bristle worms to pieces.

 

Garrett.

 

 

Beat you to it. I got one earlier today.

[zotzer]

Don't arrow crabs grab and eat fish too?

[jamesbuf]

Don't arrow crabs grab and eat fish too?

 

I got a very small one. I really doubt it will be able to grab and fish at its present size, and I plan on giving it away once it gets bigger. I had one a few years back and I would just pull off one of the large claws so it couldn't grab any of the fish. Worked like a charm.

 

I also got a copperband butterfly from F&F yesterday and it seems to be stalking all the crevasses in the rock as well. Only time will tell.

[zotzer]

I also got a copperband butterfly from F&F yesterday

 

Ahhh, then you probably met "Harry". He's my new Potter's Angel...the smallest of the three he had there. Just got him a few hours ago.

 

Tracy

[jamesbuf]

Ahhh, then you probably met "Harry". He's my new Potter's Angel...the smallest of the three he had there. Just got him a few hours ago.

 

Tracy

 

 

All of the potters he had were very nice. The one on the far left had insane colors. I would've gotten one if I hadn't just picked one up at Roozens a couple days prior.

[zotzer]

Is he eating your corals?

 

Seans says if I keep him well fed, he should behave himself. The potter's on the left was the biggest. I got the smallest one. He is going wacko in the bag. He really really wants OUT! LOL

[jamesbuf]

Is he eating your corals?

 

Seans says if I keep him well fed, he should behave himself. The potter's on the left was the biggest. I got the smallest one. He is going wacko in the bag. He really really wants OUT! LOL

 

No problems thus far (knock on wood). From what I've read and experience here and on RC, the main problem with dwarf angels is having them nip at clams. I don't have any clams so I'm in the clear. I haven't seen him nip at any of the zoos or lps either. My potter's is eating mysis so I'm hoping it won't get hungry enough to start nipping at corals. I've had a coral beauty, flame, and eibli angels in the past and haven't had any problems before.

[davelin315]

Watch out for disease in the potter's angels. They seem to be more prone to disease than the other pygmy angels and will often have gill flukes (at least that's what I think it is) that result in them gasping and flaring their gills towards water flow.

 

I would also advise caution with that arrow crab. It doesn't need two claws to prey on things in your tank. I've seen them pick up small hermit crabs and rip them out of their shells as well as nail fish. Nasty little crabs those guys.

[zotzer]

Thanks for the heads up Dave. I will keep a close eye on him!

Tracy

[SteveM]

I have 2 skunk cleaner shrimp that eat bristle worms. I was checking out the tank one night with a flashlight and saw one going to town on a bristle worm tearing it to pieces, it was pretty wild.

[treesprite]

i had an arrow crab once.... I caught it eating an angel