Bristleworm Predator

[trockafella]

What fish loves to eat them..?

 

 

[extreme_tooth_decay]

What fish loves to eat them..?

 

Not a fish, but arrow crabs eat them for sure. I have watched it many times.

 

I'll come in the room and see him sitting there eating one.

 

Sometimes I will also catch them and feed them to him.

[Jan]

Melanurus wrasse. Many wrasses of the genus Halichoeres readily dine on bristle worms. Do a search on this. I'd get one in a heartbeat but they're too agressive for my seahorses. That tank is loaded with BW.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Jan

[davelin315]

Watch out, the arrow crabs like to eat a lot of things!

 

I have heard that long nose hawkfish like to eat them, but have never witnessed this myself, despite having one or two. I have also heard that there are a few different types of wrasse that will tackle them, but I'm not certain that these are reef safe. I have seen triggers eat them, but not sure that this is what they intended on doing or that they've eaten them after again.

 

I would say that there are not many vertebrates that will actually eat them, so you're limited more to the invertebrate world. Coral banded srhimp will eat them, some hermit crabs will, and generally speaking most of the carnivorous crabs will do the same, but if you're in a reef environment, you're rolling the dice with many of these creatures.

[davelin315]

Melanurus wrasse. Many wrasses of the genus Halichoeres readily dine on bristle worms. Do a search on this. I'd get one in a heartbeat but they're too agressive for my seahorses. That tank is loaded with BW.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/32-fish-profile-

 

Neat fish, how big is your tank Travis?

[trockafella]

Definitely NO arrow crabs, current tank is a 72gal, with only a few fish in it, largest one being about 2in..

 

 

[Mando77]

Will a 6line get along with an arrow crab and how much room is required for a arrow crab?

[davelin315]

Will a 6line get along with an arrow crab and how much room is required for a arrow crab?

It's not the six-line getting along with the arrow crab or the room it needs, it's the fact that it's a predator. If you don't have things that you might worry about it eating, they are truly neat little creatures. I would think that your worry would be the arrow crab eating the six-line when it sleeps more than the six-line eating the arrow crab.

[trockafella]

I do like those wrasses Jan, very nice.!! My only concern is the uncovered tank. I have kept 6lines for years and never has one jump, but I did have a fairy wrasse jump.. Definitely a beautiful fish.!!!

[Chad]

I dont think that it is so much the tank size as the fact that arrow crabs tend to be quite aggresive...

 

I think if the arrow found the sleeping 6 line, it would likely eat it.

 

To me these things [arrow crabs] are good in specific setups, only. I cannot really recommend them for a reef.

 

 

[Chad]

haha Dave, ^sound familiar!! You are fast!

 

 

[Jan]

Yea, it's a very pretty fish. Hilary has one. She's the one that told me hers eats BW's. Black egg crate as a cover might help. Beautiful fish and not very expensive. My only concern would be that it will eat all the BW's. I can't stand BW's but I wouldn't want to get rid of them all.

 

I do like those wrasses Jan, very nice.!! My only concern is the uncovered tank. I have kept 6lines for years and never has one jump, but I did have a fairy wrasse jump.. Definitely a beautiful fish.!!!

Edited December 28, 2010 by Jan

[Coral Hind]

My checkerboard wrasse would eat the smaller worms. I had an arrow crab back in the 90's that wiped out my hermit crab population. Several of the gobies like the yellow watchmen will eat the worms.

[Coral Hind]

A simple worm trap placed in the tank a few times a month to control the population might be a better option, unless you just want to add a fish to the tank.

[trockafella]

A simple worm trap placed in the tank a few times a month to control the population might be a better option, unless you just want to add a fish to the tank.

 

 

I dont think the BW's are out of control, I just simply dont like them. And I am looking to add a couple fish, so useful and attractive fish would be perfect. I.e. the wrasse Jan mentioned..

.

That checkerboard Wrasse you have is nice, Ive always liked it.! I havent seen any large BW's, only smaller ones.. I used to have a 6line, but it was beating up new fish added to the tank, so it (along with my old rabbitfish) are now living in Rob's tank.

 

When do you consider BW's to be out of control.? I mainly see them in the sand, occasionally on a rock... And they are usually in small groups of 2-3 @ less than an inch long.. Again, I dont think I have problem, I just dont like them, plus I have clams, so a wrasse could be helpful there as well..

[Coral Hind]

Gotcha, if it is a fish that you want then yeah I would go with a wrasse like Jan mentioned.

 

To me 6-lines are the meanest of the wrasses. When the lights would come on mine would chase everyone out of the rock work. The other fish could not go back into the rocks without being harassed until lights were out.

[WaterDog]

Just echoing other people's sentiments here:

Six Lines are nice fish, and can take care of bristleworms well, but in my opinion, are probably up with the damselfishes in terms of aggressiveness. My 6 Line has harassed a blenny and a flasher wrasse, both considerably larger than the 6 line, into jumping for it.

The specific name does't come to mind, but the wrasse Jan mentioned and I think a few other wrasses will eat bristleworms, and most of these have much better temperaments.

EDIT: Nevermind, those were the ones I was thinking of.

And yet another edit: I've read that smaller sand perches will eat bristleworms, as well as smaller mantis shrimps, but also some smaller beneficial inverts.

Edited December 28, 2010 by WaterDog

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

pixie hawkfish

[bluce]

I have a nice 6line that gets along great with my clownfish and tangs - those are not very timid fish though. Not sure how the 6 line would be with more timid fish.

[WaterDog]

I have a nice 6line that gets along great with my clownfish and tangs - those are not very timid fish though. Not sure how the 6 line would be with more timid fish.

In my opinion/experience, it hasn't been so much the type of fish, as my 6 line got along fine with my neon gobies, it's been more any fish that came along after the 6 line was continuously harassed.

[Jan]

This is the case with most all semi-aggressive and aggressive fish. They tend to become more territorial, more aggressive with fish that have been introduced after they have established themselves in the system. Except when it comes to lawnmmower blennies. I think they know that LM blennies are a PITA and they go after them right away. Mine did this but then the LM learned to stay clear of my 6 line wrasse.

 

In my opinion/experience, it hasn't been so much the type of fish, as my 6 line got along fine with my neon gobies, it's been more any fish that came along after the 6 line was continuously harassed.

[Coral Hind]

Dottybacks will eat the worms when they are small. I know first hand my Sunrise Dotty, Psuedochromis flavivertex and Neon Dotty, Pseudochromis aldabraensis, both ate them. When I would lift a rock up they would be right there to grab any small worms or pods.

 

 

[trockafella]

Ive got a purple/yellow dottyback, and it has NO interest them, atleast not that I have seen.. Then again, im not around that much to observe.. The fish are hiding half the time when im looking at the tank, so when im not around who knows what there up to..

[bluce]

In my opinion/experience, it hasn't been so much the type of fish, as my 6 line got along fine with my neon gobies, it's been more any fish that came along after the 6 line was continuously harassed.

 

 

Good info to know - it makes sense though, because my 6line was the last fish I have added to the tank.

Sorry for a temp hijack of the thread, but I'm thinking of adding 3 Bartlett's Anthias in the future - do you think that would be a problem with the 6line?

[Coral Hind]

Every fish is different but I would say there will be some aggression but nothing that should result in death. My sixline was more of a harassing fish then a killer. Just keep a lid or net over the tank to reduce jumping.