jackaninny Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I've had a yellow head Goby and a cleaner shrimp disappear in the last month. I've also notice many bristle worms poking their heads out when I feed. Is it possible for a bristle worm to take out a goby or cleaner shrimp? Both of them were 3-4" long or is it more likely they croaked and got cleaned up fast? I checked for fish jerky and didn't find anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I believe it's entirely possible edit; this is Kmiller, I didn't realize Drew was signed in still Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defigart Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 You need to get a 6line wrasse, or a 12line/4line wrasse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Get some cheese cloth, and wrap a prawn in it, put it in the sand neer some rock, do this at night when they are most active, the worms will go to eat and get stuck on the cheese cloth. do this several nights till you arn't getting any worms, then do it a couple times a week just to make sure. This should at least cut the population way down if not get rid of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckie Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Wow great info, I have sooo many in my sea horse tank its down right creepy! Some are huge, and the amount coming out at feeding time will make your skin crawl. Cheese cloth 1st. thing in the a.m. Beckie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I'm having the same problem, except mine is fireworms...Robert gave me a back up ID on them, so I'm sure I'm right...I've lost close to 400 bucks in fish over the last couple months, an it's driving me batty, if the cheese cloth idea doesnt work, I'm gonna break my tank down an cook all of the rock an get rid of all of the sand an start over completely from scratch lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 yea fireworms are not as common and can be very agressive predators. bristle worms are really more detritus eaters and scavengers. If you have lots of bristle worms its probably a tell tale sign of high levels of nutrients in your system most likely from excess death and decay of fish / inhabitants that are not removed or over feeding. bristle worm populations will rise and fall with the amount of available food sources for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 That's really weird, cause i have very few bristleworms, but a TON of fireworms, I can turn my flashlight on after lights out an count dozens of the red bastards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackaninny Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 After losing the big yellow head I cut back on my feedings and I got a bristleworm trap and use it every few nights - caught a couple that were 2 inches all curled up. I'll keep at it and maybe try the cheesecloth trap too. I wonder if the goby was sleeping under one of my rocks where there is a cavity and he likes to hide and maybe the bristleworm got him. Also lost a Helfrich to the little c8cksuckers and that's when the gloves came off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I believe it's entirely possible edit; this is Kmiller, I didn't realize Drew was signed in still That video is crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talkalot82 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Get a coral banded shrimp.. they love bristle worms.. I have a pistol shrimp and goby, but the bristle worms have never gone after then.. I have caught fire worms before, and boy does it hurt when you fine them with a ungloved hand.. I hear they can be mean... So maybe you have a fire worm. I would if I was you try to catch the bristle worms though.. I am going to get cheese cloth tonight from wally world and try that myself. good luck figuring this out.. sorry for your loss.. Things like this ruin my day when it happens to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindo Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I just found several of these guys too... i counted 4 and they seemed pretty big.. gonna try and get them out in the morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It's more likely they were cleaning them up after they died. I have a variety of small and big bristle worms (3-4 inches in length). They have never bothered with any of my fish and my red scooter blenny literally buries under the sand at night when they are most active. As Robert mentioned the population will rise and fall depending up the nutrients in the tank. Personally I prefer to have them doing cleanup duty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindo Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Will these damage any coral I have? That my main concern since the corals are stil small. Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Nah, only if they coral is already dying will they go near it, and thats only to clean up the dying tissue. But when i see a 2" or larger one, i pull it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XrayGuy Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I have bristle worms in my tank and they never bother anything, just part of clean up crew. As far as eating the fish, I think they will only eat ones that are dead, kind of like what crabs and snails do. I have a melanarus wrasse that sleeps in the sand and I think if they were harmful, they probably would have eaten it by now. In regards to that video, I bet that bugger is going to have a pretty hard time slithering back into his hole in the rock lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwheeler Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I had a similar problem but my arrow head crab has taken care of it for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I know this is kind of an old thread but I witnessed a bristle worm nip the tail of a peppermint shrimp that went missing not long after. It and 2 chromis used to sleep under a rock at night and all three just dissappeared one by one and I am almost positive it was a bristle worm because I had a ton of them at the time. None bothered any corals though. The seem to have died off now since I don't have any fish to feed atm anymore. ) I see a one every once in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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