Bristleworms and a Six Line Wrasse

[t_nix]

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">We are noticing large and small bristle worms in our display tank :yuk: and are planning on purchasing a six line wrasse to take care of them. Assuming that the six line wrasse we will purchase from our LFS this weekend will be on the smaller side since that is what we have seen for sale there in the past, how big of a bristle worm can they eat? Should we wait until we can find a larger wrasse or will the small one be able to take care of the larger worms? Your thoughts?</span>

 

[miami dolfan]

Good question, because I have a small 6 line and lots of bristleworms.

 

[raz0945]

My yellow coris wrasse does better than my six line on small worms

 

[t_nix]

Raz0945;635689 wrote: My yellow coris wrasse does better than my six line on small worms

Have you had any problems with your wrasse and your corals?

 

[elfloyd]

I have a six line and not too many bristleworms that I can see in the open. I move a rock a see a couple. But... I have a lot in the overflow... some look to be 4".

I do believe my sixline takes care of them in the DT. He was small when I got him over a year ago... he's about 3" now.

 

[lifestudent]

While I love six-line wrasses and use them to deal with pests like flatworms, I don't believe that they eat bristleworms.

A blue headed wrasse and other larger wrasses will go to town on them!

 

[gwhiz]

Lifestudent;635726 wrote: While I love six-line wrasses and use them to deal with pests like flatworms, I don't believe that they eat bristleworms.

A blue headed wrasse and other larger wrasses will go to town on them!

I'd have to disagree on the six line, Bob. I've got a six line in QT right now. I've been experimenting by moving Cheato with small bristleworms in it a ball at time into the QT. The next day there are no worms and he's seen poking around in the Cheato as if he's looking. There's no place for them to hide unless they're swimming into the filter--I haven't taken it apart yet.

My next step will be to move him into the frag tank and let him live there for a bit and see if he cleans it up before moving him to the DT.

 

[rbredding]

my thoughts would be to leave the bristle worms..


but that's just me..

(unless they are approaching epidemic in number)

 

[jennm]

If they are epidemic in numbers, you're overfeeding.

Some are good, more become unsightly but their populations respond to the amount of available food.

Yellow coris, green coris and melanurus will get rid of them, likely more efficiently than a 6-line.

Orchid dottybacks will eat them too.

Jenn

 

[cr500_af]

+1. I wouldn't buy a 666-line to eat them... the bristleworms serve a purpose and then you have the fish spawn of Satan in your tank forever.

 

[corallus caninus]

I would go with a melanurus wrasse. They are great at eating bristleworms and will not try to kill every new inhabitant you want to add to your tank regardless of their size. When I redid my system I got rid of my six line because he was just too aggressive towards anything that I tried to introduce to the system.

 

[hammcd]

my sixline at some bristleworms and he was on the large size but he didnt eat the largest of them...but then again, why r u trying to kill the bristleworms..i wish i had more in my tank

 

[gabbagabbawill]

I've never seen a sixline eat bristleworms, and I've had two through the years... The first one I had was a peaceful angel, and the second was quite the opposite.

Luckily, I found him in my sump one day... he somehow made it through the overflow, mechanical filter, and skimmer. He's happy down there, and the fish up top that he used to bully are happy too!

I wouldn't worry about bristleworms though... they are good for your tank, and will eat whatever leftover food is there...

Jenn is right, if you have lots of them, then you are probably feeding too much... they have to eat to thrive...

It also seems to me that while there seems to be a population boom at the beginning of newly set up tanks, populations seem to wane after tanks have been set up for a while...

Your best bet if you want to see less of them is to add members to your cuc crew that will compete for uneaten food like micro brittle stars, hermit crabs, nassarius snails, etc.

 

[raz0945]

t-nix - I have not had any problems with my wrasses(11 wrasses)bothering my corals. I also have 3 angels, no problems there either but I feed 2x a day.Holley