Banded Shrimp ripped bristleworm out of rock!

[LouH]

I just came downstairs and walked by the tank on my way to the kitchen. I noticed that my banded shrimp, who normally hides, out in the open and working on something in a colony of zoos. He would dig into something and pull hard. The lights were out so I couldn't see clearly what what was going on (although the moonlights were on so I could see him). It looked like he might have been eating zoo polyps. I then watched as I saw him pull hard and come up with something significant in his claws. Freaking out because it looked like he was assaulting my zoos, I grabed a flashlight and put it on him. Turns out that he had yanked a 2.5" bristleworm out of a rock. I guess that these guys like to eat bristleworms. I hope that he doesn't wipe them all out of my tank. They're good cleaners.

 

[kfisc]

It would be really cool if they could be reliably counted upon to eat them. Is the shrimp relatively new?

 

[psteeleb]

they are known bristleworm preditors - I've used them and arrow crabs to keep the populations in check. you just have to make sure they are compatable with other tank mates as both will kill small fish, shrimp etc if they can catch them

 

[LouH]

Yes, the shrimp is new. What's wrong with bristleworms anyway? I thought that they were good as part of the tank's cleanup crew. As long as they aren't the toxic variety, what's the big deal?

You know, I'm missing 2 Rainford's Gobies. Could the shrimp be the reason?

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Bristleworms are beneficial detrivores. Some folks seem to think they are horrifying. :lol:

 

[LouH]

The way I see it, they eat detrius and are part of the natural ecology in my reef. I want them. Possibly more than the shrimp.

 

[chris s]

I added my coral banded to munch on bristleworms. I am a heavy feeder and the bristleworms have shall we say a healthy population. They are a good part of the CUC. I've seen him stalk and kill a few, it's fun to watch.

 

[LouH]

I added my coral banded to munch on bristleworms. I am a heavy feeder and the bristleworms have shall we say a healthy population. They are a good part of the CUC. I've seen him stalk and kill a few, it's fun to watch.

That's an interesting point. I just started feeding my reef daily to drive coral growth. It has been working well. I have not seen a bristle worm in so long that I didn't think my tank had many. Just this morning there was a big one coming out of a rock in my refugium (it grows chaeto and is lit at night), and of course the one that I saw the shrimp grab. From time to time I would find very small ones in my overflow sock, but that was about it.

 

[Khemul]

With my previous setup I couldn't move rocks in the refugium without getting stung/poked/whatever you want to call it, by the things. Didn't mind them (they were doing their job afterall) but they were definitely everywhere. Very few in the display though.


From what I learned of that setup...if you really want to know how many worms you have, accidentally nuke the tank. :lmao: Fried a heater in the refugium when transfering everything out and didn't realize it split open till the next day when the bottom was suddenly covered in dead worms.