Could a 6” bristleworm harm wrasses that bury in the sand?

[ewanho]

Have a few wrasses that initially buried in the sand, but lately they like to sleep at the top of the tank behind the uv sterilizer; other than that, they swim and eat normally during the day. Had these wrasses years ago and always buried in sand - m meleageis and twinspot;

could bristleworms in the sand be bothering them?

ty

 

[Jonify]

Once bristles get to about 4 inches, they can wreak havoc. They'll probably leave your wrasse alone, but they are certainly capable of taking it down. I'd remove bristles as soon as they get above 3 inches. You can make some bottle traps to get rid of them.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Once bristles get to about 4 inches, they can wreak havoc. They'll probably leave your wrasse alone, but they are certainly capable of taking it down. I'd remove bristles as soon as they get above 3 inches. You can make some bottle traps to get rid of them.

What havoc have you witnessed big bristleworms wrecking? I hear people say all the time that they have to go once they get big but Imo the only issues would be them accidentally or in self defense harming a fish or (more likely) my fingers. Both being very rare. I think they do us a favor by eating dead fish and then they get blamed for the fishes death

 

[Jonify]

What havoc have you witnessed big bristleworms wrecking? I hear people say all the time that they have to go once they get big but Imo the only issues would be them accidentally or in self defense harming a fish or (more likely) my fingers. Both being very rare. I think they do us a favor by eating dead fish and then they get blamed for the fishes death

I haven't experienced this myself; I do not have bristle worms, and will not allow them in my reef. But I have followed fellow reefers here on R2R who have found that larger, opportunistic bristles will absolutely snipe fish if they're not getting enough food already. The general consensus is "a few bristles: good" ... "Many bristles: bad" ... "big bristles: bad." Do a few searches on this forum to read up if you're curious.

 

[count krunk]

I've never seen a large worm of any sort in person. But I agree, big worms and 9/10 crabs are the enemy!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can they be a nuisance while searching for food- yes. Will they push or scare wrasses-yes but not hunt them. Their bristles are protection from predators.
Keep in mind, wrasses eat many worms So bristles rarely safe with them.
Arrow crabs will eat these worms in which Bristleworms are detritivores. That means they dig through the muck, gunk, and detritus in our tanks and eat the stuff that is rotting away and spoiling the water quality. Their preferred food is food waste, biological waste, even the rotting carcass of that missing fish you can’t find