Dragon Wrasse vs. Bristle Worm

Treefer32

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I wish I could have gotten a good picture of this. But, about a week or so ago my Dragon Wrasse, I suspect got in a fight with a BristleWorm. I honestly don't know who won. I suspect the Wrasse did.

He came out of his sand hill (he lives under a pile of rock debris and a sand mound he's created for himself) with damage to his mouth right at his jaw. There was something white sticking out of his jaw. It looked like a sliver stuck there. It was only on one side and well, he never sat still long enough for me to get a good close up of it. He ate fine, and is doing fine now. The white sliver is gone and his appetite and behavior are normal. If anything, I've seen him digging new wholes in the sand bed hunting for critters.

I would assume on the plate of foods Dragon Wrasses eat, bristle worms and peanut worms would be on the list. . . ?

He loves my home made food, but he's a voracious eater. And yes... Mine lives in my mixed reef. And yes... Every coral is thoroughly glued down to heavy rocks. He's going on 2-3 years old (in my tank) this coming summer. He's a good 6-7 inches long. Love his personality and swim patterns and even voracious eating habbits. But, he's a wimp when it comes to other fish. He tries to fight with my tangs and eventually submits to them. Lol. However.. He has to fight with them everyday and by the end of the day he gives up and repeats the fight. It's just a lot of tail wagging and mouth opening at the tangs and the tangs wagging their tails back. . .

Anyways, just wondering for Dragon Wrasse lovers out there... Have you caught one in the act of eating a bristleworm? Just wondering if they eat them and how without getting stabbed a couple hundred times?
 

SaltyT

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A mature dragon wrasse is a carnivorous eating machine, worms are definitely on the menu. My larger halichoeres wrasses go after small bristleworms too when they can. Post a pic of your guy!
 
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Treefer32

Treefer32

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Some pics of him. Keep in mind the size of fish around him. He's probably a good 7 to 8 inches long at this point.
 

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jdiefenbaugh

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We had a terminal pair for a long time, and never actually saw them eat bristle worms, but they ate basically anything so it wouldn't surprise me.
 

i cant think

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These fish are beauties, such a shame they aren’t compatible with most other wrasses (Wonder if one would be okay with a Jade wrasse, hmm….)
 

jdiefenbaugh

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These fish are beauties, such a shame they aren’t compatible with most other wrasses (Wonder if one would be okay with a Jade wrasse, hmm….)

We kept a few other wrasses successfully with these dragons, but they were equally aggressive and huge. Different tuskfish, broomtail wrasses, lunare, and C. formosa, all 8-16". They would kill flashers/fairys even in a tank that was 12k gallons.
 

i cant think

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We kept a few other wrasses successfully with these dragons, but they were equally aggressive and huge. Different tuskfish, broomtail wrasses, lunare, and C. formosa, all 8-16". They would kill flashers/fairys even in a tank that was 12k gallons.
A jade would fit right in then, especially a transitioning stage one. Nightmarish creatures when it comes to their aggression as adults, juveniles/females are just fine but when they transition to male they’re hell
 
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