Z06-Hec

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Think i had posted a while back about having a huge mess of bristle worms.
I bought a yellow wrasse, six line wrasse, Melanarus Wrasse...Neither of them touched the worms at all...
So i went searching, people said Arrow Crabs would help, never could find any.
People said coral banded shrimp would help, so i bought 2. I could not tell for sure if they were helping but i never saw them eating any and i would definitely see them pass right by the worms...
A few times i definitely saw my anemone crab eat 1 or 2 but that was on rare occasion.
So i got this Spiny Blue Lobster i posted about a while ago...
I think its been 2-3 weeks... and I have been noticing no worms... i can see a few on the rocks but I was starting to wonder who had been eating them or where did they go?
Early this morning around 6am while leaving for work, its still dark out and in the house, i see the lobster going in on a worm he picked out of the rock. Which confirms that he may have cleaned house on the sand and now is moving to the rock!
While that wasn't the intention, score for me!
BTW i was told when purchasing him, oh hes harmless, he only eats algae and scraps, he has no pincers.
 

Flipper

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interesting, i do not have much of a worm problem, but i do see them as i move rock around. When i see them semi large, i normally pull them out by hand....it be interesting to see if anyone else had had success with them. I normally avoid the lobsters because i didn't consider them reef safe.
 

Z06-Hec

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This picture doesnt do the worms justice, these things were everywhere and most where huge like that one in the picture.
 

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Z06-Hec

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Seriously that did not do them justice...
They used to just catch all food that fell on floor.
I'm pretty sure they started eating my snails too, i def saw them get a conch that was stuck against the glass and a rock.
But looks like most of them are gone if not all...
 

Z06-Hec

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keep us posted about the lobster and what he eats after all the worms are gone. Wondering if you're growing a predator there.
Yeah i have been thinking the same, but it looks like he has learned to search for them. I see him in the rocks at night when the lights are out and i can see more growing. Maybe i keep a good supply/demand going? LOL
I will def post if anything else disappears!
 

Z06-Hec

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keep us posted about the lobster and what he eats after all the worms are gone. Wondering if you're growing a predator there.

So this post was back in October. Now its January and no loss of fish.
With the size on this thing it could definitely eat my wrasse's or Clowns... and nothing.
Sand is clean and free of worms. The Rocks still have worms, so not sure if he can get into the rocks or what. I see him all the time sifting through the sand though.
I have noticed less snails and less crabs around. In fact i need a refill but they are not all gone. I havent seen it eat a crab or snail at all but that dont mean he isnt...
I do see crabs eating or killing other crabs all the time though.
Also i have plenty of fish that sleep on the floor but large ones. 2 Adult angels and 2 Adult large Tangs all practically on top of the lobster with no issues.
 

Dre

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Can you repost your first thread? I know for sure large wrasses go for bristle worms such as the C.Gaimard, T.Sunset wrasse and T.Lunare wrasse. However they are not reef safe and you'll not rid the worms %100.
 

theMeat

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Had a dusky wrasse that ate bristle worms like crazy. Once the worm population was decimated but not completely removed, noticed the hermits and other inverts behavior changed. Bristle worms eat and will compete for food that the other inverts eat. Not enough food and hermits will start eating snails and even other hermits. Same thing with lobsters. In a tank with plenty to eat a lobster may be completely reef safe. That same lobster without enough to eat most likely not reef safe. With bristle worms and other members of your clean up crew, it's all about finding that balance to control population
 

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