cleaner shrimp and fireworms

[So Cal shaggy]

anyone ever had their cleaner shrimp search out and eat fireworms? I observed one of my cleaner shrimp eating a 1" long fireworm the other evening after lights out and thought that it found a dead one but the very next evening I was watching him and he was poking around under the edges of my live rock and he pulled another one out of the sand and I watched as it spent 5 minutes eating that one also. I have never seen a cleaner go after fireworms has anyone else.

 

[Entropy]

I never have, but consider yourself lucky! The only critter I have seen eating worms was my sixline and that was tiny bristleworms that where unwise enough to come out when the lights where on.

 

[kusanagiz]

I'd love to have my cleaner shrimp live off worms in my tank. I have a ton of them already.

 

[So Cal shaggy]

I found it quite amusing to watch when it catches one it spends about 1-2 minutes spining it around almost as if it was trying to stay away from the hairs.

 

[sps_addict]

Yup, I've seen my cleaner and my old peppermints do that. Quite interesting watching them ripe them into pieces and eating them.

 

[JN Reef]

So six-line wrasses and shrimps eat bristleworms???

 

[sps_addict]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6914406#post6914406 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JN Reef
So six-line wrasses and shrimps eat bristleworms???

I've also seen a Yellow Watchman Goby (which I had several years ago) eat a few when I was around the tank, and saw a friends Copperband eat one (doesn't eat the aptisia's though). I believe some species of Eunice worms eat bristleworms as well as several species of ribbon worms.

 

[Entropy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6914406#post6914406 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JN Reef
So six-line wrasses eat bristleworms???

Yes, but only the small worms. They will not eat the big ones. They keep the worm population in check though by eating all the small ones. I never see any in my tank, although I know there are some in the rocks.

 

[d0cdave]

Arrow crabs eat bristle worms also... saw mine dig in the sand and pull them out. Quite entertaining watching the crab brace himself on a rock and pull with both "hands"

 

[SBJim]

Before I got my sixline, I could see bristleworms at all times. Now I never see any.

 

[SBJim]

Before I got my sixline, I could see bristleworms at all times. Now I never see any.

 

[iSeeMax101]

What are the long, white worms in the tank. Look like they come out of little holes. Almost slightly transparent. What eats those?

 

[clowndog]

Cleaner shrimps are opportunists. They will get their hands on anything they can grab including those christmas worms. I eyewitnessed cleaner shrimps ambushed the beautiful christmas worms after lights off, and eat them.

 

[BeanMachine]

What are the long, white worms in the tank. Look like they come out of little holes. Almost slightly transparent. What eats those?

Vermatid snails.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/vermetid-snails-harm-coral-reefs-with-multiprong-attack