Bristle Worms devouring the dead overnight. Shells and all!

[swiss1939]

So I had an Emerald crab for about 3 months which never molted. One day I noticed it was kinda frozen on the substrate moving very slowly compared to how it would scamper around prior to that. Next day I saw its empty thorax shell and assumed it was molting finally. But I never saw it again and spent like two weeks shining a light into its cave to see it, but all I could see were large bristle worms. After that, all my bristle worms that were noticeable were twice the size than prior. I gave up and figured they ate the emerald after it died from starvation and was surprised I never saw any remnants of it.

Cut to two months later, yesterday and I added a fire shrimp ordered online, which was doing poorly from transport. Shrimp was acting the same way, frozen in place barely twitching limbs. Again wasn't sure if it was molting from stress or dying. Left it in the tank for a few hours until it was blowing around in current and clearly dying. I was about to remove it when the current blew it into the main cave of my rock work. Peeked in there and the other fire shrimp started tearing it apart until those big boy bristle worms took over and started devouring the dead shrimp. I was like oh well.. that was some expensive bristle worm food, and since it was deep in the cave, there was no way I would be able to remove it. So I figured i'd find some shell remnants of it today when I woke up that I could remove. Turns out there is no trace left of the full fire shrimp carcass yesterday. I'm amazed these bristle worms completely devour the full carcass, shell and all, overnight!

Seems like they are excellent clean up crew when you don't have to worry about dead livestock rotting away somewhere in your tank that you can't reach. Sure they are pretty fat and plenty of em.. but they haven't touched anything else that is clearly not dying.

Shrimp is being replaced as DOA!

 

[ludnix]

Bristleworms are great detrivores. My only issue with them is when I accidently touch one like the babies that hide under frag plugs. I just try to be careful with my hands in the tank though, I don't ever try to remove the bristleworms.

 

[Phil D.]

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp eat them. I saw mine eating one and I was amazed!

 

[swiss1939]

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp eat them. I saw mine eating one and I was amazed!

Good to know! If they ever get out of hand I was trying to figure out what to get that would pick on them, but I don't want any wrasses that are known to eat them because my tank is too small and the wrasse would upset the peaceful fish balance.

 

[swiss1939]

I have fire shrimp which ive seen many comparisons to the cleaner shrimp. Would a fire shrimp also eat bristle worms? If so, mine won't touch the big ones i have. Maybe it will keep the baby worms in check.

I see the big worms moving around in the cave near my fire shrimp all the time and he won't touch them.

 

[dhanking]

My Skunk Cleaner eats bristleworms as well but only the newborns. I wouldn't know about fire shrimps but it probably would eat bristleworms if it gets hungry enough!