Halichoeres safe with tubeworms and snails?

[Kostas G.]

Hello

I have always stirred clear off Halichoeres out of fear they would target snails and hermit crabs. A friend told me that if you buy them small, H.melanurus does not hurt anything and is safe with snails and hermit crabs. I read more on this species and I read it likes tubeworms! I like tubeworms also though and have Christmas worms and other feather dusters which I wish to keep. Is H. melanurus or another colorful Halichoeres safe with those? I have only kept Cirrhilabrus which are fully safe. I was looking to Halichoeres though for their usefulness as well in eating flatworms and bristleworns though I know bristleworms are related to tubeworms, both being Polychaetes, which has me wary. Though they do live completely different lifestyles.

Thank you very much in advance

 

[Aquanino]

I have always kept H.Melanurus in my tanks mainly due to them picking at pests. I can’t comment on tubeworms but have never had them go after my snails. The one in my main display is an adult now and I also have no issues.

 

[Kostas G.]

Thank you very much for sharing your experience! Does it let the small tubeworms that usually grow on the rock? Do you see any in your tank?

anyone has experience with H. melanurus and Christmas worms?

 

[Aquanino]

No haven’t noticed it picking at the small tubeworms but I hardly have any So maybe it is and I just haven’t noticed. Had Christmas Tree worms, my sailfin Tang bit/ate all of them Lol

 

[Kostas G.]

Thank you very much for your reply !

Did you also have the wrasse at the time? Did he seem to ignore them?

 

[92Miata]

I never had any problems with my melanarus, or my iridis. Some people do though. There's some risk.

 

[mattzang]

melanarus seems to be a bit riskier than other smallish halichoeres with inverts

i'd assume with worms it'd definitely be a risk. i've kept halichoeres wrasses for most of my time in the hobby and bristleworms don't seem to be an issue for me and i can only assume i have the wrasses to thank for that

 

[saltyhog]

I have a 6" Halichoeres melasmapomas in a tank with Christmas tree worms, feather dusters and a Coco worm without any issues. I also have skunk cleaner shrimp x2, blood shrimp x2, Yellow coral banded shrimp x1 without any issues.

I have also kept H. chrysotaenia(close relative of melanurus) and H. chrysus without problems with shrimp, snails or feather dusters.

 

[CindyKz]

I've never specifically tried Christmas worms, but I've tried feather dusters. They are always dead within a week (sometimes less). I can't specifically point the finger at my melanarus wrasse since I've never witnessed anything, but he is a likely culprit. I don't keep anything else that would be likely to bother worms.

 

[Kostas G.]

Thank you very much for your replies, I greatly appreciate it that you shared your experience with Halichoeres and feather dusters/Christmas worms!

What is the best approach to add one so that it won’t harm the Christmas worms? Add as small as possible? Add one that does not eat snails and urchins so that it’s most probably a docile one? Few keep feather duster to know if they are on its menu or not.

@saltyhog what is your approach to wrasse selection/addition/keeping that has yield you such a consistent result of good wrasses that won’t bother your worms?

Cindy, we’re the worms having their feathers eaten? Or dying in another manner?

 

[Tamberav]

I keep several...all bought when small. Some have grown to a decent size and they are not safe with small worms, small snails, or sexy shrimp. One also pecked at emerald crabs. I can not keep small hermits either but have one large one.

My yellow coris has been the safest but it is also growing very slow compared to some of the others so I think it has more to do with size. My Timor has been the least safe. I don't have a melanarus but when I did it would bash small snails on the rocks but it was a large supermale so it was to be expected.

They get fed 3-5 times a day and are FAT so it's not a food thing...they just never stop looking for more.

I wouldn't be surprised if one bad egg taught the others as they tend to swarm and eyeball when they think another fish found something.

 

[Streetlamp]

I have a Timor wrasse who likes nassarius snails. If they are out in day light she will flip them and I have seen here with a snail extracted from its shell. It leaves other snails and hermits alone.

 

[Kostas G.]

Thank you very much for your replies!

I also think this has to do with learnt behavior which either one of them discovered or learnt in the wild

I had one Zanclus go after lps and SPS. Then my tangs went after SPS too!! Thankfully when I removed the Zanclus the tangs eventually wore out of this habit

 

[CindyKz]

Cindy, we’re the worms having their feathers eaten? Or dying in another manner?

Some retracted and stayed that way until I found their empty tubes with what looked like bite or tear marks in them.

One just jumped out of his tube altogether, I found him floating around. Then he just dissapeared.

 

[Swanky]

So I've had one in my LPS/Softy tank for about 6 months now. So far I've seen him pick at some of the spaghetti worms I had in the sand bed, I question if there are really any left now, tentacles are hard to see as of late - I have also come home to see substrate kicked up on to the live rock in spots so I have little to no doubt he does what nature intended him to do and pick at "pests".

However I will say he's a model citizen otherwise, and never seems much interested in my trochus snails and micro hermits. Always has that ornery look in his eyes though

 

[Kostas G.]

Thank you very much for your replies everyone!
Just so you know for future reference, I did get that Halichoeres melanurus. He has been a model citizen for me for the most part. He does not go after my Christmas feathers, nor my snails, urchin, starfish or hermit crabs. He eats the tiny brittle stars and smashes them to pieces when he can get them off the rocks. But 1 year after I still have way too many. Overall he is a great fish, he never learnt to eat things he shouldn’t and doesn’t chase any other fish