2 questions need advice please

smitty65 · 07-05-2008, 05:07 AM

First...I have bristle worms like you wouldn't believe ! I move a rock and there are at least 20+ under it. I know they are good scavengers but I want something to help keep them under control. I feed lightly ( once a day ) but they still seem to be multiplying. I was thinking 6 line wrasse but was worried about aggression issues I have read about. It's a 75g reef with the following:
pair pink skunk clowns..firefish..coral beauty..pair pj cardinals..1 chromis..mandarin. Can I add one or is there something else that would eat them ?

Second...I have a 6" dogface puffer in my 210g fowlr. I have had him a little over a month. Some days he is fine and out swimming while other days he is completely black and hiding in the rockwork. I feed him once everyday..krill, silversides or squid. Thought of trying raw table shrimp for the harder shell. I have to feed him by feeding stick as the woman who had him before me did this and he won't just "eat" like a normal fish. Is this normal behavior? I can't find anything specific to this on the net. Thanks for any help !

Boredm · 07-05-2008, 05:22 AM

coral banded shrimp for the bw's. no idea about the puffer...

smitty65 · 07-05-2008, 05:37 AM

Will the CB kill other shrimp? I have 2 peppermint shrimp that I bought for aiptasia control. Think they are allergic to it. Won't even go near the stuff.

Tangster · 07-05-2008, 07:15 AM

Look Bristle worms are not a totally bad thing I have them all in my tank and would worry about a system with any or a very few in it. If the average person flipped on a light at 4 AM they'd never put their hands in the tank again.

If you have to large of a population then thats the way to see you are way overly feeding the system. Like all scavengers hell all animals even the higher the food availability the higher the animals that feed on the food population numbers. And since they only come out at night and feed on whats laying around then you have to be putting to much food in .

GuitarMan89 · 07-05-2008, 08:02 AM

I have a six line and love him. The only aggression issue may be the coral beauty. However, you may be fine. Mine picks at the rock and such all day.

Jakerupe · 07-05-2008, 08:32 AM

I had a puffer and had a similiar thing, had to nudge floating pellets to get him to eat.. evidently they like live food. Try buying some ghost shrimp or something but if he is eating you may not want to worry.

As for the worms Tangster's right you'll always have them. They are like earthworms so don't worry too much about them. I don't know if Six Line Wrasse eat them or not, but I have personally had Arrow crabs and Neon Pseudochromis. I have a six line and it is not an aggressive fish in my tank. The problem with the Arrow Crab and Neon that I have had is that once the worms are gone it is seems that it is just a matter of time before they die (starvation?).

smitty65 · 07-05-2008, 12:11 PM

Thanks guys. I came here because I was told by a LFS employee that too many bristle worms could be bad. I always double check what I am told there by asking people who actually have a tank and don't just work in a LFS.
I'm trying to figure out how I could be overfeeding. They get 1 pinch of formula 1 or 2 in the AM then 1 cube of brine or mysis at night. Would that be considered over feeding ? Should I do one feeding a day of one or the other?

Crabby Jim · 07-05-2008, 02:49 PM

Don't Arrow Crabs also eat bristle worms ?

GuitarMan89 · 07-05-2008, 05:01 PM

one cube of brine shrimp may be alot, I have a 55, but only use small pieces or scrapings off of the cubes, I find that my fish don't even eat all of this, their still small, but I find in general one of those frozen cubes is alot of food.