?BRISLE WORM???

Question
QUESTION: hey i read your older post on the brisle worm. i have a 8 feet tank that i just
started up again. i had put a clown fish for 2 month to make sure the water
and everything was good for the new fish i baught. i baught 5 other fish and
they seemed ok. then i baught  2 cleaner shrimp a yellow tang and a pouder
blue tang. a hour after i put the cleaner shrimp  and it was fine for hour then i
looked and it was just siting there and i looked around the side and what
looked to be a brisle worm was eating it from  the inside out while it was
alive. my tank is deep so i cant reach the bottom so i couldnt even try to
catch the thing. then i checked the tank the next day and my other cleaner
shrimp was gone. and i went to my local pet store and they said it could be a
brisle worm then i called j&l aquatics 1800 line and he said he has no idea
what it is because brisle worms usualy dont kill things and he asked how it
has been serviving thats wen i noticed hundreds of snail shells on the floor so
it must of been feeding off all my snails he also said that he didnt no what it
was but he thought i was dealing with a agressive worm. so i orderd a pest
trap thats ment for brisle worms and he told me to put live bait in it so i put a
crab in there that way at least the crab could put up a fight so maybe it could
do some damage but i still havent caught anything HELPP ! ! !


ANSWER: Hi j-linne,

I would like to point out that Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) do shed their carapace. After shedding (molting) they are vulnerable for many hours until their new carapace hardens. Therefore make sure to have many rocks, caves and hiding places for this animal to seek refuge when needed. Otherwise you'll have purchased expensive meals for your other fish.

Note: when cleaner shrimp shed, they leave their carapace laying around the aquarium, and often times with the water current it can look and seem like it's the actual live cleaner shirmp. The carapace usually gets quickly broken down by micro-organisms including (BRISTLE WORMS).

Here is a little more factual information regarding the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp:

In nature the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp is often found in groups amongst live rock or coral. In the home aquarium, the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp requires similar habitats and peaceful tankmates. Some fish, such as Hawkfish and Lionfish or predatory shrimp or crabs may see this member of the Hippolytidae family as food.

Like other invertebrates, the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp is intolerant of copper-based medications, high nitrate levels, and fluctuating water parameters. It also requires the drip-acclimation process when first introduced to your system. Also, proper iodine supplementation is necessary to promote molting and growth. To supplement their diet, feed Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp freeze dried, frozen, and flake foods.

The Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp is also called the Indo-Pacific White-Banded Cleaner Shrimp, Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp or the Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp.

Regarding a (BRISTLE WORM) killing your other fish: Anything is possible because of the many variables involved with keeping a saltwater aquarium, however I don't believe this is the case. Please check your water parameters very carefully for proper levels. Also you may want to retrace the steps you took to originally acclimate your fish, in case you are forgetting to do a step.

Lastly may I recommend putting all new fish in a quarantine tank for some time, to monitor them daily, prior to adding them to your main show tank.

I hope the information I have provided will be of some assistance to you. Don't give up and keeping reading and learning, and eventually you'll master it. Take Care.

Best Regards,
David

All Experts - Editor

http://www.ocreef.com/acclimating_your_new_saltwater_fish_friends - Director









---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey thank you for ur response but i know for  a fact that the worm thing in
my tank ate my shrimp because i watched it do it ! both of them were
perfectly fine and wer not in the process of shedding and the "worm" was
eating it from the inside out. all my water levels are perfectly fine and now my
clown fish that has been in there for 4 month is missing. and it was  the only
clown fish that was shy so my guess is it was hiding in the rocks and that
thhing got to it. the only fish i have serviving are the ones that stay in the
open and arnt shy so it leads me to believe something is geting to them. my
tank has been runing for 7 months 2 1/2 months it had nothing inside it but
snails and magicaly i have noticed i have 0 snails in there. but i didnt realize
this wen i had put my first clown fish in (witch is still alive) <- he not shy and
stays away from the rocks.. the only fish that are gone are the ones that hid  
and they were in perfect condition the day they went mising swiming around
and it seems like all the fish go mising at night?  but i will look into geting a
large size bandded coral shrimp. because so far i have been told i am dealing
with agressive worm but nobody can tell me what it is. thanks anyways.

Answer
J-linne,

No one can tell you what it is, because they would have to visually see it.

Take a clear picture of it, and send it in, then it can be identified.

If you can't do this, then most of the information you will receive, will only be speculation.

Regards,
David

All Experts - Editor

http://www.ocreef.com - Director