My royal gramma emerges from his nook every now and then with a full beard and I always get a good laugh (now that I know it's no big deal).

Come to think of it since getting a melanarus I don't see any emerge from the rockwork during feeding time. Lately the only I come across live in the small divot between the stream 2 pumps and the magnet mounts. Guaranteed to find one behind all 4 pumps every time I clean them.

My potters wrasse had a facefull, even in an eye. Never ate after that and died. Just happened 2 weeks ago.

how do you know it was from a bristleworm?
theres certainly many more potential candidates in your tank, no?...

'Cause when I grabbed on to a rock a while back that had a huge brisstle worm on or in it I had the same brisstles in my hand. What else would be in there to cause that?

a bristle worm for sure. I get those bristles in my fingers all the time and they are like glass needles. I can imagine that it is enough to cause a fish to become blind and stop eating or get an infection.

my cleaner shrimp will even eat the smaller ones that climb into his area