Help ID

wannaheli · Nov 4, 2017

I found this worm today at around 11 am while lights were still off. It was at least 2 inches long and was two tone in color. Red at the tip and greenish if I remember correctly. It crawled back into its hole before I could get a good picture.

aKlevans · Nov 4, 2017

Bristleworm

wannaheli · Nov 4, 2017

He came out again and I got a better picture. Is he a good guy or bad guy? He is pretty big.

aKlevans · Nov 4, 2017

Yep, bristleworm, good guy. If you want, you can remove him if you think he is too big.

Lovemyreef2015 · Nov 4, 2017

To add, if you remove it make sure not to use your bare hands! Use tweezers

LetItReef · Nov 4, 2017

And u probably have few of them.

wannaheli · Nov 5, 2017

I saw him again today. This time I saw him completely out, moving from one rock to another. I’m inclined to keep him since it was pretty cool - but not if he is going to hurt corals, fish, or any of the inverts.

I saw a pretty neat worm trap made of glass on eBay for $3. It was a cool contraption so I got it just in case I want to catch some of the worms.

Maritimer · Nov 5, 2017

These guys are scavengers who can go where few others of their mass and appetite can venture. If you overfeed, they can overpopulate, but as a general rule they're good to have around.

Just don't grab one. Those bristles are like glass fibre insulation.

~Bruce

Oldsalt01 · Nov 5, 2017

Years ago I had a 30g FOWLR that had them up to 6" long! Never bothered the other inhabitants and helped keep the tank clean. They will give you a nasty sting if ya grab them bare handed. The bristles break off in your skin and can lead to a nasty infection. I learned the hard way and used duct tape to pull the bristles out.

wannaheli · Nov 22, 2017

Good to know. I just hope mine are not the fireworms that I have been reading about. I saw a second one today. It’s about half the size of the other one that I have seen. Below is a picture of him.

Lovemyreef2015 · Nov 22, 2017

That's a bristle worm. You will defentitly know if you have a fireworm. Here are pictures for reference, first one is a bristle worm. Now there are different types of fireworms but you can see there is a big difference.