XXL Bristleworm or fireworm?

[Miami Reef]

I'm so sorry! I guess I need to research live rock vendors again...

Please consider before adding those rocks. I wish I never did. I never dealt with bubble algae in any tank except for this one which I know the KP rocks added them. It was such a stupid mistake.

While all fire worms are bristleworms, not all bristleworms are fireworms. IME, the ones that only come out at night (or possibly right after feeding the tank) are harmless. If they are out when the lights are on, "prowling" the tank, then they're definitely bad guys.

How long ago did you add the live rock?

(And I'm sorry, I somehow missed the tag from a couple weeks ago!)

These “fireworms” that I have only come out at night.

I added the rocks last year, in July, 2022.

I remember I had the rocks in a tub. I put a cup with pellets in the tub overnight. The next morning, I caught a “bristle worm” the same size as the first picture. I happen to have read that bristle worms are good CUC, so I literally added it right into my display. Stupid me.

Anyway, I’m sure there were othe bristleworms in the rocks, so it probably didn’t make any difference anyway.

I got mantis shrimp from the KP rocks, too.

After curing the rocks in the tub for a day, I put the rocks on a table to see if any critters would come out. I left the rocks on the table for 5 minutes. Nothing came out.

 

[Miami Reef]

I’m going to order another of those traps. It seems very effective. I am also going to feed the tank less heavy to encourage the worms to get trapped. These traps should work well. Like I said, I caught 6-10 XL worms already.

It took a lot of trial and error with the traps. They are neutrally buoyant, so I put a very dense, heavy reef safe magnet inside that weights it down.

Today I had a great idea of putting a clear fishing line on the trap. Now pulling the trap will be easier in my tall and large tank.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Please consider before adding those rocks. I wish I never did. I never dealt with bubble algae in any tank except for this one which I know the KP rocks added them. It was such a stupid mistake.

These “fireworms” that I have only come out at night.

I added the rocks last year, in July, 2022.

I remember I had the rocks in a tub. I put a cup with pellets in the tub overnight. The next morning, I caught a “bristle worm” the same size as the first picture. I happen to have read that bristle worms are good CUC, so I literally added it right into my display. Stupid me.

Anyway, I’m sure there were othe bristleworms in the rocks, so it probably didn’t make any difference anyway.

I got mantis shrimp from the KP rocks, too.

After curing the rocks in the tub for a day, I put the rocks on a table to see if any critters would come out. I left the rocks on the table for 5 minutes. Nothing came out.

Yeah, it looks like the bad ones are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular too... So it's been in there for a year and is just now causing problems? I used to only see the skinnier bristleworms that look basically like earthworms with "fringe". I started seeing the flat, wide ones in my frag tank and tried to remove all of them before putting the coral/rocks in my new tank, but probably didn't get them all. I don't think mine looked as icky as yours does though!

 

[CoralB]

IMO they are all bad

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

@EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal

I’m leaning toward a harmless bristleworm. Do you agree?

it's definitely one of the large worms I got from the kp rock! I just removed one the other day after I thought I got the last one a few months ago, the one I saw going after my goby. after I removed that last one my fish has been out of hiding and looking better, the one the other day was about that big also, all my bristle worms I've had for years never even get close to that size. idk what it is exactly but I would and did toss them out quick

my 2 cents..

 

[Slocke]

I feel like everyone has bristleworms which make me suspect you have fireworms. I have a ton and never seen a fish with bristles except in the mouth and none had issues.

I could not care less about either bristleworms or bubble algae but then my foxes love bubble algae and not corals.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yeah, it looks like the bad ones are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular too... So it's been in there for a year and is just now causing problems? I used to only see the skinnier bristleworms that look basically like earthworms with "fringe". I started seeing the flat, wide ones in my frag tank and tried to remove all of them before putting the coral/rocks in my new tank, but probably didn't get them all. I don't think mine looked as icky as yours does though!

No, they caused problems before (that picture of it eating the coral was about a year ago if I remember correctly), but I never did anything about them. I had mysterious euphyllia deaths, but they seem more interested in frags. They never caused fish issues until now.

 

[Miami Reef]

I feel like everyone has bristleworms which make me suspect you have fireworms. I have a ton and never seen a fish with bristles except in the mouth and none had issues.

I could not care less about either bristleworms or bubble algae but then my foxes love bubble algae and not corals.

I have a good foxface that’s taking care of the bubble algae, but the algae grows in the overflow teeth. It’s just another chore for me which I never had to deal with in my tanks before adding these KP rocks.

I don’t really care about bubble algae. It’s just on top of the fireworms that is making me kick myself.

 

[Miami Reef]

I feel like everyone has bristleworms which make me suspect you have fireworms. I have a ton and never seen a fish with bristles except in the mouth and none had issues.

I could not care less about either bristleworms or bubble algae but then my foxes love bubble algae and not corals.

I saw a dragon wrasse at my LFS. I wasn’t going to buy it, but it made me think of you for sure.

 

[Slocke]

I have a good foxface that’s taking care of the bubble algae, but the algae grows in the overflow teeth. It’s just another chore for me which I never had to deal with in my tanks before adding these KP rocks.

I don’t really care about bubble algae. It’s just on top of the fireworms that is making me kick myself.

Yeah I feel that. When my asterinas suddenly got a taste for Zoas and killed several frags I was so mad

 

[Miami Reef]

This is what I caught this morning (2 worms at once; highest score!)

@ISpeakForTheSeas

Ps, these pics make me shudder. I really get disgusted from these worms. When I poke them, their spines extend which makes me want to throw up. I am shaking in disgust right now just thinking about it.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I too have had issues I blame on the rock I'm glad I kept it to one tank, I won't go to far into pointing fingers because it's on me, but I was getting bubble algae and ulva growth also, i used a few treatments of algaefix since I don't have room for Herbivorous fish and it was in my small tank that I feel comfortable experimenting with. it took a few months to see results but it cleared both of those up, it didn't touch the red turf algae that stuff is resilient, but all of those came in on the rock and I cleaned the rocks as good as I thought I could, but I would definitely do a hypo salinity dip if I got the rock again I've done that since and the crittes come flying out, worms too!

 

[CoralB]

Get em all !!

 

[Miami Reef]

I purchased this trap:

Bristle Worm Trap with Window (Black)

I got about 6-10 of those large bristle worms within 1.5 weeks.

Unfortunately, the worms are only getting harder to catch, and they’ve started becoming very destructive.

I recently purchased a yellow halichoeres wrasse. One day I noticed fireworm bristles all over its face and dorsal spine. It died about 2 days later.

Today my royal gramma fish has the same bristle spines all over its face and “chin.”

I’m afraid it won’t make it either. I wish there was a chemical that can eliminate all fireworms. I REGRET ever adding KP rocks. It was the biggest mistake I’ve made. I never dealt with bristle worms before. They are destroying some of my Frogspawn, hammer, and torch frags. Now they are messing with my fish.

Update about this issue,


The Royal gramma healed fine and shed off all the bristles!! It’s still alive and doing well! It shed off the bristles after about 2 days from the incident!