There's a lot of hype on the internet and in the hobby that bristle worms are these horrible creatures that are bound to sting you, etc.
It's a bunch of BS really. Yes, some have personal horror stories, but the large majority of us respect the critters and have no issues.
If you grab it with your bare hands, you're going to get stung. Bottom line. That being said, you really shouldn't be touching anything in the hobby bare handed.
In my opinion and in my experience, bristle worms are some of the best members you can have for a cleaning crew. Personally, I don't like the larger ones and tend to remove any that are more than 4-5" that I see. I've never had one kill anything live in my tank, nor have I had one that eats corals as some people claim. There are worms out there that are no good for your tank, but the generic bristle worm is perfectly fine, safe, and usually a very good thing to have in your tank.
