Fire worm/Bristle worm ??

[debbiesa]

I have a tank that is almost a year old. Last week I discovered (after the lights went out) that I have a worm in my tank. It was feeding on a new goby I had put into the tank the previous day. I don't know if it killed the goby or was feasting on it after it died. It's a very big (long) worm. I would say well over 30 cm / 11.8 inches. It's orange/red in color with bristles. Really eeeery! Any ideas on what it could be and how I can get it out of my tank? It's really fast!

 

[fallnhorse]

I wouldn't want any worm in my tank over 4 inches, and they can get up to 10 ft in tanks, ugly. Once they get big it doesn't matter they are a problem. Plus give me the creeps when they get a foot long..lol

 

[t316]

Can you get any pics of the worm? Most are good, just feeding off of the dead stuff, so this may not have killed your fish. But that is a big one. Is there more than one leg to it, or just one big worm?

 

[debbiesa]

I've been reading up on the internet about fire worms / bristle worms. There seems to be 2 schools of thought. Those who like them and those who don't. This worm is really creepy. But if it's not harmful to fish and corals, it seems a shame to take it out. You don't see in during the day. It comes out when the lights go off (late at night). I'm going to try and video it but I think I'll need an infra-red lens. As soon as you shine a light on it and goes back into it's hole in the live rock.

 

[debbiesa]

I think this is the best write up I've come across. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php. Our worm is definitely Eurythoe complanata. If this is the case, it seems beneficial. It may have been munching on a dead goby. (it didn't seem to healthy when I bought it, but it was the last one at the store). I'm not sure if I should remove it (even though it's eery). Thoughts?

 

[peef]

For the most part bristle worms and fireworms wont hurt that much. It was most likly eating the goby after it died or as it was on its last leg. They can get a little froggy and start to munch on some LPS corals and some even eating SPS corals. If you want to keep it as they are a GREAT detritus eater and sand sifter/mover, I would buy a flashlight and put some red filament over the lense and stay up at night and observe its habits. If you notice corals disappearing or receding then yours might be a problem. You can snatch them up with tweezers ONLY if it is completely out of hiding. If you break them in half then you now have two worms. You can buy some traps for them there is debate over success with them. If you see what rock he lives in you could remove it and do a quick freshwater dip. He will come screaming out when you do that, just don't touch him they hurt like heck. Good luck to yah!

 

[sepulatian]

They are very beneficial scavengers that will sift through your sand. I would keep him in. I too doubt that he killed your goby.

 

[paintballer768]

Most of the types of bristle/fire worms found in our systems are not hunters at all. As mentioned, theyre great scavengers and are beneficial in this manner for our tanks. If I saw a foot long worm in my tank, I would probably flip something over and be incredibly scared

.
Most likely he was eating the dead/dying goby. Killing a goby on its very last leg is about as close to aggressive as they get. The flashlight trick would work, just watch him for a bit after the lights go out and as long as he doesnt touch anything or any of your corals you should be good.

 

[debbiesa]

We've done the night light thing, and tried to catch this worm with all sorts of tricks. It is extremely fast. We can lure it to the bait, but it's so long it's able to keep it's tail in the rock and stretch across the tank. As soon as it is aware of someone/something it shoots back into it's hole. Unlike the rest of the inhabitants, it's sensitive to the red light and movement.
I do have corals receding (over a long period). They say over 6 inches, it's not a good idea to keep them. I have managed to record the worm on video. In the process, we found a large peanut worm (I want to keep) and many small bristle worms.
The rock it lives in is deep in the tank and I want to avoid disrupting my tank.
So, we are going to continue with the hunt. I'm going to try and capture this on video too.

 

[paintballer768]

You could try using a bottle/mollusk shell trick. Put food in the trap, and watch it. As long as it may be, try to get it out of its rock completely and into the shell. Then it can be taken out easily, and with no burning hairs in your hand

 

[debbiesa]

Can you tell me more about the bottle/shell trick? How do I make it?

 

[1journeyman]

Just as a reminder, please do not post links to other forums, competitor sites, site that advertise, etc.
Fireworms are just a specific type of Bristleworm. as noted, they are beneficial scavengers.