Help Identify Worm?

rbaby

Member
Hi guys,
I saw this big fat "worm" looking thing inside one of the holes of my rocks...so I grab my tweezers and try to yank the thing out...he was very pliable, easily stretching to about 3" but very slow moving as I was able to go after him 3-4 times before he was able to move further in the rock where I couldn't get him. Here is a pic of a little piece that I yanked off of him...help?
Is it dangerous? Should I be worried? I've never seen him before and I've had this rock for ages now. Any help would be appreciated.
 
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ohiosurfer

Guest
That would be a fire worm..... I would not let it come close 2 skin the white arms are like fiberglass and will stick in you so be safe if you do grab on it..... It is not a bad thing and will not hurt anything in your tank
 

rbaby

Member
I was afraid that's what it was :(..Can anyone else confirm fireworms being reef-safe? Thanks for your response.
 

rbaby

Member
Got him!
Figured worst thing that could happen by taking him out is I'm 1 less good worm in my tank...best thing is I'm not taking any risks. Just stuck the rock in ice cold fresh water and waited for him to show himself...however I didn't realize a snail was on the rock and he got dipped too--he was letting go of the rock pretty fast in that water but I picked him up and stuck him back in the tank as fast as I could...he seems to be doing okay but what are his chances of survival from that shock?
 

bigarn

Active Member
Looks like a bristleworm... good to have as a clean up crew member. The snail may recover, just keep an eye on it. :D
 

bang guy

Moderator
It's a Bristleworm but I'm not sure what type. I can't see the head in the picture, can you point me to what part might be the head?
 

rbaby

Member
I have no idea Bang, I've kept it alive though and I've been trying to figure out exactly which way is up. There is a guy on another board who wants to make a tank dedicated to these guys...yes, I know...strange. But he said because of the "sheer" quality of the skin...he's pretty confident it's a Bearded Fireworm...a type of Bristle but falls under the not-so-reef-safe fireworms.
He thinks they're "pretty"...I don't know where he got that idea :thinking: ...I've seen pretty worms in reef tanks, this isn't one of them.
 
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