how big do fire worms get?

[iamjoefox]

so i bought some new live rock and took everything out to do some aquascaping. and in the cloudyness of the tank i see something bright red and about 6-8 inches squirming around. i assume it's a fire worm. how bad would it have been if it stung me? haha

 

[made4water]

wow man 6 to 8 inches! thats amazing. I just set up a 46g bow front . the live rock i got had been sitting in a show tank at my local fish store. well now im finding all these bristle worms. some are solid red, which i also assume are fire worms. everything that i hear about them is bad so i figured i needed to get them out. any suggestions on how i go about doing this?
Logan

 

[nakadoc]

Heres one I caught in my tank a few weeks ago, its kind of scary looking. I left it in a bowl on the kitchen counter for my wife when she got up, she was not to pleased with my surprise :notsure:

 

[bang guy]

how big do fire worms get?
The largest I ever saw was 23 feet long.
The largest one I currently have in my tank is about 18" long.

 

[bcott]

Are they safe when they get that big and also do you guys no anything about green bristle worms?

 

[maingo]

I have one thats about 18inchs in my reef, he doesn't seem to hurt anything nor does he come out to scare my family, so I havent tried to take him out yet. The day he gets bold enough to stay out in the daylight he is one gone pecan hehe.. They are one of the ugliest sea creatures IMO.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by bcott
Are they safe when they get that big
The size doesn't matter. Some species are destructive. Very few but they do show up from time to time. A 10 foot detrivore will still only eat detritus.

 

[mudplayerx]

The destructive fireworms are beared at the head. They also have a more flattened body cross-section than beneficial fireworms. Another distinctive characteristic of the destructive fireworms are overly large, red gill tufts around the calcareous bristle bundles.
Sorry if I used the wrong terminology. I wouldn't even think about removing any fireworms from your tank unless you start to see nibble marks on your corals. In that case, a nightly inspection with a red-lensed flashlight should be done to identify the culprit before doing more damage than good by accidently removing beneficial fauna.

 

[bcott]

Has anyone ever heard or know anything about this thing that I have? It looks just like a red fireworm but green. Thanks

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by bcott
Has anyone ever heard or know anything about this thing that I have? It looks just like a red fireworm but green. Thanks
Maybe, start your own thread?

 

[nygel]

I've got two that are a good foot or so, I had a 2 foot one in my 10 gallon (sucked) I don't like em... wish to get rid much. Oh well.

 

[iamjoefox]

well i got it out of the tank its residing in a container right now, this is a FOWLR set up right now. what would it hurt if i put it back in? other than me trying to move stuff.

 

[richarl5]

I don't know if it would really hurt anything, but personally I would not keep a 8 inch worm that could sting me in my tank.

 

[the j.o.p.]

damn bang you should set that thing up it's own tank!!!!!!!:scared:

 

[mudplayerx]

They don't actually sting. They have calcareous bundles of hairs on each segment of their body that can poke you and break off into your flesh. This leaves you with a prickly itch much like if you grabbed some fiberglass.
These are for defence only and bristleworms have no means of attacking you. However, be careful when picking up or moving around live rock.