will fire worms hurt seahorses?

[hypno]

I have just discovered several fairly large fire worms in my tank.
Will they hurt either my seahorses, cleaner shrimp, or for that matter will they hurt anything? Thank you for your response.

 

[ophiura]

In general, they are normal and beneficial animals in a tank. A few can get very large, and possibly be problematic, but this is not really common.
They typically scavenge for food. If you notice a lot, then consider the amount that you feed.

 

[hypno]

Thank you.

 

[poniegirl]

Bristle and fire worms can be extremely harmful to seahorses if they are mistaken for food and are snicked into the snout. Often, the seahorse can "spit" out the worm, but it can be fatal if they cannot.
It is a problem because seahorses hunt pods and pods and bristleworms commonly are found in our live rock.
A lot of seahorse keepers prefer fake decorations in the tank, I think for this very reason.
The large worms are probably not an issue, but when they reproduce, the smaller worms would be of concern.