Big Fat Worm. Is it good?
- Thread starter 9kin
- Start date
It might be easier to identify if you had a close up of the front of the worm while it was underwater. You will want to look at pictures of Eurythoe complanata (beneficial), Hermodice (bad, but uncommon in our tanks from what I've read), Eunicid, and Oenone Fulgida (bad).
That last is known for leaving slime at the scene of its attacks, but I think there is certain amount of slime associated with any worm.
Further reading:
http://www.ronshimek.com/annelids.html
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php
That last is known for leaving slime at the scene of its attacks, but I think there is certain amount of slime associated with any worm.
Further reading:
http://www.ronshimek.com/annelids.html
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php
Sandberg1222
New member
That does not look like a starfish. It looks like a eucnid worm that I would take out. They will eat zoos and other corals
Sandberg1222
New member
sorry wrong thread 
MagicReefer
New member
Bristle Worm. Used to be that they were bad in the trade, now it is just another cleaner and a good sign of a healthy tank. I personaly would get rid of it, but they say it is not harmful. I wouldnt trust it. But that is just me.
firsttimereefer
New member
I don't think its a bristle worm I have never seen one that was red
Swanwillow
goby girl
too big, I'd take it out and throw it
ravenmore
New member
Ron was a great resource here when I started. Is he still around?
The Escaped Ape
In The Canopy
From the size and coloration, it kind of looks like a fireworm rather than standard bristleworm to me. The latter are a harmless detritivore, the former like a bristleworm on steroids, capable of inflicting a nasty sting.
The Escaped Ape
In The Canopy
most of the fireworms I've seen have very long bristles. Really hard to tell what it is from the pic. Most likely its a harmless species of bristleworm. Congrats on the free clean up crew.
I had assumed that, out of the water and with a layer of slime, the bristles on a fireworm might not be apparent. The coloration and size is more or less similar.
As for harmless, I'd be worried that something this size might run out of enough detritus in a normal sized tank and then you get to know the meaning of omnivore!
shrimphead
New member
it annoys me when people say "it's just a harmless bristle worm" when they don't even know what type it is and they think all marine worms act the same.:headwallblue:
ravenmore
New member
lol - dude, switch to decaf.
I've been doing this for a while and I managed an LFS at one time. Encountering a worm that actually causes problems is pretty darn rare. Unless you are having problems that could be attributed to it I wouldn't worry about it. I had a super huge worm in a 150 gallon with a deep sand bed that I didn't even know was there until I broke the tank down and was scooping out the sand. Thing was the size of a snake.
Anyway if you're worried put it in the sump until you get an ID. You could throw it out I guess to be 'on the safe side' but I personally hate killing things without knowing for sure - even if it is just a 'harmless bristleworm'.
SushiGirl
Premium Member
It annoys me when people say "If you don't know what it is, it must be bad" or "it's too big, get rid of it" LOL. I know some people who have gotten rid of some great hitchhiking livestock because people who didn't know what it was started screaming that it must be bad and to kill it.
The Escaped Ape
In The Canopy
On the other hand, there's no way of knowing what damage something that big is doing when you're not looking. Well, until it's too late that is.
I'd err on the side of caution myself, but it's a personal decision I guess.
I'd err on the side of caution myself, but it's a personal decision I guess.
