What makes bristle worms so bad?

[Tennyson]

I've read all these books and they say that they could do damage to corals and stuff like that. But no one here seems to say anything like that. And others say they are good because they eat leftover foods.

But whats the real answer? Are they good in a reef tank or not? And why?

Thanks!

 

[Fat Man]

Those commonly found in reef tanks are great detrivores and as such are excellent members of the cleanup crew. Their populations tend to be self regulating based on food supply.

 

[bencozzy]

bristle worms make horrible pets. i mean i like to touch my critters and well i dont like having itch fingers after petting my bristle worms.

 

[Tennyson]

Haha, agreed, I find them disturbing. After seeing them before I go to bed, I get scared that one will come in from under my sheets and bite me or something. But if they're good, than I guess its ok, still don't like them.

so all they do is eat leftovers? No records of them eating or damaging corals?

 

[greenbean36191]

Ok, so to make a long story short the conflicting information comes from ambiguous use of common names and a lack of precise identification. Basically lots of worms with different behaviors are getting lumped under the same name.

Now the long version:
In the broadest sense the term bristleworm covers all of the polychaetes (which roughly translates to many bristles). These are virtually all of the segmented worms in your tank from hair worms and featherdusters to fireworms and eunicids. Obviously there is a lot of morphological diversity in the group and about as much behavioral diversity. Many are harmless, but many can cause problems.

When most hobbyists talk about bristleworms they're actually referring more specifically to fireworms which are all of the worms with the little calcium bristles that sting you when you grab them. Almost all of these guys are harmless and even desirable in a reef tank. The few exceptions are Hermodice carunculata and Pherecardia striata, both of which are extremely rare in the hobby, but will eat sessile inverts. To make things really confusing though, a lot of times when people in the hobby say "fireworm" they actually mean Hermodice.