Bristle worm ID help

[mushroomtank]

Hello - posting the attached to see if I have the dreaded fire worm. Very hard for me to tell. They appear to have red fronds at the base of the bristle bunches leading me to believe they are in fact fire worms. Greatly appreciated!

 

[Nasty_Goblin]

Young fire worms and bristle worms have always been indistinguishable IMO.

Do you have any larger ones in your system?

 

[mushroomtank]

Young fire worms and bristle worms have always been indistinguishable IMO.

Do you have any larger ones in your system?

This is another one. They are all roughly 1/2” - 11/2” in size

 

[Nasty_Goblin]

This is another one. They are all roughly 1/2” - 11/2” in size

That looks like a fire worm to me. But again its still pretty small, take my vote with a grain of salt.

 

[mushroomtank]

yeah

That looks like a fire worm to me. But again its still pretty small, take my vote with a grain of salt.

I thought the same. The first time I saw one I didn't inspect closely thinking in was a harmless bristle worm but corals and inverts have been going missing. Thanks for the response.

 

[lwien01]

This is another one. They are all roughly 1/2” - 11/2” in size

 

[lwien01]

classic fire worm bristle not reef safe i would get a dusky wrasse. That beast will decimate any fire worms in your tank

 

[Nasty_Goblin]

yeah

I thought the same. The first time I saw one I didn't inspect closely thinking in was a harmless bristle worm but corals and inverts have been going missing. Thanks for the response.

You can DIY a trap or pick up a 3D printed one on Etsy or 3D reefing.

Most dotty backs and wrasses will also eat them.

 

[mushroomtank]

classic fire worm bristle not reef safe i would get a dusky wrasse. That beast will decimate any fire worms in your tank

fudge - I have a wrasse in there but clearly they're too big or he's just not doing his job. Thanks for the response.

 

[mushroomtank]

You can DIY a trap or pick up a 3D printed one on Etsy or 3D reefing.

Most dotty backs and wrasses will also eat them.

Going to try the DIY first. Honestly, I left them in there for so long thinking that the fire worms were so rare in the hobby it couldn’t be that but best to get them out.

Thanks again!

 

[PRB83]

I think the idea that fire worms are much worse than "regular" bristle worms has been very blown out of proportion. Fire worm or bristle worm, I've never seen any do any damage to any corals or fish in any of my tanks. They are beneficial scavengers, and are an important part of my cleanup crew. I think some of the confusion for many comes from the fact that the worms are usually the first thing we see on a dying fish or snail. It can be confused as the worms attacking them, but in actuality they were generally dead before the worms arrived. These worms don't have jaws, so they can't really attack fish or snails.

As far as I know, there is only one bristle worm that is a problem in aquaria, and it is very rare. That is the Carribean Bearded Fire Worm. It will eat corals. Again, this worm is very rare in our aquariums.

Here is a great article discussing all types of bristle worms and their benefits in our tanks.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php

Just be careful not to grab them!

 

[mushroomtank]

I think the idea that fire worms are much worse than "regular" bristle worms has been very blown out of proportion. Fire worm or bristle worm, I've never seen any do any damage to any corals or fish in any of my tanks. They are beneficial scavengers, and are an important part of my cleanup crew. I think some of the confusion for many comes from the fact that the worms are usually the first thing we see on a dying fish or snail. It can be confused as the worms attacking them, but in actuality they were generally dead before the worms arrived. These worms don't have jaws, so they can't really attack fish or snails.

As far as I know, there is only one bristle worm that is a problem in aquaria, and it is very rare. That is the Carribean Bearded Fire Worm. It will eat corals. Again, this worm is very rare in our aquariums.

Here is a great article discussing all types of bristle worms and their benefits in our tanks.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php

Just be careful not to grab them!

Great article - thank you for sharing. I am a new-ish hobbyist and there is so much conflicting information out there about this topic in particular, and obviously many many others. I really appreciate the insight - standing down red alert and I will make sure not to grab them :)

 

[mushroomtank]

I think the idea that fire worms are much worse than "regular" bristle worms has been very blown out of proportion. Fire worm or bristle worm, I've never seen any do any damage to any corals or fish in any of my tanks. They are beneficial scavengers, and are an important part of my cleanup crew. I think some of the confusion for many comes from the fact that the worms are usually the first thing we see on a dying fish or snail. It can be confused as the worms attacking them, but in actuality they were generally dead before the worms arrived. These worms don't have jaws, so they can't really attack fish or snails.

As far as I know, there is only one bristle worm that is a problem in aquaria, and it is very rare. That is the Carribean Bearded Fire Worm. It will eat corals. Again, this worm is very rare in our aquariums.

Here is a great article discussing all types of bristle worms and their benefits in our tanks.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php

Just be careful not to grab them!

Follow up thought - I have alot of mushroom corals on or near the substrate. Do you think it might be possible that, while the bristle worms aren't predating on the mushrooms, the spines could be irritating the corals to the point that it would cause them to shrink and dislodge? From what I see the spines are only really flared when the worm is poked or prodded but it seems like a possibility. Food for thought more than anything else but I wanted to share.

 

[PRB83]

Follow up thought - I have alot of mushroom corals on or near the substrate. Do you think it might be possible that, while the bristle worms aren't predating on the mushrooms, the spines could be irritating the corals to the point that it would cause them to shrink and dislodge? From what I see the spines are only really flared when the worm is poked or prodded but it seems like a possibility. Food for thought more than anything else but I wanted to share.

I'm not an expert, but I don't think the bristles will indiscriminately just stick into anything they brush against. I routinely see them crawling under and through my corals, and I've never seen them irritate one. If your mushrooms are expelling, shrinking, or dislodging, I'd take a look at the lighting and flow that they are under. They tend to do best in lower flow and lower lighting. Also, I don't think most mushrooms can adhere to a sandbed alone. They need some rock or rubble to attach to.

 

[mushroomtank]

I'm not an expert, but I don't think the bristles will indiscriminately just stick into anything they brush against. I routinely see them crawling under and through my corals, and I've never seen them irritate one. If your mushrooms are expelling, shrinking, or dislodging, I'd take a look at the lighting and flow that they are under. They tend to do best in lower flow and lower lighting. Also, I don't think most mushrooms can adhere to a sandbed alone. They need some rock or rubble to attach to

I should have mentioned I have a rubble substrate. The lighting is low when I tested I was getting 50 -75 PAR on the bottom where the mushrooms are. Params I check bi weekly and are pretty consistent. Flow could definitely be a contributing factor. I think that the return pump I have for the tank is too powerful for the tank size and even on the lowest setting its still pretty turbulent. I may look into downsizing the RTP.

Thanks again for the insight and help. Very much appreciated!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Easy trap baited with a piece of shrimp cutting a 1 or 2 litre bottle depending on available space in tank

 

[teaktoc]

In addition to trapping one might consider coral banded shrimp. They are nocturnal hunting specialists and will find and consume bristle worms and other pests. I have a pair and still see a few epitopes spiraling in the upper part of the tank most nights yet there are none to be found visible to the eye with rare exception in the system.

 

[vetteguy53081]

In addition to trapping one might consider coral banded shrimp. They are nocturnal hunting specialists and will find and consume bristle worms and other pests. I have a pair and still see a few epitopes spiraling in the upper part of the tank most nights yet there are none to be found visible to the eye with rare exception in the system.

Ive never known nor heard of a coral banded feasting on a bristleworm, however an Arrow crab 100% will

Arrow:

Here is one eating a bristleworm

 

[mushroomtank]

Ive never known nor heard of a coral banded feasting on a bristleworm, however an Arrow crab 100% will

Arrow:

Here is one eating a bristleworm

I love the Arrow crabs. They look prehistoric. I went to my LFS yesterday and there was a huge one, but I think it would have been far too big for my current tank set up.

I have all my corals in a IM Nuvo 14g peninsula and its already pretty cramped in there. I am in the process of cycling a IM 40g and will transfer everything over when that tank is good to go. I am planning on dipping all the corals for the transfer which hopefully takes care of *most migrating pests.

Thanks for the suggestion. Do the Arrow crabs pick at corals?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I love the Arrow crabs. They look prehistoric. I went to my LFS yesterday and there was a huge one, but I think it would have been far too big for my current tank set up.

I have all my corals in a IM Nuvo 14g peninsula and its already pretty cramped in there. I am in the process of cycling a IM 40g and will transfer everything over when that tank is good to go. I am planning on dipping all the corals for the transfer which hopefully takes care of *most migrating pests.

Thanks for the suggestion. Do the Arrow crabs pick at corals?

Ive had a few and sold many and never had an issue. With coral, they will go after any food that falls within, but do not target coral