Fireworm?
FIREworm? Or large bristle?
- Thread starter daikaijureefer
- Start date
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Fireworm?
D'sreef
Well-Known Member
To me it does look like a fire worm.
OP
OP
Cool. So, I have to remove this thing now, huh? I just read that they eat corals!?!? 
papercrab
Community Member
Yeah, get rid of it asap. You could rither remove them with tongs, trap them in a fireworm or leach trap or a wrasse/ arrowcrab are also known to eat them. Wear gloves though as they have a nasty sting. You can drop it in a bucket of tap or fresh water to kill it.
OP
OP
It’s really cool looking. I’ll give it that. I never thought I’d get one. lol. So many years of seeing people post “is this a fire worm” and it’s just your average bristleworm. I did a double take and grabbed my camera instead of my tongs, lol. I could have grabbed it last night it was crawling in the sand.
OP
OP
Got em!
OP
OP
OP
OP
RIP little worm. You were truly 
D'sreef
Well-Known Member
That is all of him, they have been known to regenerate if cut or torn into half.RIP little worm. You were truly
D'sreef
Well-Known Member
It posted twiceRIP little worm. You were truly
winxp_man
So Many Tanks, So Little Time
Many wrong answers in here. That is/was a bristle. Have not seen an actual fureworm in a long time. They are more rare in the reef tanks than you know.
I have a massive collection of bristles in my tank. Some are up to 7” long. Love them haha. My tanks squeaky clean.
Here are two colors variations. They have color variations based on how compressed or extended they are at time I feel. Could be wrong. Yea lots of them! Haha! That’s only a fraction of them that I own. By the way I sell them if your interested in a new one if you killed that one!
I have a massive collection of bristles in my tank. Some are up to 7” long. Love them haha. My tanks squeaky clean.
Here are two colors variations. They have color variations based on how compressed or extended they are at time I feel. Could be wrong. Yea lots of them! Haha! That’s only a fraction of them that I own. By the way I sell them if your interested in a new one if you killed that one!
OP
OP
I dunno about that @winxp_man … the worm I pulled out matches the description of a bearded fireworm. I really don’t see the difference.
BristleWormHater
5000 Club Member
I agree, I think the worm is just a mature bristleworm.Many wrong answers in here. That is/was a bristle. Have not seen an actual fureworm in a long time. They are more rare in the reef tanks than you know.
I have a massive collection of bristles in my tank. Some are up to 7” long. Love them haha. My tanks squeaky clean.
Here are two colors variations. They have color variations based on how compressed or extended they are at time I feel. Could be wrong. Yea lots of them! Haha! That’s only a fraction of them that I own. By the way I sell them if your interested in a new one if you killed that one!
Hermodice carunculata, the bearded fireworm isnt really found in areas where liverock and other things are collected for the hobby, they mostly exist in the lower carribean and in the Mediterranean. While most of the livestock and liverock for this hobby come from the indo-pacific and the upper carribean.
Theres also a lot of misinformation about "fireworms" they arent predators, they are mostly detrivores and oppritunistic feeders.
Your worm is also visually different than a bearded fireworm, make sure you use authoritative sources when comparing pictures. Theres a lot of mislabeled pictures, most are from hobbyists thinking they have a fireworm.
OP
OP
The rock came from the keys. So really not far off from the Caribbean and they could be moving northward as the waters are warming.I agree, I think the worm is just a mature bristleworm.Many wrong answers in here. That is/was a bristle. Have not seen an actual fureworm in a long time. They are more rare in the reef tanks than you know.
I have a massive collection of bristles in my tank. Some are up to 7” long. Love them haha. My tanks squeaky clean.
Here are two colors variations. They have color variations based on how compressed or extended they are at time I feel. Could be wrong. Yea lots of them! Haha! That’s only a fraction of them that I own. By the way I sell them if your interested in a new one if you killed that one!
Hermodice carunculata, the bearded fireworm isnt really found in areas where liverock and other things are collected for the hobby, they mostly exist in the lower carribean and in the Mediterranean. While most of the livestock and liverock for this hobby come from the indo-pacific and the upper carribean.
Theres also a lot of misinformation about "fireworms" they arent predators, they are mostly detrivores and oppritunistic feeders.
Your worm is also visually different than a bearded fireworm, make sure you use authoritative sources when comparing pictures. Theres a lot of mislabeled pictures, most are from hobbyists thinking they have a fireworm.
Can you provide a good photo of a bearded fireworm just so we are on the same page here?
fishface NJ
Just keep swimming
@daikaijureefer what you are showing looks like all older bristle worms I have in my tank.
Here is a photo of a fireworm https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/anyone-have-fire-worms.324447/
Here is a photo of a fireworm https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/anyone-have-fire-worms.324447/
OP
OP
The link you provided shows this photo:
That looks just like the worm in my first photo. Please understand that the contrast on this image you linked is turned up WAYYY high. If you take that into account, it looks exactly the same.
OP
OP
Both of these came from my tank. The one on the left is a mature bristle worm. Notice the typical blue stripe in the middle. Notice how it has white tufts, but not distinct bright red tufts? The one on the right is the suspected fire worm. notice how it has bright red tufts. notice how it does not have the blue stripe through the middle. notice how it has very distinct segmentation. The one on the right looks like pretty much every photo I've seen of a bearded fireworm. This is in RODI water, and it's coloration is already very pale compared to when it was first pulled out.
BristleWormHater
5000 Club Member
Heres a pic from the world register of marine species
The body is much darker in color with a distinct yellow tinge in the segments.
The bristles (chaete) are shorter and arranged in two rows along the side of the body, yours looks to only have one row. The red flesh surrounding the bristles is also much brighter.
The body is much darker in color with a distinct yellow tinge in the segments.
The bristles (chaete) are shorter and arranged in two rows along the side of the body, yours looks to only have one row. The red flesh surrounding the bristles is also much brighter.
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