Fireworm?

[Eytan529]

Hey all, I bought some live rock off someone online a few months ago. My tank now seems to be infested with worms (hundreds). I spent a fair bit of time researching and getting help from local community pages. Consensus seems to be rather divided.

If these are normal bristle worms I have no issue keeping them in the tank.

I have tried traps and only seem to catch’s a few every now and then. I have resorted to moving my fish and most coral into a separate tank and try starve the buggers out. It has been a month now of no food and they are still there in mass.

Some of them are over 10-13cm long.

I really do not want to have to dip my live rock off possible.

I managed to catch one bullsy worm stretching out on the sand the other week and managed to get some alright photos of them.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[ThisIsTheWay]

I suspect it's most likely bristleworms. I personally have a bristleworm in one of my tanks that's probably 6-8in (15-20cm) in length that looks similar.

If you could get a close-up photo of the head under white light that would help in a positive identification. I believe the fireworms have a more distinct carapace-like structure on their heads and they also have much more vibrant coloration than the worm in your photos.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I believe the fireworms have a more distinct carapace-like structure on their heads and they also have much more vibrant coloration than the worm in your photos.

The color varies depending on the species, but you're right about them having a structure on their heads:

For a relatively easy way to tell if they're fireworms when you have them trapped like this - look for a caruncle (a little sensory organ on their head):

To verify if it has one, see the link below:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/anyone-know-what-a-fireworm-really-looks-like.799596/#post-8519556