Giant red worm

[traveldrop]

I was going to check on my tank after the lights went out to check on my fish and I see this giant worm come out of my sump is this worm useful are harmful to my tank it is over 6 inches long

 

[Adrift]

Looks like you have a bristle worm. They can be part of CuC. Depends if you want to keep them. If you have to many it can look unsettling. How big is your tank? He came out of your plumbing from your sump?

 

[Just John]

What they said.
I hate ones that are that big! I also caught one eating one of my mushrooms a while back. There are DIY traps that you can make, but that one would be tough because it is so long it wouldn't go all the way into most traps. Lets hope it goes back into the sump.

Also, do not touch it with your bare hands!!!! The bristles will stick into you fingers and don't come out easily.

If you make a DIY trap with straws and a bottle (lots of instructions on R2R) you can do what I did with a long one. It has to go into a straw to get into the bottle where the food is. I waited until I saw it half way in the bottle and quickly reached in to squeeze the straw so it couldn't move and lifted the trap out.

 

[Forty-Two]

That actually might be a fire worm and not a bristle worm. Fire worms = bad. Hopefully this will give you a bump and someone else can answer with more experience.

 

[Solga]

I have had a few bristle worms in the past, and can vouch for everything said here so far. They can be good, or can be bad depending on what you want. I have always trapped and gotten rid of them when they get more than a couple inches long. As Just John said, do not touch them with bare hands ! It's like a piece of fiberglass that was dipped in turpentine...ask me how I know
From what I can gather of the picture, it is a bristleworm, and not a fire worm. Fireworms are usually a brighter red, and bristle worms are usually more pinkish colored.
Also, from what I have read, all fireworms are actually bristle worms, but not all bristle worms are fire worms.

So, in the end, it's up to you on whether or not you keep it, but if it was my tank, it would be out !

 

[traveldrop]

Looks like you have a bristle worm. They can be part of CuC. Depends if you want to keep them. If you have to many it can look unsettling. How big is your tank? He came out of your plumbing from your sump?

It’s a forty gallon and yes it has been living in my sump plumbing

 

[JGT]

That looks like it could be a fireworm. I'd get it out regardless. I've been able to get them out with long tweezers and a flashlight at night.

 

[Forty-Two]

That looks like it could be a fireworm. I'd get it out regardless. I've been able to get them out with long tweezers and a flashlight at night.

Im in agreement - I think its a fireworm as well.

 

[N.Sreefer]

Ya the colors look like a fireworm, I would set a trap for that or yank it if your able to grab it with tweezers. I never bother pulling bristle worms but the color scheme on that one looks alot like the bearded fireworm.

 

[elcapitan1993]

Might be a fireworm, I hope I’m wrong

 

[blaxsun]

Regardless, at 6" it needs to go (it's only going to get larger). And I think there's a better than even chance that it's a fire worm - which as others have pointed out you definitely don't want.

 

[Goaway]

If it is out and about freely like that, it is starving and looking for food. If you like him, target feed the guy and get a picture of the face. I have 1 left that I can see (sometimes) I do miss seeing them. My cbb keeps them from ever coming out of their hiding places now.

If you don't want to chance it being destructive, take some tweezers and remove it. Do not handle with bare hands. You'll need a vinegar soak.