Pet Bristleworm

dhanking · Sep 12, 2020

I found a huuuge bristleworm on a coral frag and the guy at the shop picked it up with his bare hands I'm surprised he didn't get stung (is it possible to get immune to the sting) but I put it in my QT and it is just sitting there.My QT is gonna be full of fish and I am probably gonna dose medications, I need to deal with it .The first question is “is it a fireworm?” Second question is “is it okay to put in my DT?“ I think that all life is valuable so I would prefer keeping it alive.

ludnix · Sep 12, 2020

The sting doesn't react the same for everyone. Personally I locally swell up about 4 hours after the fibers get in my hand. Its not debilitating but annoying. You can put it in your display but wear gloves or use caution when lifting rocks or corals off your sand in the future. They are a good detrivore but certainly can be irritating when directly exposed to them.

These kinds of segmented polychaetes have reproductive organs in every segment so they very prolific. If you add him expect to have them multiply. If you ever add zoa colonies or corals encrusted on rocks that are not aggressively dipped they will also likely ride along.

I have had them in most of my aquariums and I don't find them to be an issue but everyone has different standards of what they would like to have in their tank.

ichthyogeek · Sep 13, 2020

^^. Just because one guy seems "immune" to the sting, doesn't mean that you're also immune sadly.

If it's not a fireworm, you'll be fine. If it is...well, you can set it up in its own little bowl and stuff and set up a fireworm tank! A lot of people complain about bristleworms because of how "unsightly" they are, but I really like them. They're great scavengers, and they only get a bad rap from the fireworms and bobbits that get into the tanks. And also irate fishkeepers who should learn to wear gloves.

living_tribunal · Sep 13, 2020

ichthyogeek said:
^^. Just because one guy seems "immune" to the sting, doesn't mean that you're also immune sadly.

If it's not a fireworm, you'll be fine. If it is...well, you can set it up in its own little bowl and stuff and set up a fireworm tank! A lot of people complain about bristleworms because of how "unsightly" they are, but I really like them. They're great scavengers, and they only get a bad rap from the fireworms and bobbits that get into the tanks. And also irate fishkeepers who should learn to wear gloves.

Agreed. It's worth noting that 99.99% of all of those who have reported to have "fireworms" do not actually have fire worms. Fireworms are astronomically rare in a reef tank.

Bristle worms are effective, reef safe, sustainable cleaners that do a great job. I love mine.

TvanB1 · Sep 13, 2020

Agreed with above posts.
Not everyone reacts the same. I used to work at a number of fish stores and got stung enough times to become a bristleworm myself. Fortunately, the only reaction I’ve noticed is itchiness which usually subsides after a few minutes.