What is this?

Aridala

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Not a good picture, I know, but I hope someone can help identify it. I watched this for about 1 1/2 hours under a red light last night to see if it would come out and it never did. I got that piece of rock from my local store with the rose tip anenome and several zoas on it.

Should it stay or should it go?

 

Gtinnel

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It's hard to tell from just a picture of a segment in the middle of the worm, but possibly a fireworm. If you get the chance to remove it you should, at least until you can get a positive id.
 

Isopod80

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I agree. I'd make a bristleworm trap can catch it to be safe. There's plenty of info on making traps on here. Whatever you do don't touch it with your bare hands. You'd regret it.
 
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Aridala

Aridala

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Ok, I took the rock out and busted it open. In addition to a ball of brittle stars, I found this...
Is this a fireworm?? And if so, I bet there are alot more I didn't see, right?
Either way, this one found out about garbage disposals.
 

Isopod80

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Ok, I took the rock out and busted it open. In addition to a ball of brittle stars, I found this...
Is this a fireworm?? And if so, I bet there are alot more I didn't see, right?
Either way, this one found out about garbage disposals.
Unfortunately yes. That one definitely looks like a small fireworm. I can clearly see the red gill tufts at the bases of the spines. Good thing you got it out. If I were you I'd make a simple baited bristleworm trap and see if you have any more. You'll find plenty of info on making them on here. All you really need is an empty water bottle and a straw.
 

Gtinnel

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Is that the whole worm or just a broken off section of it? With a bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) they will have a distinctive caruncle, which will look like kinda a feathery thing on their head. I don't see it on this one. I'm also not sure how the size of a fireworm effects the caruncle.
Fireworms will have the red gill structures at the base of the bristles, but there are harmless bristles that can have that also. Although to be fair from that picture if I had to guess I would've said fireworm.
 

Isopod80

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It looks like it's been cut in half. Interesting about the gills tufts. I've never seen a bristleworm with them.
 

Gtinnel

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It looks like it's been cut in half. Interesting about the gills tufts. I've never seen a bristleworm with them.
Here is a picture of a bristle that I pulled out of my tank. They're not as distinctive but they're still there.
20210207_011837.jpg


Eurythoe complanata can have the red tufts by the bristles although again generally not as obvious as on a bearded fireworm. Also, to be fair they get listed online as a fireworm, but they're not the "evil" fireworm that hobbyists are referring to when they say fireworm.
 

Gtinnel

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I did an alarming amount of research online about bristleworms when I first found some in my tank that had the red gill tufts (I really need to find out if they have some scientific name) because I was terrified they were fireworms. At the time all I knew (or thought I knew) was that the red near the bristles meant it was definitely a fireworm.

When I started in this hobby no one mentioned that I would spend hours online researching and looking up pictures of worms. LOL
 
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Aridala

Aridala

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I hear you. I've been keeping FOLR for about 30 years now and just about three months ago decided to start trying to keep corals. I could not begin to guess how much time I've spent researching online in that 3 months. Heck, I only yesterday decided to finally sign up for this forum, after untold hours lurking, lol.

Thank you all for your help, you are all a credit to this community.
 
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Aridala

Aridala

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Is that the whole worm or just a broken off section of it? With a bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) they will have a distinctive caruncle, which will look like kinda a feathery thing on their head. I don't see it on this one. I'm also not sure how the size of a fireworm effects the caruncle.
Fireworms will have the red gill structures at the base of the bristles, but there are harmless bristles that can have that also. Although to be fair from that picture if I had to guess I would've said fireworm.
I'm guessing it's the whole worm. I smacked the rock with a hammer and screwdriver, the piece with the zoas fell to the floor and was immediately attacked by the cat, the piece with the Rose Bubbletip slid halfway across the island and slammed into the bananas, and a ball of brittlestars exploded all over the cutting board. While trying to scoop up the brittlestars, I picked up one of the pieces of rock and the worm fell out. After it's photoshoot the worm went straight into the garbage disposal. The jury is still out on whether the Zoas will live, the Bubbletip seems to be no worse for wear, one brittlestar was horribly mangled (lost four legs) and the cat is quite ticked I took her new toy away.
 
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