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Bristle/Fireworms Identification FAQs 3
Related FAQs: Polychaete ID 1,
Polychaete ID 2, Polychaete ID 4,
Polychaete ID 5, Bristleworm ID 6,
Bristleworm ID 7, Bristleworm ID 8,
FAQs: Worm Diversity FAQs,
FAQs 2, FAQs 3, &
Worm IDs 1, Worm
IDs 2, Worm IDs 3,
Worm IDs 4, Worm IDs 5,
Worm IDs 6, Worm IDs 7,
Worm IDs 8, & Worm ID FAQs by Group/Phylum:
Flatworm Identification ID,
Nemertean, Proboscis, Ribbon Worm ID,
Nematode, Roundworm ID,
Nematomorpha, Horsehair Worm ID,
Acanthocephalans, Thorny-headed Worm ID,
Tubeworm ID, Hirudineans, Leech ID,
Sipunculids, Peanut Worm ID, Echiuran
Worm ID, & Bristle/Fireworms 1,
Bristle/Fireworms 2, Bristle/Fireworms
3, Bristle/Fireworms 4,
Worm Identification, Polychaete
Behavior, Polychaete
Compatibility, Polychaete System,
Polychaete Selection, Polychaete
Feeding, Polychaete Disease,
Polychaete Reproduction, Related
Articles: Worms,
Polychaetes, Flatworms/Planaria, | 
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ID this one tough guys ;)
This guy is 11 inches long and
eats snails like pop corn. It has antennae like a grass hopper, a
body like a fire worm, legs like a millipede in addition to the
white ones) and a mouth like an eel.
I also have a zip folder
with 12-MB of other shots.
<Hee hee! That's one big bad boy
bristleworm... do you want to know the family? I'd either become
it's agent or remove it to someplace safe or oblivion. Bob Fenner> | 
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Fireworm ID (Hermodice carunculata). 7/5/07
Hello WWM Crew!
<Hi Marc! Mich here.>
As always, thank you for this amazing website,
it is very helpful!
<Thank you for your kind words!>
I only have a
single question tonight. I've attached a picture of a fireworm I've seen
in my tank and was worried it might be the bearded fireworm (Hermodice
carunculata). I've seen pictures on the net that resemble this worm but
I wasn't sure if this really was H. carunculata. Could you help me ID
this worm?
<This is definitely a fireworm and you will likely want to
carefully (Watch the bristles, they can contain venom, which will make
you rather unhappy if you come in contact with.) remove it from your
system as they are indiscriminate in their feeding habits and can find
many reef creature tasty snacks. I do believe your ID is correct.>
I
know this worm is very common in the Caribbean. I have 40 pounds (out of
140) of Brazilian LR in my 125 gallons setup. It might have come from
this rock.
<Certainly a possibility.>
Don't know if you've already
seen this article
<Mmm, nope, but will read. Read. Wish I could read
French too.>
(http://www.seashell-collector.com/Html/xeno/xeno%2099.pdf). H.
carunculata has a natural predator!
<Mmm, likely several natural
predators.>
Not that I would add a cone to a reef setup (nor would I
advise anyone to do so),
<No, would certainly not be the wisest
thing. As you know, many varieties are poisonous and several people have
lost their lives to these snails.>
but I found that interesting and
wanted to share.
<Always appreciated.>
Thanks for your time
<Welcome!>
and keep up the good work,
<Will try! Mich>
Marc. |
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Worm in a sand tube – 06/14/07
Hello Crew,
<Hi Carlos, Mich
here.>
After 10 years w/o a marine tank I decided to dive back into
the hobby.
<Come on in the water's great!>
I just setup a 70 gal
tank. I have one lone damsel and about 30 lb of live rock (on my way to
get more.
<Hopefully this new rock is fully cured.>
A few days
after putting the rock in I noticed what appeared to be a thin walled
tube made up of sand coming from one of the rocks. The tube is made up
of some sort of slime and is clear except for a thin layer (1 grain
thick?) of sand. Yesterday I turned on the lights and caught what
appears to be a very small (barely visible) black worm scampering back
to the rock inside the tube. I've seen it twice now. It seems to come
out at night then back to the rock when the lights go on. Can you
identify?
<Sounds like a type of feather duster worm, likely a
member of the family Sabellaridae.>
Is it bad for the tank?
<Nope. More here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/feather.htm >
Thanks in
advance for your help.
<Welcome! Mich>
Carlos
Saltwater "worm" question?? 5/29/07
Hi there.
<Hi Jimmy,
Mich here.>
I've had my tank for 2 months now, and I have noticed
3 "worm" looking things in the small rocks at the bottom of my tank,
that are probably about 1/2" long and thin, and have small spikes
all around them on the edges, and when I looked closer, I could see
blood, I'm guessing, pumping from the top of their bodies to the
bottom. I'm wondering what the heck are they and are they harmful
and any information at all??
<Sounds like some type of
bristleworm, most are harmless scavengers that help to keep the tank
clean. Some photos and more info here and the related links in blue:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaetes.htm
I would avoid
handling these worms. And if you must, then wear gloves. The
"spikes" called chaetae can cause problems ranging from irritation
to severe pain should you get stuck.>
I tried to take a picture,
but it won't turn out and I can’t turn the flash off from my camera.
<...Now where did I put that camera manual? What's that quote about
a thousand words?...>
Thanks in advance.
<Welcome! Mich>
-Jimmy |
Re: saltwater "worm" question?? Now with picture 5/29/07
<Hi Jimmy, Mich with you again.>
I wrote earlier about worm
looking things in my tank, and I finally got a picture to turn
out, and here it is. Can you verify what they are please?
<Yes, They appear to be bristleworms.>
There's 3 in the
picture,
<I see them. Thank you for the photo, it is
helpful.>
thank you!
<Welcome!> | 
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Malu anemone died... Polychaete ID, comp... 5/9/07
Hi Crew,
<Hazel>
I love your site and have found many answers to my
questions. Someone always has had the problem before me it seems. I
would like to know what this is though. I have a 200L marine tank and
this worm has been in it from the start. He must have been in the live
rock.
<Yes, very likely>
I thought that he was about 8 inches
long but he is over 24 inches as I found out when I removed him a few
days ago. Something was eating the Cladiella coral and the malu anemone
in the front left corner of my tank and he lived in those rocks behind
that area. I am not sure he is the problem as he only seems to eat dead
items despite his enormous size;
<Mmm, yes>
I have him in a
spare tank at this moment so I can observe him. (He is very interesting
because of his size and he loves muscles and eats small dead fish as
well as flake food) I do not want to kill him. In my regular tank I saw
a small red bristle worm steal some food from the malu anemone as the
anemone was beginning to show signs of damage.
I have not caught
this yet. Too quick for me.
<Can, could be baited, trapped...>
My tank is water salinity 1.025, ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0, PH
7.8 am and slightly higher pm. Calcium 380 - 390, I use RO water and
mix the salt, change 15% water every Friday, and keep mostly soft
corals. The tank is a Berlin system with a skimmer and filter at the
back of the tank and 3 pumps moving the water around, two at the bottom
and one two thirds of the way up. There is a grill where the water flows
to the back part of the tank into the skimmer etc.
I have recently
added a superb Catalaphyllia which was about eight inches away from the
anemone and from the Cladiella, and wonder if that gives off any poisons
in the current.
<Of a certainty, yes>
Could it be that it is
blocking the water flow from the area as they are in the front corner?
<Perhaps... circulation matters are too-little discussed in our
interest>
The Catalaphyllia is eating well and is out all day. The
clowns have moved in as the anemone has now disappeared. Above the sand,
on the first level of rock I have a Tubastraea which is growing very
well and has new heads growing from the sides of the existing heads. I
feed this every night, sometimes brine shrimp or Mysis and sometimes
parts of defrosted frozen fish from local marine store. Also small
pieces of shrimp. This has been very good, always open at 7pm ready for
its dinner. This has been above and to the right of the malu anemone for
some months. Could this give off some chemical that hurt the malu?
<Yes>
I have one yellow tang, one coral beauty, one mandarin, five
blue Chromis, one fairy wrasse, one chalky goby, three pyjama cardinals
and a breeding pair of Banggai cardinals (had babies few weeks ago) and
the two clowns.
The tank is quite peaceful. I have a flame scallop
and two hermit crabs, and two Lysmata amboi and three Lysmata
wurdemanni, plus a long spined urchin (recent addition for baby
cardinals to hide in). Babies disappeared soon after being born and the
one I caught died later in the breeding net.
I use PhosBan to keep
the phostrogen levels down as I feed the fish and the corals on a daily
basis.
I have kept tropical fish for many years but only had
marines for a year or so. I have read up on the marine tanks, on reefs
critters corals etc and spoken to lots of local stores people but there
is so much to learn, can you help me with this problem as I would love
to buy another anemone, but only after I have the right conditions for
it as I hate to see it die.
Thanks for reading this
Best regards
Hazel
<Please read here re this Polychaete, Hermodice canunculata:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaecompfaqs.htm
and the linked
files above... And take a jaunt through our page re using WWM:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
re Catalaphyllia compatibility, other questions you have/pose. Bob
Fenner> | 
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Bristleworm? Mmm, Polychaete... more likely Eunice spp – 4/10/07
<Hello, Mich here.>
Just wondering if this is indeed a bristleworm.
<Is a Polychaete worm, but I suspect is something more along the lines
of Eunice spp. Some are beneficial scavengers others can be highly
predatory. I think I would consider removing.>
It is very, very
small.
<And hopefully stays that way! some Eunice worms can get
very, very large!!!>
And if you wanted to use either picture on your
site feel free.
<Thank you.>
I like to help in any way I can.
<You have by sending your query!>
Your site is wonderful.
<Thank
you for the kind words! -Mich> | 
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Confusing worms? Reading, on... WWM – 03/18/07
Hey guys,
<Josh>
A while back I wrote you about a small oyster toadfish that I
rescued from a friend. Your advice was much appreciated, and now he is
happily living in a 40 gallon tank (at least until I can afford a bigger
one ;). He is actually making his fog horn like mating call all the
time!
<Neat!>
(My friend had never heard it before and was
jealous). Anyway, I am doing an internship with a local aquarium
<Ahh, very good>
and they donated some small brittle stars to my
tank to help stir the substrate.
<Nice>
I apparently also got
some worms with it and I really don't know what they are.. maybe some
kind of fireworm??
<Polychaetes of many types are very common. See
WWM re>
They are about an inch in length and orange-red. They appear
not to have any bristles and bury in the substrate. When they do, they
send out 3-4 long hair like red tentacles that just sort of sit on the
substrate and move with the water flow. They don't appear to move much
around the tank, if at all. I have two turbo snails and the toadfish and
would like to eventually make it more of a reef tank. Are these worms
harmless?
<Most are>
Should I get rid of them now before they
multiply or just leave them?
<The latter for now>
Which brings
me to my second problem. I can't get the nitrate levels down. I have
done many water changes up to 70% and it brings the levels down
slightly, but within a few days they are back at the highest level
<Yes... Batrachoidids are big feeders, waste makers...>
I can read
with my "Red Sea Marine Lab" test kit. I don't have a protein skimmer,
just a standard marine filter which pulls the water over a sponge like
filter, through a bag of carbon and then over some rocks the bacteria
are growing on. A friend suggested getting rid of the filter, but I
clean it every other day so I don't THINK that's causing the problem..
so the only thing I could think of was maybe there is stuff decaying in
the substrate, hence the desire for worms and brittle stars. Think that
might be the problem?
<See WWM re Nitrates... the search tool,
indices...>
This tank is about 2 months old without any hermit
crabs, but the nitrifying bacteria should have become more than
established by now right?
<You need their complement of denitrifying
bacteria... a place for these to be...>
oh yeah, and I am very
careful about how much I feed my fish so there is not excess food in the
water.
Thanks for your help!!
Josh
<Be reading. Bob Fenner>
Soft Coral, worm, algae ID 12/6/06
Dear Crew,
I was
wondering if you could help me identify my new soft coral. It was
sold to me as a Sarcophyton sp., but it looks more like a Sinularia
sp. to me. I have attached pictures for reference.
<Is not a
Sarcophyton for sure... Likely is a Sinularia species... definitely
a Alcyoniid>
On another note, I was watching my tank the other
night and I noticed what I believe are worms, possibly bristle
worms, swimming through the tank. They were swimming rather quickly
with a cork-screwing motion.
<Good description...>
I
couldn't find any reference to similar behavior, so I was curious
about it. I have also attached a picture of one of the worms. (I
couldn't get a picture of one swimming, so it is a picture of the
worm on the glass.)
<Is an errantiate polychaete (there are
thousands of species) of some sort>
Also, I am having trouble
with, but I am not sure what type it is. I can't find anything that
looks similar to it. It grows all over my live rock and the glass of
the aquarium. I have also attached a picture as a reference.
<Are Blue-greens... Cyanobacteria...>
My parameters are as
follows:
55 gallon tank with 120 watts NO fluorescents
Temperature: 79° F
Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Copper: 0 ppm
pH: 8.2
dKH: 10°
Calcium: 550ppm
<Way too high...>
Specific Gravity 1.026
Weekly 10% water changes with RO water.
Top-off twice daily with RO water. (About a quart of a water each
time.)
Thank you for your time,
Daniel
<Mmm, please do
take a read on WWM re the groups, situation mentioned above... Bob
Fenner> |  
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Crazy Worm? – 02/27/07
I just got home to my poor stressed tank
and see something very strange on my clump of dish coral. Two or three
corals have developed close together and it looks like some type of
segmented worm going from one to the other. Or could they be
transferring material? I am not sure if I should get it with tweezers
or not. I am sending a photo along.
Thanks,
Cathy
<<Well
Cathy I can't really make anything out from the photo, but this doesn't
look like a worm to me...it appears more to be mucus/excrement...and
likely nothing to be concerned about. Regards, EricR>> |
Re: Crazy Worm? – 02/28/07
Thanks again Eric.
<<Hi
Cathy!...quite welcome>>
I just wanted to follow up. In fact,
it was a brown segmented worm.
<<Ah, thank you for this...I did
not get that from the photo>>
Have you ever heard of this
before.
<<Mmm...many, many, MANY species of worms about (in
excess of 10,000 I do believe). Do you have any (missing?) fan/tube
worms? Possibly one of these exited its parchment tube and was
actually being consumed by the coral rather than the other way
around>>
It was as if it was going into the mouth of my dish
coral.
<<Yes...did see this>>
I did yank it out and had it
move around awhile. I could not identify it.
<<Too bad you
didn't take/send a close-up pic>>
Seemed more like an earthworm
than bristle worm.
<<From what I could discern, yes, would agree
it was not a bristle worm>>
Thanks again for all your advice.
Cathy
<<Always happy to try to assist. EricR>> | 
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Identification help, Polychaetes 2/25/07
We need help
identifying this worm that came in our Caribbean live rock. We have
searched your sight extensively, and on the web as well, and have not
found it.
<There are many possibilities...>
It is not a
bristle worm. We found two pictures that looked similar, although not
exactly the same. One was called a polychaete Typosillis and the other
was called a polychaete Hesionid.
<A genus and family, e pluribus
unum...>
We were not able to find any information other than
pictures on those 2 worms, however. It moves very much like a centipede
and has a very distinctive pattern. We are trying to find out if it is
ok to put it in the tank, or if it's a "bad guy". Can you help us? Here
are the links to the Photo Bucket pictures.
<These are "not
available...">
Thanks,
Susan & Lisa
<I would be careful in
handling these worms... the lateral processes (parapodia) have sharp
structures and sometimes poison sacs associated with them... (use tongs
or a net)... but unless they're very large and/or numerous they can be
likely placed with your other livestock. Should they prove troublesome,
polychaetes are almost always easily baited/trapped, removed. Bob
Fenner>
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