Fireworm

[jahouli]

Found a huge fireworm in my tank - a good fat 10 inches. Heard bad reports so set a trap for it. I watch it hanging around the trap, but he never goes in, so I leave the room for 5 minutes, come back and the food's gone....obviously not the best trap I know. Are they just coral eaters or fish munchers too??

 

[SkiFletch]

Are you sure its really a fireworm? Fireworms have bleached white spines and really vibrant red bodies. Furthermore, fireworms are usually only found from carribean live rock which is very tough to come by nowadays. Chances are you really just have a big bristleworm which poses no threat to live corals/fish.

 

[jahouli]

I'd say so. He's difficult to get a picture of but he's definitely red with white spines. Most of my live rock came from a mature tank off ebay...I'm not sure where it came from exactly.

 

[SkiFletch]

Well in that case, fireworms commonly pose a threat to most mushrooms, polyps, and some small fish. Good luck getting him out.

 

[Donya]

Fireworms have bleached white spines and really vibrant red bodies.

Color varies within species though. My two big bristleworms are a dull peachy color, but some of their offspring have been bright red and stayed that color to adulthood. Others have been the usual pink color like the parents, but there have also been some really stunning yellow ones that show up occasionally. Mine are opportunistic and have definitely taken munches on things they shouldn't have when I cut down on feeding, but they didn't get near the damage done by the one "real" coral-eating fireworm (Hermodice) I had show up in the same tank. The main difference was in the width of the body and the bristles. Hermodice seem to have fewer but really big groups of bristles. I've seen pictures of Hermodice caranculata individuals that were dark gray except for the gills, so they're not always brightly colored.

I watch it hanging around the trap, but he never goes in, so I leave the room for 5 minutes, come back and the food's gone....obviously not the best trap I know.

You might have better luck with a piece of bait on a stick and a fishnet. You need to convince the worm to leave the rocks completely and get it into the net before it can get a hold of something and slither off. They are tricky things to trap when they get that big, and my largest would never fall for the more common trap types (although it worked for small ones I wasn't trying to catch ). The big ones would usually find ways to hang onto a rock on one end, steal the bait, and run off.

 

[Danno]

Kind of on the same subject. At the fish store there was a "Fireworm rock" that has what appeared to be hundreds of little red feather dusters comming out. Any relations?

 

[kkyyllee]

feathr dusters and bristleworms are different

 

[Danno]

feathr dusters and bristleworms are different

That responce didn't make any sence whatsoever.

 

[Hobbit]

it made sence. You were talking about a rock full of feather dusters, but you were calling it a fireworm rock. He must of thought that YOU thought they were the same thing.

*edit* Took out the mean ending because i realized i was talking to Danno and I like him. lol

 

[kkyyllee]

lol. yeah thats what i thot u were talking about

 

[AK77]

Came across this site with regard to hitch hiking worms. In the fireworms section, mine are identical to the top right picture and are harmless. If you have the Hermodice carunculata species and coral... you won't have coral for too long lol.

Loads of worms

 

[Danno]

Alright I found out more information on it all.

Fireworms are of bristle decent which are cautioned as reef safe. A Fireworm rock doesn't exist. The fish store had incorrent information. It was a featherduster cluster that is commonly named as a "colonial worm". I guess I didn't expain myself up there. My bad.

 

[jahouli]

Thanks for the input guys. I got him, half in, half out the trap. I'd post you a picture but I'm way out of my depth trying to get a photo on here.