how to get rid of fire worms?

melissadotson

melissadotson

AC Members
Mar 30, 2009
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parkersburg wv
:swear: i have quite a few fireworms? or bristle worms? not quite sure what they are, what is a good way to get rid of them? can i put a crab or something in there that will eat or kill them? i just don't like them cause i heard that they can sting you , and i am afraid that they can or will hurt my fish... and thanks in advance....
 
If they are bristleworms they are beneficial and I wouldn't get rid of them. Fireworms are another item. Are these in your display tank or your sump? Halichoeres chrysus eat bristleworms and in addition are a natural for flatworms to keep them under control. NOTE: if you already have a flatworm problem you can just add a coris and forget about it.

Will look forward to the specifics about your system.
 
what are the diffrences in the 2 worms? what do i look for ? these worms are kinda red and have little bristally things on them.. what type of worm would the be? the live in my live rock and only come out at night when the lights are out..what is a halichoeres chrysus? and what is a coris? never heard of either of these ...
 
Those sound like bristle worms. I have plenty in my 40 reef. The only time I remove them is when I find a really big one. Like over 6 inches. I have held them several times when moving some rocks around and I have never been stung or anything. I put shrimp pellets in y tank when the moonlights are on and the shrimp and worms come out to feed. They do a good job of keeping my sand sifted. I've never seen any ill effects from them.
 
melissadotson said:
what are the diffrences in the 2 worms? what do i look for ? these worms are kinda red and have little bristally things on them.. what type of worm would the be? the live in my live rock and only come out at night when the lights are out..what is a halichoeres chrysus? and what is a coris? never heard of either of these ...
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While the bristle worm can leave it's bristle in you - duck tape helps remove it. The fireworm - typically of a red coloration has poison in its bristle and while not threatening (except for allergies) can leave a troublesome rash to deal with. Fireworms (no experience, but have read) that they are more predatory and the bristle (more common and lots of experience) are beneficial unless the get to be a population control issue. I don't have any small ones in my display tank - but have a 6" that has been there for a while. Good for keeping down the detritus and cleaning the holes/pores inthe rocks. Won't harm anything alive.

Bristle worms do provide environmental info on your system. If you overfeed then the population will grow to work with the excess - if they don't have excess food they starve and depopulate themselves.

As for the Halichoeres chrysus (Yellow Coris) https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=1&pid=1031&cid=289 it is a natural predator and beautiful fish - burys in the sand at night - bright lemon yellow about 4". Six-line will also work on bristle/flat worms. I am big on natural predation not the use of chemicals. If you look at wrasses you will find many are a good predator for these worms. Make sure you are looking at reef safe if your system is a reef.

If you google "Wetwebmedia" you can get a lot of information on these worms and others opinions on their risks/benefits. Hope that helps!
 
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whats the difference between the two, i dont like them in general but if they can clean some detitrus then i might want some. but i dont want a fireworm thats gunna eat my soft coral
 
cam191919 said:
but i dont want a fireworm thats gunna eat my soft coral
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I don't think they are too interested in corals. One of my bristleworm actually came out during feeding time and snatch a piece of freeze dried brine shrimp out of a hermit crab's claws lol.
 
fireworms are britleworms, they are called fireworms because of of their orange and red colors
 
As I noted the difference, other than the obvious coloration is the fact that the bristles on a fireworm contain a poisin that generates an irritating rash if you get sting by one of their bristles. Fireworms I remove - haven't had any to date that made it into my system. Bristleworms I leave, IMO good additions in moderation.
 
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