AHHH Giant Bristle Worm....RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

[Stappercrab]

I've just found a giant bristle worm in my tank. It's about 1.5 times the diameter of a pencil and at least 8" long.

Can this thing hurt anything in my tank? Should I remove it? Any input?

its like a science-fiction movie in my tank!

 

[RWD]

More like bristle snake! I have quite a few large bristle worms in my tank and never had a problem. great clean-up critters.

 

[Anonymous]

Awesome!! Good for you. I've got some good sized bristle worms but none that big yet.

 

[esmithiii]

They are excellent for cleaning up food left behind and any casualties. I have not had problems with mine.

E

 

[maroon clown]

they dont eat corals do they?

 

[danmhippo]

You will see them feasting on the injured/dead tissue of the corals. But that is NOT eat corals. They are scavengers, and cleaning up is what they do.

 

[opihiman]

i've read somewhere that you can chop these guys up and they'll regenerate into smaller worms. any truth to this or was this a joke?

thanks,
jeff

 

[ACROPHORIA1]

i think yes you can cut in two, reaglar garden worms are the same way ,i think starfish do this as well

 

[Anonymous]

That's not a giant

Very first live rock I bought (from florida) back in the mid '80's brought with it a pair of large bristleworms. One was 18" long and as wide around as my index finger. The other was closer to 24" and as wide as my thumb.

Both were model tank citizens and did an absolutely incredible job keeping the crushed coral I was using (complete with UG filter) clean. Remarkable animals, and I've always been disappointed that I haven't found any anywhere near their size since.