What kind of worm?

[jbowman0]

saw this worm emerge from my substrate. he's red with bristles arranged perfectly on every segment. if possible id like to not have to remove. picture isnt that great

[leebca]

Your first post was in the wrong place, unfortunately. I have moved your post to the Reef Forum from the Fish Forum where it was posted. In the Reef Forum they discuss non-fish matters, such as invertebrates. In this Forum you'll get more attention and possibly some help.

[Parrothead]

looks to be a common bristleworm, good guy

[jbowman0]

so its not a fire worm? thanks for the response by the way

[Ninong]

so its not a fire worm? thanks for the response by the way

Really can't say one way or the other from that picture. Do you have anything closer?



P.S. -- Where did your live rock come from, meaning which ocean?

[jbowman0]

Fiji rock. I tried to get closer pic but its out of focus. His body color is a red/pinkish hue and has bristles all over it. its only like a inch long though

[Ninong]

It's probably a good guy.

[jbowman0]

very advantageous/beneficial to have in the tank i guess then

i looked up bristle worms and think i may have found what it is. Pherecardia striata or genus Pareurythoe.

any feedback anyone might have to give would be appreciated

[Ninong]

Well, if it's really Pherecardia striata, then my advice would be to remove it as soon as possible. As far as I know, those guys are carnivores and not beneficial scavengers like most of the bristleworms we come across in our tanks.

[jbowman0]

after more careful observation. his color and bristle lay out look like that of the genus Pareurythoe. Also he moves extremely slow and is small to be a predator.

[Ninong]

Also he moves extremely slow and is small to be a predator.

Some of the most deadly marine predators move very slowly. Don't forget, their prey is often sessile. Some of the most annoying predators that we have to deal with in reef aquariums -- if we're unlucky -- are very, very small.

[Ninong]

after more careful observation. his color and bristle lay out look like that of the genus Pareurythoe. Also he moves extremely slow and is small to be a predator.

Well, now that I have already run a google scholar search on the diet of Pherecardia striata, I'll go ahead and post it anyway because I find it interesting. Apparently it feasts on juvenile crown of thorns sea stars (Acanthaster planci).

This small predator and scavenger is commonly known as bristle or fire worms. Its flattened dorso-ventrally body with dense and protective bundles of setae, give this species a characteristic appearance. It approaches the juvenile CoTs laterally by nibbling its way from the tip of an arm towards the disk.

Here's a photo of one consuming a small fish. Maybe the fish was already dead?

However, now that we're talking about Pareurythoe, that's entirely different. As far as I know, Pareurythoe spp. are scavengers.

The most common bristleworm found in reef aquariums is Eurythoe complanata. Here's a photo of one in my tank. It was about 6" long at the time. It's a beneficial scavenger.

[jbowman0]

mine looks like the bottom pic except the color is bit more brighter. worm is not even a inch long also.