[Woodstock]

Don't assume that just because it is ugly it is bad. Although there are predatory type worms that are non reef-safe, most are and can be an important part of a cleanup crew.

A Spineless Column

Fireworms are really common in reef aquaria. They probably account for ninety or more percent of the worms seen in reef aquaria. Most fireworms are scavengers in tropical marine environments, albeit a few of the about 120 species are predatory, and one or two are parasitic. The fireworms that are most frequently found in aquaria may be very abundant. Even a small aquarium may have thousands of them, and they are beneficial scavengers.

Some fireworms often reach quite substantial sizes and aquarists are sometimes astonished to find that their tanks may contain worms over 18 inches (60 cm) in length, and with the diameter of a pencil. Most of these giants are probably individuals of the common Caribbean species, Eurythoe complanata, and are exceptionally diligent and beneficial members of the guild of scavenging animals found in our aquaria.

Fireworms are great scavengers, and even the bigger species are occasionally seen prowling around during the day, particularly after food has been added to the tank.

The fireworms, in particular, seem quite pre-adapted for reef aquarium existence, and their populations in reef aquaria are thriving. The number of these worms in such systems is quite large, and for the fireworms in particular, their numbers probably dwarf those of all other species the same size or larger in reef aquaria. We might, with a great degree of accuracy, refer to our tanks not as coral reef aquaria, but rather as tropical reef worm habitats. The success aquarists have keeping other animals is to a great extent dependent upon their success at keeping thriving populations of these scavenging worms.