bristle worms?

A few weeks ago i noticed a few bristle worms(maybe 4 or 5) in the back corner of my display tank. after 3 years i just noticed them! one looked to be about 3-4" long. ive heard lots of mixed opinions about them. the guys at my lfs store told me they are bad news for a reef tank and can and will kill corals, along with anything else they can grab ahold of(maybe they were just trying to sell me one of those dinky looking traps). from others i have heard they can be quite beneficial, just a few more members of my clean up crew. imo the little ones "appear" harmless only been on 3reef for about a week now, but after hours of reading all yalls threads you guys seem MUCH more knowlagble than me. and to be quite honest im much more confident in you guys than my lfs. any opinions are greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

Tell the guy at the LFS he has no idea what hes talking about lol. They will only eat anything thats DEAD!!!! THey will not harm your corals and are a very good thing to have in a reef tank!

 

well thats great! leaving them in there seems alot easier than attempting to remove them. is it strange that after 3 years this is the first time i have seen them? to be honest the first time i saw one i had to look through google pictures to find out what the heck it was lol.

 

hahah no its not weird bc they stay in the rocks during the day

 

yea thats what ive read, but i actually saw these during the day, all lights on. ive seen them probably 5 times now over the past couple of weeks, usually there are a few out at the same time.

 

haha weird i have 100s in my 180 and i barely seen them at all during the day just dont ever touch them lol

 

I have a bunch inside my giant ball of chaeto in my fuge. I've seen a few in the DT but the ones in the uge are easier to see. Like OP said, don't touch them. Some pack a nasty sting.

 

LMAO pg i found that out about 8 years ago the HARD way lol

 

thanks guys.
yea ive heard that about the stinging too. well i guess ill just leave them be. even a really big one cant hurt anything?

 

Hey OP, I haven't gotten stung yet. I always use a turkey baster to turn my chaeto. I'm sure I'll get careless and get stung one of these days.

How bad was the sting and how long did it last? Was it like a bee sting? Did your finger swell?

Interesting how many things on the reef developed venom and the ability to sting. Scared to death of jellyfish after seeing that Discovery Channel show on the box jellies.