Urgent Unidentified worm! Should I worry?

I have found this worm in my tank, I have no idea what it is but I dont like the look of it. Can someone please help me identify it and let me know if I need to get rid of it.

 

Some sort of bistleworm. I have probably 2 -dozen. They do a great clean-up job in my tank.

 

Thanks so much, i saw a documentary the other day on some sort of worm that was killing all this guys coral and was hoping that wasnt about to happen to me!

 

I doubt it was killing the coral. It may have been eating tissue off of a dying coral, however. These worms got a bad rap because they were seen eating fish and coral. However, they were likely eating a dead/dying fish and a dead/dying coral and were assumed to be the reason for their demise. They are a very beneficial clean-up member of a tank.

 

Be careful handling the critter if you decide to remove it, as the "bristles" can poke you...if this happens soak the affected area in vinegar and they'll dissolve.

FWIW, we leave them, and actually add them to new setups on occasion. One thing to remember is that their population will wax and wane in relation to available food, so if you overfeed, you'll have a ton of them.

 

I got a bristleworms bigger than that. I wouldn't advice you to remove it, since it doesnt do any damage. It in fact only eats leftover food, and cleans your tank. It also stirs around abit of sand for its size. Its a cool little guy to have, just remember not to overfeed your tank, because then, this guy can get huge. Be careful handling these guys. If they feel threatened, their "bristles" will sting you, and its a pain to get out again. They are really tiny and fine.

 

Stick your finger in some vinegar and they will dissolve in minutes.

 

Yeah just found out Never got stung by mine before, but have heard of the vinegar method