Bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) care guide

Group
Other invertebrates
Other names
Fireworm, Bearded fire worm, Fire bristleworm
Family
Amphinomidae
Origin
Tropical Atlantic and Mediterranean: eastern Atlantic from Algeria to Liberia and the Canaries, western Atlantic from the south-east USA to Guyana, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
Water
saltwater
Maximum size
30 cm
Temperament
aggressive
Reef safe
no

Care

The bearded fireworm is a large bristle worm from the tropical Atlantic and Mediterranean, averaging about 15 cm and reaching about 30 cm, with 60–150 segments. It is green, yellow, red, grey or white with a pearly sheen, has red or orange gills along each side, and carries tufts of white bristles on every segment. A fleshy growth (caruncle) sits on the head. It can look like a flattened centipede. Pest: this is a pest in reef tanks and should not be bought or sold. It should not be sold as livestock. It usually arrives as a hitchhiker hidden in live rock or on the rock base of coral frags, especially Atlantic or Caribbean material, and may go unseen for months because it hides in rock by day. Identification: unlike the small, harmless bristle worms common in reef tanks (thin, pinkish-brown and a few centimetres long), a fireworm is thick, brightly coloured, with obvious red gill tufts and white bristles that flare when it is disturbed. It is slow-moving and often seen at night. Harm: it is a voracious predator. In reef tanks it eats corals (it is well known on soft corals, zoanthids and stony corals), anemones and other invertebrates. Stings: its bristles break off in skin and inject a toxin, causing intense burning pain, irritation and sometimes nausea and dizziness. Always use gloves and tools. To remove bristles, press sticky tape onto the skin and peel it off; isopropyl alcohol may ease the pain. Removal and prevention: quarantine and inspect live rock and frags, and dip frags before adding them. Bristle worm traps baited with meaty food, set overnight, catch many. Take out large worms with long tweezers at night with a torch. Some wrasses, arrow crabs and dottybacks prey on bristle worms, but do not rely on them for a large fireworm. Copper: copper-based medicines and some plant fertilisers are toxic to shrimp, snails and most other invertebrates. Never treat a tank holding them with copper, check the label of any fertiliser or medicine, and keep nets and buckets used for copper-treated tanks separate. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermodicecarunculata). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A voracious predator that also eats some plant material. In reef tanks it eats corals, anemones, zoanthids, clams and other invertebrates, and scavenges food.

Breeding

Not deliberately bred. Fireworms can reproduce in tanks and can regrow from pieces, so remove the whole worm rather than cutting it.

Compatibility and tank mates

Not reef safe. Remove it from any tank with corals, anemones, clams or other invertebrates. Its stinging bristles are a hazard for the keeper.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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