What is this??

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Looks like a bristleworm to me. Personal preference as to removing it, could be harmful to clams and possibly some corals but for the most part they eat detritus.
 
Bristle worm. Beautiful creature. Harmless if kept well fed. Took a liking to my beautiful mushroom and was hence banned to the sump. I guess we didn't keep him well enough fed. Don't touch him with your bare hands though! OUCH!
 
I agree, your basic Polychaete. Bristleworm. Harmless when small, but may be harmful to corals later on. You can keep an eye on him for now, or go ahead and remove.
 
Not unless you had wrasses but otherwise no worries.

Cheers
Steve
 
James is that used to catch prey or defense? I'm thinking to catch...?
 
Scott, probably as a defense mechanism since it is located at the head of the animal (not the tail, my mistake) where it would be more vulnerable. The animal doesn't have the style of jaw normally associated with chewing, tearing, or severing.
 
Ahh, ok, I was thinking it was at the tail (that would make for a great article, predatory bristleworms (fireworms...yes?) vs. the typical hitch hiker bristleworms....
 
Seems most of the fireworms associated with "behavioral problems" are from the Caribbean (off top of my head); however, not all fireworms are predatory. It's actually considered rare to find a predatory fireworm in an aquarium and most often misidentified. Not to say this one isn't, but until closer examination who knows :p
 
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