Heteroxenia worm

Question
I have a thriving heteroxenia that came with a worm that appears now to be a type of bristleworm. I have had the heteroxenia for a month and it has doubled in size and is now attaching to the surrounding rock. The worm came with the heteroxenia and never leaves it. At first I thought it was a tendril because it is the exact color of the heteroxenia, a pinky, transparent color and very delicate looking. With the magnifying glass, now that the worm has grown some, I can see little hair like bristles down the sides and a whiskery face on the head end. It is transparent enough that I can see the nutrients pulsing through its body just as you can see then in the xenia tubes. However, it is definitely a separate entity as I can now see both the head and tail end of it. I have observed no damage to the heteroxenia except for what I caused myself trying to suck the worm off with a siphon tube and it grabbed the heteroxenia. It recovered overnight but has a circle scar there now. I see no damage at all from the worm. Could this be a symbiotic type relationship with a specialized worm?

Thanks!

Answer
bristle worms are a 'symbiotic' type of critter. but in fact, most corals and fish and marine critters are dependant on each other to some level or other...

Bristle worms are excellent scavengers... they will devour everything/anything that falls to the bottom and or dies in your tank...

They rarely eat other corals, except by accident while persuing their main food source... Dead fish...

they are called bristle worms becuase of the bristles you observed... they will sting you, and stick you like a porcupine, although the sting is very light, and more of a nuisance... and a pita to get the bristles out...

so, please do not touch or handle those worms...

Good luck and please keep me posted...


Bill