Bristle Worm found

Question
Hi i just looked in my tank and found a worm like thing on the bottom of the sand. I did some looking and found that it could be a bristle worm its about 3'' long and pink with bushy bristle like prongs down both sides. my question is should i remove this object i have herd mixed reviews. my tank is a 80 G reef tank with sump filtration,i also have numberous amount of those little tiny clear shrimp in my tank but i read from you earlier that that was good. If you could please send me a reply to my e-mail that would great.. thank you

Answer
Hi Steve. Contrary to what most believe there are very few species of bristleworms that are dangerous to keep in your tank. The ones that are bad(and are so because they prey on some corals) are either never found hitchhiking in on live rock or so rare that the likelihood of you getting one in your tank is about the same as you winning the lottery! Most bristle worms are beneficial scavengers that will borrow in the substrate not only eating any detritus or any decaying matter, but they will help keep your sand turned over and aerated to aid in your biological filtration. They can cause some slight irritation to the skin if touched but nothing serious. I've been stung by them hundreds of times it is no big deal. A beneficial scavenger such as this should not be removed from your aquarium.