Hitchhikers I have known (lots of pics)

ACBlinky · 12/29/2006, 06:58 PM

I was looking into my tank tonight, marveling at all the life that we bring into our tanks along with live rock, and decided to make a fun little thread listing all the hitchhikers I've seen since I started in this hobby (at least those I can remember). I don't have pictures of everything, but I've done my best -- everything named came in on a piece of LR. Please feel free to add yours if you like, I'd love to see more.

Polyclad flatworm

Chitons

Macroalgae (not sure of the species names)

Sargassum macroalgae

Botryocladia macroalgae

Pink zoanthids, Halimeda macroalgae and cyanobacteria

Tulip anemone & Valonia macroalgae

To be continued...

ACBlinky · 12/29/2006, 06:58 PM

Continued...

Majano anemone & hydroids

Crabs

Dove snail & collonista snail

Asterina starfish

Underside of a Stomatella snail & brittle starfish

Feather duster & tiny bivalve (not sure if it's a clam, oyster, or mussel)

Zoanthids & wiry red algae

Acan, zoanthids, black sponge, green sponge, tiny Porites & brown palythoa (one piece of Fiji LR)

ACBlinky · 12/29/2006, 07:05 PM

I've also seen bristle worms, spaghetti worms, vermetid snails, mysid shrimp, copepods, amphipods, harmless isopods, two mantis shrimp, and Caulerpa verticiallata macroalgae. And to think, when I bought my first 15lbs of live rock I thought it looked lifeless and I'd never seen anything larger than a copepod!

EDIT --> I forgot pineapple sponges, lattice sponges, tunicates, hair algae, diatoms and of course Aiptasia.

ACBlinky · 12/30/2006, 12:10 AM

Ugh. Add nudibranchs to the list, I just caught these two munching my Lemnalia

Leather-eating nudibranchs

drummereef · 12/30/2006, 02:09 AM

Wow! The life in your tank is very diverse. All of us deal with hitchhickers from time to time. I guess that's part of the fun.

Thanks for sharing.

blot60 · 12/30/2006, 05:07 AM

Here are some of mine. Ribbon Worm

Clam

Lots of snails

Crab

Macro

crab

Many dusters

Majano

more crabs that I dont have photos of. some sponges too.

ACBlinky · 12/30/2006, 01:17 PM

Thanks for adding those pics! Hitchhikers are such a fun (though sometimes PITA) part of this hobby

Bonsai7255 · 12/31/2006, 11:08 AM

In the picture with the dove snail and collinosta snail I have one of them in my tank. I don't know which is which but the ones in my tank are like the one near the center of the pic. Sort of an off white color with brown on the point. Should I take them out or leave them in?

ACBlinky · 12/31/2006, 06:41 PM

The tiny round snail is a collonista -- most of them are brown and white striped, but I have some like the one in the pic above that are nearly white. They're great little hitchhikers that come out at night and consume film algae. Dove snails have a very narrow foot (mine have reddish/pink feet) and seem to love diatom algae. They stay small and are completely harmless hitchhikers that I welcome in my reef

Bonsai7255 · 12/31/2006, 08:01 PM

Thanks alot! I was afraid I would have to try to get all of them out

12/29/2006, 06:58 PM	#1
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Hitchhikers I have known (lots of pics) I was looking into my tank tonight, marveling at all the life that we bring into our tanks along with live rock, and decided to make a fun little thread listing all the hitchhikers I've seen since I started in this hobby (at least those I can remember). I don't have pictures of everything, but I've done my best -- everything named came in on a piece of LR. Please feel free to add yours if you like, I'd love to see more. Polyclad flatworm Chitons Macroalgae (not sure of the species names) Sargassum macroalgae Botryocladia macroalgae Pink zoanthids, Halimeda macroalgae and cyanobacteria Tulip anemone & Valonia macroalgae To be continued... __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/29/2006, 06:58 PM	#2
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Continued... Majano anemone & hydroids Crabs Dove snail & collonista snail Asterina starfish Underside of a Stomatella snail & brittle starfish Feather duster & tiny bivalve (not sure if it's a clam, oyster, or mussel) Zoanthids & wiry red algae Acan, zoanthids, black sponge, green sponge, tiny Porites & brown palythoa (one piece of Fiji LR) __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/29/2006, 07:05 PM	#3
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	I've also seen bristle worms, spaghetti worms, vermetid snails, mysid shrimp, copepods, amphipods, harmless isopods, two mantis shrimp, and Caulerpa verticiallata macroalgae. And to think, when I bought my first 15lbs of live rock I thought it looked lifeless and I'd never seen anything larger than a copepod! EDIT --> I forgot pineapple sponges, lattice sponges, tunicates, hair algae, diatoms and of course Aiptasia. __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC. Last edited by ACBlinky; 12/29/2006 at 07:19 PM.

12/30/2006, 12:10 AM	#4
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Ugh. Add nudibranchs to the list, I just caught these two munching my Lemnalia Leather-eating nudibranchs __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/30/2006, 02:09 AM	#5
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	Wow! The life in your tank is very diverse. All of us deal with hitchhickers from time to time. I guess that's part of the fun. Thanks for sharing. __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

12/30/2006, 05:07 AM	#6
blot60 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: So Cal Posts: 227	Here are some of mine. Ribbon Worm Clam Lots of snails Crab Macro crab Many dusters Majano more crabs that I dont have photos of. some sponges too.

12/30/2006, 01:17 PM	#7
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Thanks for adding those pics! Hitchhikers are such a fun (though sometimes PITA) part of this hobby __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/31/2006, 11:08 AM	#8
Bonsai7255 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: West TN Posts: 135	In the picture with the dove snail and collinosta snail I have one of them in my tank. I don't know which is which but the ones in my tank are like the one near the center of the pic. Sort of an off white color with brown on the point. Should I take them out or leave them in?

12/31/2006, 06:41 PM	#9
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	The tiny round snail is a collonista -- most of them are brown and white striped, but I have some like the one in the pic above that are nearly white. They're great little hitchhikers that come out at night and consume film algae. Dove snails have a very narrow foot (mine have reddish/pink feet) and seem to love diatom algae. They stay small and are completely harmless hitchhikers that I welcome in my reef __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/31/2006, 08:01 PM	#10
Bonsai7255 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: West TN Posts: 135	Thanks alot! I was afraid I would have to try to get all of them out