Pix & ID: Critters that come in your rocks: the good and the bad.

[ReneeF]

I apparently didn't dip long enough. Do I need to pull this new coral out and re-dip? They kind of look like bristle worms but smaller.

[ReneeF]

Nvm, it's a brittle star. I decided to get tweezers out and poke it.

[justinr2k]

Yeah I have them all over my tank. I like the little guys. They irritate my polyps sometimes but they're OK.

[LadyDave]

Originally Posted by pagojoe

LadyDave,



It might be the reason your zoa's are closed, but if so, it's probably because it's been crawling around on them, not eating them. Your snail is a Wentletrap, or Epitonium. They are parasitic on anemones but usually don't kill them.



Cheers,







Don

Thanks, Don! I feel bad that I chucked the snail now :-/ I was convinced I saw it chowing down on one of my zoas - it's only just started to reopen a week after. I've posted another pic of what I think might be eating my zoas - the tiny shrimp thing. I think it's some sort of amphipod but opinions of these eating zoas seem divided! If it's neither of these things - I dunno what else could be making them close. I have no fish in there (fallow tank after ich outbreak), just a cleaner and fire shrimp, snails and the rest of the tiny creatures in the rock!

[ReneeF]

Originally Posted by justinr2k

Yeah I have them all over my tank. I like the little guys. They irritate my polyps sometimes but they're OK.

I'll keep him until there's a reason not to. Thanks for the response

[SlickNic]

I bought this Candy Cane yesterday and Im not sure what it is in the middle. My best guess is a feather duster of some sort. Dont really know can someone tell me if its bad or good?

[ReeferKimberly]

Originally Posted by LadyDave

Any chance you could quote this one for me too, Kimberly? I've just freshwater dipped all my zoas as most of them have been closed for a good while now..... Could these be the reason? LOADS of them came out of the zoas.



Looks like a tiny grey shrimp - all the other that came off were white/translucent.

Amphipod, good guy

[LadyDave]

Originally Posted by ReeferKimberly

Amphipod, good guy

Thanks again Kimberly! I am at a loss as to why my zoas are all closed if it's not these things or the snail!

[ReeferKimberly]

You're welcome How long have you had the zoas? I have had some open almost as soon as I get them and others take a week.

Zoas are pretty tough, and can tolerate less than ideal conditions in my experience. The only reason I have ever had some continually not open was lack of light. Have any pics?

Is this a new tank? My zoas have survived cycles but I wouldn't say they all would.

[Abertuco]

Is this a bristle worm?

[LadyDave]

Originally Posted by ReeferKimberly

You're welcome How long have you had the zoas? I have had some open almost as soon as I get them and others take a week.



Zoas are pretty tough, and can tolerate less than ideal conditions in my experience. The only reason I have ever had some continually not open was lack of light. Have any pics?



Is this a new tank? My zoas have survived cycles but I wouldn't say they all would.

My zoas aren't new, no. Had them since around November and they have been gradually dwindling away I found a couple of nudibranch on them in the first week which I got rid of through fw dips and never saw any more of them. A few of the zoas started lifting off the rock they were on in clumps - I have put this down to an aggressive sponge growing underneath them - I can't scrape it off either - I've tried! In the last few weeks the remaining zoas started closing up one by one and now they're either all closed or half open and looking very unhappy. I've given up on this rock of them I think. I fragged a few which were doing fine until a few days ago. I will try get pics tomoro. I had a nitrate spike around a month ago but it's all good now so thought if that was why they were closed they might've opened again by now!! Sorry for that rant!!!

[alexander_ktn]

Originally Posted by Abertuco

Is this a bristle worm?

Yes.

[Abertuco]

Will it harm anything ?

[worm5406]

@slicknick

Yes a feather duster. Good guy.

[Mark L.]

This really isn't a critter that came in the rocks but can anyone identify this fish? My buddy bought it thinking it was a wrasse. When I saw the pic the first thing I thought of was a grouper. I just can't figure out what kind if it is a grouper. Any help is appreciated.

[LadyDave]

Originally Posted by ReeferKimberly

You're welcome How long have you had the zoas? I have had some open almost as soon as I get them and others take a week.



Zoas are pretty tough, and can tolerate less than ideal conditions in my experience. The only reason I have ever had some continually not open was lack of light. Have any pics?



Is this a new tank? My zoas have survived cycles but I wouldn't say they all would.

Hi again! Not sure if I should be posting this elsewhere, but in response to the earlier post - Here's a pic of my rock that used to full of green and brown zoas and now looks more like a graveyard also attached is a pic of some other zoas that are doing fine so I'm not sure what the problem is!!

[ReeferKimberly]

They got some pretty long stalks on them, could be reaching for light. What do you have on them and for how long?

[Jnickles85]

I think these guys are the spinoid worm ? (sp) Sorry for the not so great picture.

[IMG][/IMG]

Right in the middle, two tentacles for this area but there are about 4 other places on that single rock doing the same thing.

[LadyDave]

Originally Posted by ReeferKimberly

They got some pretty long stalks on them, could be reaching for light. What do you have on them and for how long?

The stalks on the ones that are doing ok?? They were like that when I bought the frags. I'm not sure what the specs of my lights are - they're led tubes - blue and violet on for around 12hours, white and blue on in the middle of that for around 8hours. Don't know how I can find out the specs of my lights!!

[alexander_ktn]

Originally Posted by Jnickles85

I think these guys are the spinoid worm ? (sp) Sorry for the not so great picture.

[IMG][/IMG]

Right in the middle, two tentacles for this area but there are about 4 other places on that single rock doing the same thing.

I'd say it's a Phyllochaetopterus species, harmless/beneficial - and gone (together with all feather dusters) if you ever get a CBB...

[Jnickles85]

Originally Posted by alexander_ktn

I'd say it's a Phyllochaetopterus species, harmless/beneficial - and gone (together with all feather dusters) if you ever get a CBB...

Thanks for the reply. I don't think my nano is big enough for a butter fly tho :/

[SuperNiketas]

uploadfromtaptalk1393974109010.jpg.

I got home from work today to find this egg shell sitting on top of my sand. Cant gind whatever came out of it. Tank just finished cycling a week and a half ago and only ocupants are two nassarius snails and an emerald crab. Tank is a ten gallon nano. Eleven pounds of live rock.

Ill start keeping an eye out especially at night, but, anyone familiar with this?

[ThisGuy12]

Can anyone tell me what these are? First pic, little reddish things growing on rocks. Looks like they have attached to the pores of the rock.



Second pic, the little fuzzy green thing sitting on my sand.

[alexander_ktn]

Originally Posted by ThisGuy12

Can anyone tell me what these are? First pic, little reddish things growing on rocks. Looks like they have attached to the pores of the rock.



Second pic, the little fuzzy green thing sitting on my sand.

The red things are foraminiferans.

I can't make out the green stuff, but probably algae.

[SuperNiketas]

Originally Posted by SuperNiketas

Attachment 268179.

I got home from work today to find this egg shell sitting on top of my sand. Cant gind whatever came out of it. Tank just finished cycling a week and a half ago and only ocupants are two nassarius snails and an emerald crab. Tank is a ten gallon nano. Eleven pounds of live rock.

Ill start keeping an eye out especially at night, but, anyone familiar with this?

I came home from work today and there was another one laying open front and center in the tank. These things are fairly large I have no idea where they could have been hiding in the tank or even what would be big enough to lay them if there were some hitchhiker doing so. Heres a pic of the new one I havent removed it from the tank yet like the other....