My very 1st ID request

MrSquid · 01/16/2008, 03:59 PM

Two nights ago I found this on my tank glass. My rock is a mix of cured Tonga/Timora from Premium Aquatics and has been in the tank since last Thursday.

When I first saw it, the critter was on the silicone of the front upper corner of the tank - pretty far from rock and was about the size of 1/2 of a small pea. It looked like it was pretty round.

About 2 hours later (when I took these pics) he was about 6" away from where he was and was oblong. This time I was able to see from the front and back. There was a 2nd one about 8-10" from him... also on the glass. In these pics he's about 1/4" long.

On the top/front pic it's a bit blurry because I'm shooting through the glass and then water. From what I could see, the tentacles just ran the perimeter of the body. Maybe some sort of nudibranch?

Any ideas?

Here he is from the back/underneath...

Here he is from the top/front...

seapug · 01/16/2008, 04:20 PM

looks kinda like a mangled asterina starfish. They show up in all kinds of mutant shapes.

Shooter7 · 01/16/2008, 04:30 PM

With those frilly things on him, looks like some kind of nudibranch to me.

seapug · 01/16/2008, 04:39 PM

could be some sort of cowrie, too. The photo from the top looks very asterina to me but it's blurry so it's hard to tell. The little tentacles look like asterina feet. You see them whne you look really close up.

MrSquid · 01/16/2008, 05:05 PM

I know what asterinas look like - don't think that's what it is. The frilly things were about long, thin and kind of wavy - or at least they were for their tiny size. Almost anenome's tentacles. They were solid colored - no noticeable tip to them.

It also looked too....soft...to be a cowrie. At first I thought it was a tiny anenonme when it was up in the corner. But then once I saw the perimeter of tentacles and the foot, I started leaning towards a nudi.

In that 2nd pic too you can see what appears to be the foot trailing behind the tentacles. The way that foot is, it IS moving away from where I last saw it, but thinking back, I didn't pay enough attention to the actual movement to say for sure if that foot is actually trailing or if it's leading.

01/16/2008, 03:59 PM	#1
MrSquid Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 1,437	My very 1st ID request Two nights ago I found this on my tank glass. My rock is a mix of cured Tonga/Timora from Premium Aquatics and has been in the tank since last Thursday. When I first saw it, the critter was on the silicone of the front upper corner of the tank - pretty far from rock and was about the size of 1/2 of a small pea. It looked like it was pretty round. About 2 hours later (when I took these pics) he was about 6" away from where he was and was oblong. This time I was able to see from the front and back. There was a 2nd one about 8-10" from him... also on the glass. In these pics he's about 1/4" long. On the top/front pic it's a bit blurry because I'm shooting through the glass and then water. From what I could see, the tentacles just ran the perimeter of the body. Maybe some sort of nudibranch? Any ideas? Here he is from the back/underneath... Here he is from the top/front...

01/16/2008, 04:20 PM	#2
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	looks kinda like a mangled asterina starfish. They show up in all kinds of mutant shapes. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

01/16/2008, 04:30 PM	#3
Shooter7 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Tolono, IL Posts: 6,754	With those frilly things on him, looks like some kind of nudibranch to me. __________________ Dave Current Tank Info: 10 years salty - standard 29g reef - moved from 120 gal reef, 2x250w Reeflux 10k's on ARO electronics and VHO super actinics on Icecap ballast, 2xTunze 6060, MSX 200 skimmer, GEO 612 Ca reactor, mag 12 return

01/16/2008, 04:39 PM	#4
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	could be some sort of cowrie, too. The photo from the top looks very asterina to me but it's blurry so it's hard to tell. The little tentacles look like asterina feet. You see them whne you look really close up. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

01/16/2008, 05:05 PM	#5
MrSquid Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 1,437	I know what asterinas look like - don't think that's what it is. The frilly things were about long, thin and kind of wavy - or at least they were for their tiny size. Almost anenome's tentacles. They were solid colored - no noticeable tip to them. It also looked too....soft...to be a cowrie. At first I thought it was a tiny anenonme when it was up in the corner. But then once I saw the perimeter of tentacles and the foot, I started leaning towards a nudi. In that 2nd pic too you can see what appears to be the foot trailing behind the tentacles. The way that foot is, it IS moving away from where I last saw it, but thinking back, I didn't pay enough attention to the actual movement to say for sure if that foot is actually trailing or if it's leading.