help with an ID, where should I look?

[jenjen]

Two days ago I found a new "thing" on a rock in the very back of my tank. I can't get a pic of it b/c it's quite small (maybe 1/8inch across) and right in the back. Figured I'd give it a day or two to grow so I could see what it is.

It looks sort of like a polyp, but it's black or dark brown with white-ish short feelers around the outside edge. It seems to retract into the rock sometimes. Last night when I fed the tank it caught a frozen mysis shrimp and it went crazy! It was flailing from side to side like it was wrestling the shrimp. Eventually it let it go, it never did close up around it like a polyp does.

I need to figure out what this thing is. I looked all over Melev's site and can't find anything that resembles it. Can someone recommend where else I might look to ID this thing?

[D to the P]

I would have guessed mojano or aiptasia anemones, but the flailing when it caught the mysis shrimp is odd behavior for an anemone. Unless it's some type of polycheate worm (which is just a shear guess at this point). Obviously pictures would be the best way to ID it. Can you pull the rock out of the tank and then photo it?

[jenjen]

If it were some kind of worm, would it stay in one place?

It only has 6 of the white "teeth" around the edge and it's "open" like a polyp. It doesn't look at all like pic's of mojano or like any aiptasia I've seen at the LFS (lucky for me, one local store is fully stocked with the stuff so I know what that looks like!).

I'll try to get at the rock this evening, but I'd rather not - means taking at least 4 other rocks out too and with newly settled zoa's I'd prefer not to move too much around. Wishin' I'd have gone for the waterproof package for the camera!

[D to the P]

Yeah if it's a pain then I guess it's not worth pulling it out. Hopefully some one can give a good ID. The worm was a shot in the dark, I would think if it was a worm it would have moved around a little. I would try to find Greenbeen (one of the members on RC), usually with invert ID's he always pops in with an answer. There are a few others that are great with it too, but your description doesn't ring a bell with me. If it isn't an anemone, than I dunno haha.

[jenjen]

Thanks for trying!

I've googled images of polychaete worms and most of the stationary ones look like feather dusters. This definitely doesn't have a tube to retract into and the feeler-teeth don't look feather like.

Any ideas for a site I could look at to possibly ID this thing would be appreciated. Otherwise I think the easiest thing is just to pluck it out - I just hate killing things when I don't know if they're actually "bad guys"!

[D to the P]

If it was "catching" things than I would think its carnivorous. If it's carnivorous than it MAY not serve a worthwhile purpose in the tank, so I don't think plucking it would be a bad idea IF no one can ID it.

That being said, if it isn't hurting anything than I would just leave it go for now until someone can chime in with a proper ID (it's only a matter of time).

[Aquarist007]

the majano start out white--bottom centre

[jenjen]

It's black (could be dark brown) and short on the stalk and white for the 6 things that now seem more like teeth since the whole mysis shrimp episode.

I'll try again to get a decent pic tonight.

[jenjen]

This is the best I could do for a pic without removing the rock from the tank. It's right in the center of the pic and looks like white lines - those are the feeler-teeth things. I don't know how to do the fancy coloured circle around it. It's at most the size of a pencil eraser and the stalk is dark (I think black).

If anyone can direct me to somewhere I might ID this thing I'd much appreciate it.

[D to the P]

try putting the picture in MS Paint or something like that. I can't see anything in the pic, sorry.

[NanoGurl]

Feather duster??

[jenjen]

Not sure if this is any better - the orig pic before I tried to crop it. Still just looks like white hairs coming out of the rock, right in the center of the pic and directly behind the zoa's which are blurry in the forefront. Definitely doesn't look like any of the other feather dusters I've got in the tank.



I'm off to try and remove the rock to get a decent pic.

[jenjen]

Well it looks like my husband might just have a heart attack if I move the rocks around, so I think plan B is going to be to try and pluck the thing out or see how it responds to Joe's Juice.

I'll leave it till tomorrow, so if anyone knows of any ID sites I might peruse in the meantime in an attempt to figure out what this ferocious beast is, I'd appreciate it.

[D to the P]

I wouldn't kill it yet. If it isn't doing any harm than just let 'em be. I'm still saying anemone of some type. I think I see what you're talking about though, right above the blur of zoos, but in itself no bigger than a zoo.

[jenjen]

Ya, it's actually smaller than the zoos and directly above in the pic.

It'll hang there till it catches another mysis - that was scary, it's on it's way out if it does that again!

[D to the P]

yeah I'm interested if anyone can come up with an ID. I'm on the fence with anemone or sessile polychaete worm