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

[GilliganReef]

OK I bought a new frag from my local LFS and upon watching my coral the second day in the live rock it was attached I notice 2 looking tenticales hanging out of a hole. Then under rock I notice another 2 hanging out. At first galnce I was like hey got some baby britle starfish. But I want to make sure before I let them settle in. I know picture not the best but its with my iphone and every time I try to take pictures one my fish love the attention and always photo bomb them. First time I looked I saw two hanging out of the hole. Another day saw 3 hanging out of the hole. There is two places about 3 inches apart from each other. Where I notice these tenticles hanging out. The color of the stripes mathes the star picture in the 2nd photo.

Picture of actual rock with coral.


Example of what I think it is.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yes, micro brittle star arms. A beneficial detrivore.

[Kona26]

At night I have been trying to find as much life in my tank as I can. I have seen small red things running around on my sand bed....they are to small to get a good pic of. I am wanting to know what to do it you have bad critters in your tank...I would assume that you siphon them out with a water change....but I know I would not get them all out. Is there somthing I sould be looking for that I DO NOT want in my tank...(I have looked through all the pics and to be honest I can't tell what these things in my tank look like...I would need a microscope) I just don't want to go all ape crazy on my tank if I don't need to.

---Sorry if I am posting another post that has been answered...but I looked through a ton of posts and can only find pic. that I am unsure of what I am looking at...

thanks

[kellyj]

I have a couple more unknown life forms on my recent live rock purchase.

Is this aptasia? I wanted to make sure before moving the rock to my tank.
Also what are the polyp looking things on this same rock?
IMG_6192_720.jpg

What are the stringy root looking things? Harmful?
IMG_6193_720.jpg

Thanks in advance for your help.
Kelly

[worm5406]

Those Polyp looking things are aptasia. You need to get rid of them before they take over worse than crabgrass. Most people deem them nuisance.

[alexander_ktn]

Originally Posted by kellyj

What are the stringy root looking things? Harmful?
Attachment 264352

Kelly

Feather dusters - harmless or rather beneficial.

[ReeferKimberly]

Kelly the polyps are zoas that are probably closed because the aiptasia is irritating them. Kill the aips but save the zoas

Without the aips that is a rather nice find if that rock was bought as just rock. Lots of zoas on it.

[kellyj]

Thanks for everyone's help. I will try to kill the aptasia. What's the best way without harming the zoas? Also, I purchased 60-70 pounds of live rock off of Craigslist and this is the only rock I see aptasia on. Could I be that lucky that there is aptasia on only one of the rocks? How does it reproduce and what should I look for as 'babies' on the other rocks?
Regards,
Kelly

[Freshy51]

Got a crab here that I wouldn't mind IDing

[IMG]http://i57.*******.com/30m5phx.png[/IMG]

[Sugar Magnolia]

You need to trap it to get a better pic. Bait a tall, smooth sided glass with a piece of raw seafood and tilt it against the rock work where you saw the crab. The crab will crawl in during the night but can't crawl out.

[Freshy51]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

You need to trap it to get a better pic. Bait a tall, smooth sided glass with a piece of raw seafood and tilt it against the rock work where you saw the crab. The crab will crawl in during the night but can't crawl out.

Just did that, playing the waiting game and unfortunately am not home for almost a week!

[mrsensi]

excelent

[Freshy51]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

You need to trap it to get a better pic. Bait a tall, smooth sided glass with a piece of raw seafood and tilt it against the rock work where you saw the crab. The crab will crawl in during the night but can't crawl out.

Had my girlfriend check the trap, one of my hermits was caught, but not the crab i was looking for. will re bait the trap and post an update asap.

**Edit, spell check.

[reefgoddess808]

Quick question...I had a small rubble rock with an aptaisia on it so I removed the rock, fresh water dip and some tweezers to what I believe was the anemone, hard to tell out of water. I replaced the rock and went to work. When I took the rock out there were a few bristle worms living underneath...anywho, I come home and now one of those worms is peaking out of the hole where the aptaisia was. Did it eat what was left?

[airtime23]

So hermits crabs, red or blue legged, are not recommended for reef tanks? Of any size? Could someone please explain why?

[ReeferKimberly]

Originally Posted by airtime23

So hermits crabs, red or blue legged, are not recommended for reef tanks? Of any size? Could someone please explain why?

They aren't?

Never heard that. I always have had both and never had a problem. Every crab on earth can become a problem if starved to the point of eating things they normally wouldn't but both of those are generally considered reef safe. At least I thought they were.....?

I guess a desperate crab could kill a snail for its shell but I always provide mine plenty of backup shells. And I guess if one ate coralline people might not like that? Generally I really don't think they are a problem at all. I just feed mine and they eat that and pick at stuff. Never touched coral except to walk over them. The reds get a little bigger, I suppose a tiny frag could get knocked. They could also I guess steal food from coral, but all crabs would. Just thinking aloud why you might have been told that.

[airtime23]

That's that I thought too, Kim, but the first post of the thread says that no crab is reef safe.

[ReeferKimberly]

Well I guess everyone has their opinion I think it is just that though. Just as valid as anyone's but at least IME, not what most people think.

[reefgoddess808]

what is this? I know its not a great pic. Its got legs kind of like a shrimp, at least that's how it looks and its white in color.

[Yellow05gt]

Any ideas what this is?

[alexander_ktn]

Originally Posted by reefgoddess808

what is this? I know its not a great pic. Its got legs kind of like a shrimp, at least that's how it looks and its white in color.

I can't really make it out, but I'd guess some kind of amphipod.

Originally Posted by Yellow05gt

Any ideas what this is?

If it has a skeleton it might be a non-photosynthetic stony coral. Can you check if it has? Otherwise it is some anemone species.

[Yellow05gt]

It's hard to tell if it has a skeleton or not. Can't really see one though

[alexander_ktn]

Can you irritate it a bit (without hurting it ofc) so that it retracts its tentacles and upload an image of it in that state?

[Yellow05gt]

This is as good as I could get lol

[alexander_ktn]

Okay - it's an anemone, definitely.

You must have frightened her to death, lol, look at all the mesenterial filaments.

It doesn't look like a classical aiptasia, but might also reproduce in the tank, so you'll need to decide if you leave it alive for now or not.