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

[Sugar Magnolia]

Looks like majanos...pest anemones.

[alexander_ktn]

Might be some Thalassianthus species imo...
Majanos shouldn't have split tentacles, which I think I'm seeing here - but might be image artifacts.

[chrissfoot]

Originally Posted by alexander_ktn

Might be some Thalassianthus species imo...
Majanos shouldn't have split tentacles, which I think I'm seeing here - but might be image artifacts.

Yeah, the images looked a lot better on my phone! Is there an easy way to get good images through the glass? I can never seem to get my cameras or phone to focus properly! I'll see if I can get some better pictures in the morning and hopefully will attach them correctly this time too! Tapatalk doesn't seem to help!

They don't seem to really have tentacles at all. At least not like most of the pictures of majano's that i've seen. They close right up into a ball at times and the 4 that I have spotted so far are all on rocks, not on the sand (though they have crossed the sand to get to the rocks).

[Tamarae]

Brand new 37g tank - about a week and a half into that first cycle and watching it come to life. 32 lbs live rock, 40 lbs live sand.





First pic - brown egg looking things. There are several clusters of them.

Second pic - We call this the "Freebie Rock" No idea what all those stalks are but they have little feathery things on the end. Seems like there's more of them daily. One side of the rock has the light pinkish ones, other side has some red ones. On that rock too are some red leaf looking things. Neat to watch grow, but what the heck is it?

Sorry I couldn't get any really great pictures - having issue with photos and lighting today.

Thanks for any help you can give! I've spent days reading around here, everyone is so good at this.

[chrissfoot]

Some more pics, hopefully these will make it more obvious!
uploadfromtaptalk1392711417463.jpg[ATTACH]265921[/ATTACH{

[alexander_ktn]

To me it really seems like something in the family Thalassianthidae - even more with the new pictures...

[alexander_ktn]

Tamarae,

I can't make out much on the first pic - not even enough for a guess...

On the second pic I see some red algae - they don't usually grow into pests and can add some color to a tank - so don't worry. The description of the stalk with hairy things could be a lot of things, And the description is all I can go with, since I don't see much: feather dusters, hydroids, some algae species, foraminiferans etc...

[Tamarae]

Thanks Alex

The new lights are installed and ill work on my photography skills. Good excuse for that macro lens I've been wanting. Teehee

[killinit123]

so are amphipods good or bad? because I have what seems to be millions of them in my fuge!! and are they something my dragonette will eat?

[alexander_ktn]

Originally Posted by killinit123

so are amphipods good or bad?

Good.

Originally Posted by killinit123

because I have what seems to be millions of them in my fuge!!

Good!

Originally Posted by killinit123

and are they something my dragonette will eat?

Probably - if they are small enough and slow enough to get caught. Most fish will eat them if they get them.

[chrissfoot]

Yet another hitchiker on my new rock. This one is a bit odd, not like anything i've ever seen. It's like a really flat woodlouse. It hides in a hole during the day then slowly crawls over the rocks at night. I thought it was just part of the rock at first till I looked later and it was in a different place! I've added a zoomed in photo and a bigger one for an idea of scale

[alexander_ktn]

It's a chiton, a type of snail - an algae eater.

[Fishyoga]

I have had this thing since I set up my 10gal tank. It is smaller than the diameter of a fingernail. It didn't match any Aiptasia that I could find. Any ideas?

[Sugar Magnolia]

Originally Posted by Fishyoga

I have had this thing since I set up my 10gal tank. It is smaller than the diameter of a fingernail. It didn't match any Aiptasia that I could find. Any ideas?

It's a protopalythoa. A harmless button polyp.

[Fishyoga]

Thanks Sugar! Any idea how big these things can get?
It's cool just to watch him sometimes

[Sugar Magnolia]

That's as big as it gets.

[Shanet]

A Goody or a Baddy?
Like some kind of Slug.

[Shanet]

Try 2

A Goody or a Baddy?
Like some kind of Slug.

[Shanet]

Try 3

A Goody or a Baddy?
Like some kind of Slug.

[alexander_ktn]

Looks like an Elysia species - harmless (macro-)algae eaters, partially photosynthetic due to the chloroplasts they "steal" from the algae.

A picture from above, or through a clear glass would help in narrowing the species/genus down btw...

[Shanet]

Here is the best my phone will do. Its a cute little bloke, glad its harmless.

[alexander_ktn]

I can't narrow it down with this image, but it's definitely an Elysia species, so the things said above apply.

[Shanet]

Thanks, It's back in the tank

[LadyDave]

Is this why my zoas are closed up? Caught it right on the tip of one of them! Not going back in the tank but if there are more (likely as my zoas don't look happy!) any ideas on how I can get rid???

[Reefer54]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

It is a stomatella. Harmless grazer.

I have many stomatellas, but i have never seen a entirely black one. i have a black unconfirmed stomatella, no mottling of colors on shell or body....it is black.

can anyone confirm this is possible...