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

[QuiGonJay]

Thanks! No, doesn't move so probably fan worm.

J

[mdreef03]

two things...first pic looks like some cotton balls on the live rock? can anyone id this for me please? and whether its good or bad once again lol. and secondly...i was watching my tank, moving some rocks around as i was taking some out because of red bubble algae invasion and i would rather be safe than sorry and just take the rocks all the way out instead of trying to pick them off, but i noticed a critter peeking out of a hole in my coral. i think it is a mantis shrimp. that rock has been in there for a few weeks now but i haven't noticed any of my hermits disappearing or any crushed shells. and my peppermint shrimp are still alive. can anyone positive id the crappy pic, and whether it is a true danger to my tank, literally as i heard they can break the glass of a tank, not sure if true or not but i definitely don't want him destroying my hermies, shrimp, or emerald crab. any advise on how to get him out???photo reef.jpg

photo reef1.jpg

[killinit123]

Originally Posted by mdreef03

two things...first pic looks like some cotton balls on the live rock? can anyone id this for me please? and whether its good or bad once again lol. and secondly...i was watching my tank, moving some rocks around as i was taking some out because of red bubble algae invasion and i would rather be safe than sorry and just take the rocks all the way out instead of trying to pick them off, but i noticed a critter peeking out of a hole in my coral. i think it is a mantis shrimp. that rock has been in there for a few weeks now but i haven't noticed any of my hermits disappearing or any crushed shells. and my peppermint shrimp are still alive. can anyone positive id the crappy pic, and whether it is a true danger to my tank, literally as i heard they can break the glass of a tank, not sure if true or not but i definitely don't want him destroying my hermies, shrimp, or emerald crab. any advise on how to get him out???Attachment 298977

Attachment 298978

definitely a mantis shrimp try to get it out they are kind of hard to trap. i still have one in my tank out of three!! but as far as breaking the glass i wouldn't worry about that its way too small. they are actually very interesting and cool to watch mine hasn't killed too many hermits but goes crazy at my tube worms. I'm just waiting for the right time to be able to catch him!! good luck!

[Miguelh1302]

Can anybody tell me what this is? Thanks in advance, is it good or bad? It is the white almost transparent long thing next to my Xenia

[cloak]

Check this out. There's a picture of a worm that looks very similar.

http://www.saltyunderground.com/arti...articles_id=52

HTH.

[Knots]

this is an amazing thread. However, I keep hearing mixed on bristleworms... some folks seem to like em, some hate them. I'm still undecided. Never seen them cause a problem, except they seem disgusting to me.

[Miguelh1302]

Thanks

[mdreef03]

Originally Posted by killinit123

definitely a mantis shrimp try to get it out they are kind of hard to trap. i still have one in my tank out of three!! but as far as breaking the glass i wouldn't worry about that its way too small. they are actually very interesting and cool to watch mine hasn't killed too many hermits but goes crazy at my tube worms. I'm just waiting for the right time to be able to catch him!! good luck!

How did you catch yours? I read up on some bottle traps but I have a 29 gal nano which I think a bottle might be too big? Any other ideas? Thanks for the info.

Ps btw just went to check my tank earlier and there is now a broken shell on the floor lol. Spoke too soon. And was watchin it for a little bit as he moved into a different hole, and was taking a piece of shell or soemthing and tryin to lodge it into the opening. Def cool creature to watch. Just rather watch him in a diff tank lol

[randythereefer]

So are these the dreaded red planaria flatworms or some other type? If I kill them will they release toxins like the little red guys? They're aren't clear but they aren't red. They are goldenish brown, like a leather coral...... This is the best I could do with my iphone and a macro lens.....


and










This picture best shows their color:





Next to a copepod (I think)



PLEASE HELP!! I'm worried about what to do. Flatworm exit is very harsh on my sand bed critters but out of control RED planaria can poison a whole tank of they die. If these guys are harmless I will let them live and proliferate but otherwise I need to nip this in the bud before they multiply like crazy. The seahorse "refugium" gets fed twice a day and has a lot of wasted food BTW because of the picky nature of the way seahorses eat which is where these guys seems to be multiplying.

[killinit123]

Originally Posted by mdreef03

How did you catch yours? I read up on some bottle traps but I have a 29 gal nano which I think a bottle might be too big? Any other ideas? Thanks for the info.

Ps btw just went to check my tank earlier and there is now a broken shell on the floor lol. Spoke too soon. And was watchin it for a little bit as he moved into a different hole, and was taking a piece of shell or soemthing and tryin to lodge it into the opening. Def cool creature to watch. Just rather watch him in a diff tank lol

lol yea i hear you they can be pretty destructive. but as far as catching them i got pretty lucky with the two. one of them i netted he was out in the sand bed and pretty much just swam into the net!! which i can say has never happened before that lol. the other one was on a rock so i picked up the rock put it in fresh water and shook it! he fell out into the bucket, i would try that before anything, traps seemed useless to me. and for the third one he is still in my tank somewhere havent seen him in over a month but i can hear him whacking away at things in the tank every so often. another option would to find his hole and connect a piece of food to some sort of rod and lure him out with it. then try to net him while hes distracted. they are very smart and have incredible eyesight so it is a challenge to out wit them. good luck on trapping though.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Originally Posted by randythereefer

So are these the dreaded red planaria flatworms or some other type? If I kill them will they release toxins like the little red guys? They're aren't clear but they aren't red. They are goldenish brown, like a leather coral...... This is the best I could do with my iphone and a macro lens.....


and










This picture best shows their color:





Next to a copepod (I think)



PLEASE HELP!! I'm worried about what to do. Flatworm exit is very harsh on my sand bed critters but out of control RED planaria can poison a whole tank of they die. If these guys are harmless I will let them live and proliferate but otherwise I need to nip this in the bud before they multiply like crazy. The seahorse "refugium" gets fed twice a day and has a lot of wasted food BTW because of the picky nature of the way seahorses eat which is where these guys seems to be multiplying.

None of your pictures are showing.

[S2minute]

http://http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/album.php?albumid=9640&pictureid=67120Anyone ID the seaweed/algae please?

[Sugar Magnolia]

Need a clearer image.

[Coelli]

This guy is translucent green, about 1.25" long, has at least tripled in size since I first saw it (once) 2 months ago. It lives in the rock and only comes out at night. It's very slow-moving. Sea cucumber is the best guess but I'd love to know what kind and how big I can expect it to get!

[Shawn O]

Originally Posted by killinit123

definitely a mantis shrimp try to get it out they are kind of hard to trap. i still have one in my tank out of three!! but as far as breaking the glass i wouldn't worry about that its way too small. they are actually very interesting and cool to watch mine hasn't killed too many hermits but goes crazy at my tube worms. I'm just waiting for the right time to be able to catch him!! good luck!

How can you tell with such a blurry picture?

[liverock]

Originally Posted by Coelli

This guy is translucent green, about 1.25" long, has at least tripled in size since I first saw it (once) 2 months ago. It lives in the rock and only comes out at night. It's very slow-moving. Sea cucumber is the best guess but I'd love to know what kind and how big I can expect it to get!

cucumber

[killinit123]

Originally Posted by Shawn O

How can you tell with such a blurry picture?

second picture directly in the middle you will see the mantis poking his head out of the hole. those eyes are pretty distinctive plus the two antenna sticking out IMO are undeniably characteristics of a mantis. you can even see (if you look close enough) the appendages "hammers" tucked up under its body. maybe i can tell better than others just because i have dealt with them a lot in the past and presently.

[Coelli]

Originally Posted by liverock

cucumber

Any thoughts on what kind and what it's going to grow to? Thanks!

[BklynNewbie]

I just noticed this guy in my tank a couple days ago... I did some research and thought maybe it was a stomatella? I've seen they're pretty uncommon, so just want to make sure that's what it is...

[IMG]http://i58.*******.com/dzeb04.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i58.*******.com/154fw8x.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i59.*******.com/5b5wgh.jpg[/IMG]

[Coelli]

Yes, looks like a stomatella, they're great critters

[TreyC2010]

I have them in mine. They've sprouted nicely.

[BklynNewbie]

Originally Posted by Coelli

Yes, looks like a stomatella, they're great critters

sweet, thanks for confirming. thats what I hear. I didn't know what the heck it was lol

[shesacharmer]

After seven months I thought I'd seen pretty much everything that lives in my tank...until today...WHAT THE HECK IS THIS???



I found it in the sand near my Cynarina Coral which appeared to be distressed. I thought maybe it was getting too much flow and reached in to adjust it...and came up with this. I'm glad it isn't a bristle worm but what the heck???

[Staisman]

Anyone knows what is this white worm looking thing on my cheato? Is it bad or good?

[cloak]

If there stationary, then there probably just harmless sponges.