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

[viper83065]

Originally Posted by oneofmany

It looks like either a Terebellid or Cirratulid worm. (good)

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/terebellid.shtml

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/cirratulid.shtml

Thank you for the help i think this is very close if not correct. my wife thought it was algae till it moved.

[Greentree]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

Most tunicates are pretty cool looking and all are good if you can keep them in your tank. Good luck.

That's great news - thanks again!

[Ron Reefman]

Good call oneofmany. I know spaghetti worms and they don't have the hairy tendrils all down their body like the hair worm does (I've never seen one of them before). So I think you are right about it being a hair worm.

[dalston]

Sorry if this has been asked before, there's a lot of info in this thread

Looking for an ID on this in the video. Middle bottom half, white tentacle looking thing that's swaying. There are a lot of these and they only come out at night. There's no base to them at all and are directly attached to rock etc. they react to light by retracting quickly. Seems to be a stinger or irritator of some sort...




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[Sugar Magnolia]

Digitate hydroids, yes they do sting anything nearby.

[dalston]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

Digitate hydroids, yes they do sting anything nearby.

Gah, thanks. Lots of mixed info on them with nothing really solid on how to rid them..

[TMIAAL]

Are these pest anemones or innocent featherdusters?

http://imgur.com/HlefHhp

http://imgur.com/TfjUwNG

http://imgur.com/BglQhAP



Link 1 shows what seems to be more anemone like on the left side with that tall stalk.

The rest that I'm looking for an ID for can be seen in all three links


Thanks for the help!

[Brian1973]

Hey all, I bought about 100 pounds of live rock from a guy for 20 bucks yesterday, I put most of it into a big YETI and filled it with new Salt water, today I opened the lid and it is full of life. How do yall get such good pictures of these little creatures, I have tried because I want to ID them before adding anything to my main tank. It was full of Aiptasia but I dosed that with Aiptasia X this morning and do not see anymore as of yet. Thank you.

[Hatonhed]

I could be wrong but I don't think apstasia x is something you dose. You have to inject it into each individual anemone.

[Brian1973]

Originally Posted by Hatonhed

I could be wrong but I don't think apstasia x is something you dose. You have to inject it into each individual anemone.

You are correct, each where directly injected per instructions. I did get some decent pictures.

[Brian1973]

here are some pics hopefully they are clear enough..thank you

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by TMIAAL

Are these pest anemones or innocent featherdusters?

Those are all feather dusters, Good for your tank.

[Ron Reefman]

Brian, as best I can tell, your photos are:
1) bristle worm, OK in the tank, some people don't like them but they do clean up
2) tough call, spaghetti worm? do they stringy parts we see go away (pulled in to the center) if you touch them? Or some kind of algae? spaghetti worm is good, algae is bad.
3) yellow sponge, almost any sponge is go in the tank. This one probably doesn't like light and grows on the undersides of your rock.
4) copepods, very good for the tank
5) some kind of a tube worm?

[Pandagobyguy]

1) yes^
2) spagghetti worm
3) yes^
4) yes of you are talking about the white dots
5) yes its called a spionid worm

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[zachxlutz]

ok! what is this?

Tank has been up and running for about one month now. The live rock was previously live and in a tank or two but has sat for years dry in a storage container. I cycled the rock in a brute trash can for a few months and then brought it into the tank. The tank saw very little cycle. I recently added a few pieces of coral to the tank. Duncan, Frogspawn, Zoas and Fungia. The tank also has various snails and a few hermit crabs.

The "stuff" in question is this:





And here is a video:

https://youtu.be/wvZks38_MGI

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by zachxlutz

ok! what is this?

Tank has been up and running for about one month now. The live rock was previously live and in a tank or two but has sat for years dry in a storage container. I cycled the rock in a brute trash can for a few months and then brought it into the tank. The tank saw very little cycle. I recently added a few pieces of coral to the tank. Duncan, Frogspawn, Zoas and Fungia. The tank also has various snails and a few hermit crabs.

The "stuff" in question is this:





And here is a video:

https://youtu.be/wvZks38_MGI

Well, upon further investigation I've identified the unknown "stuff" on the live rock as Cerith Snail eggs. I've linked some pictures below to help others in the event they stumble across this thread looking for information.





I found this information at this link: The Hitchhikers Guide to Your Aquarium

Seemingly, most pictures will show the snail leaving it's eggs on the glass which initially stumped me as I searched for images of each type of invertebrate in my tank's eggs.

[AlSimmons]

What kind of invertebrates do you have in your tank? An unwanted hitchhiker? What's the diameter of that "egg mass?"

[Lrfox]

Two questions about hitchhikers in one photo on one rock.

An LFS near me has some incredible "premium" live rock but it's heavy/dense and they charge $11.99/lb. It adds up fast. Well yesterday, the premium tank was empty and the standard tank ($4.99/lb) had a couple of pieces that looked a lot like the premium pieces. They also had some "Zoanthid Rocks" that were essentially covered with Zoas for $60. Well, I spotted a small piece (about 4lbs) that looked good. The barely glanced at it, took it out and wrapped it for me. I'm home and have it in the tank within 20 minutes and after looking, I think I got a steal ($20 for the rock) if I'm right about the hitchikers:

Are the pink things on the left sponges? And are the Zoa/Anenome looking things on the right Palys or Zoas? They look just like my Zoa polyps when closed up, but are much, much bigger and a different color (about 7 or 8 heads total). Thoughts? Did I get a good deal at $20? or meh?

[Ron Reefman]

I think (it's hard to tell from the oic) that the pink think is a sponge and the polyps are probably palys. At $20 for 4 pounds in Boston, that's probably an OK deal. Really good LR from local club members here in SW Florida is more like $3 or $4 a pound.

[Lrfox]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

I think (it's hard to tell from the oic) that the pink think is a sponge and the polyps are probably palys. At $20 for 4 pounds in Boston, that's probably an OK deal. Really good LR from local club members here in SW Florida is more like $3 or $4 a pound.

Thanks. We have some local club members here who occasionally sell for about that. There's just not that much to pick/choose from up this way. Mail order from TSW or somewhere else (usually in Florida) is often the best bet.

[jfabritz]

I hope I can get your help identifying these strange white tendrils growing on my glass and the back wall of my biocube.

Two of them have appeared to latch onto the foot of my flame scallop, so I am guessing they are not 'friendly'.

Thanks!

[craigangi]

Hi
We've recently had an outbreak of white tubular growths in our tank. Initially started off in just the sump but seems to have spread to (only) one side of the tank. They're quite tough, cone shaped where one end "sucks" perpendicular to the glass and looks a little bit like a grain of rice.
We've noticed a few of them in the main tank now and hope that someone can help ID them in case they're something that we don't want.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Pandagobyguy]

My guess is a white tunicate or pineapple sponge. If it is, then it is benificial

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[Digitalelectric]

Originally Posted by neiltus

This rock had some algae on it, the snails made quick work of most of it...now there are these little greenish things, some have holes in them...any ideas? The color does not look like the same green as the hair algae...

I know I'm late but these look like boring sponges. As in to bore into rock.

[jfabritz]

Originally Posted by jfabritz

I hope I can get your help identifying these strange white tendrils growing on my glass and the back wall of my biocube.

After some more research , I found out they are the byssal threads produced by the scallop as it attempts to anchor itself somewhere. Silly little bugger likes to hop around the tank to find the best flow.