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

[srfnsport]

I have a large order of live rock coming in and I want to know how long it should be cycled before adding any of it into my tanks? I usually prefer all the critters that may come in/on it but maybe not worth the risk of some of the bad guys.

Also wont cycling the live rock with enhanced calcium levels encourage coralline algae growth?

[SushiGirl]

Short answer, it should be cycled until the cycle is complete or you can cycle it in the tank. Calcium will encourage coralline growth.

If you want a longer discussion, I'd recommend starting a separate thread since this one is for hitchhiker IDs (which you may need later LOL).

[Biogenetic40379]

awesome thread, pics really helped out alot

[dthorn]

I've read this entire 67 page from beginning to end on my slow smart phone and have to say sushigirl is doing an awesome job. You have identified bristle worms, asterina stars, and flat worms more times than most would have the patience for. I believe I saw my creature twice. possibly in mr. Demeanor's post #380 on page 16, and definitely in wenwillwego's post #872 on page 35. You identified it as a peanut worm and mentioned you had never seen one with that type of markings. After studying the link on worms at chuck's addiction I still don't know any more than I've observed over several months.

This may be a type of peanut worm, but does not follow appropriate behavior for your everyday specimen. These ones sting, paralyze, and eat snails. I watched one nearly ingest a nassarius snail whole before bright light caused it to spit it out and retract. I also had cerith and astrea(spelling) snails that came with my CUC. Any snail that fell within reach never moved again. They loom in the darkness, mostly in substrate, but also in dark places on rock, and a few bold ones in the light. The tentacles flow in the current, but can also stretch pod and tentacles to reach for snails. I've tried to catch them and they are too fast darting under the sand. I've zapped them with aiptasia-x. They swell and seem to implode and disappear under the sand, but reappear unharmed a few days later.

Identification is only half of my request. Next comes the important stuff that really matters. So far they don't appear to bother coral(touching some micro zoas with minor irritation at most). They already ate all my snails, and generally stay hidden in the darkness. Are they a problem? If so how do I deal with them. Very soon I will be upgrading to a 56g column and really want to keep this very established and full of life rock, and just add dry rock for the bigger tank.

There are video's at www.youtube.com/dbarter8872 and I'll also try to attach a pic, but I'm stuck on a phone without the luxury of a real computer. Sushigirl must be able to relate to how limited I am by only being able to use a phone. Thanks again and hopefully we can figure out exactly what these creatures are. I truly believe there's a little more to this than the simple answers I've got trying myself. Definitely not aiptasia, but I still seem to get that response a lot. The tentacles are way different. Any other information needed feel free to ask. I would kill(not really) to find out the exact name of these creatures so that I can research them thoroughly to decide if they stay or go, and how. Thanks again for all the great information and for your dedication to this thread and passion for this subject! That goes out to all the people on here trying to help you know who you are!

And please..... small words I'm still a noob and can be easily confused!

[dthorn]

Almost lost that last post on my stupid phone and decided not to risk the pics. Forgot to mention I literally have dozens of these things(easy to see the dark places in a hex tank), maybe even 100. Not able to find files on my phone to post pics so I will add an album to my profile labeled hitchikers.

[Sugar Magnolia]

You need to link the specific videos of the critters you are describing. I'm confused about what you have posted in relation to the videos.

[dthorn]

I posted a youtube channel that only has my videos of these creatures and one of the rest of the tank. Www.youtube.com/dbarter8872 takes you to my channel. Click browse videos and it will show all of the videos. I posted them awhile ago with no luck on several forums. I'm not very good with tech stuff and was honestly proud I managed to get them on there. One of the videos shows creatures, and another show one attacking a snail. I'm not able to watch them on my cell and don't recall what each shows, but each was important for showing something different about them. Thanks!

[SushiGirl]

Sounds like Oenone fuldiga or Eunicid worms, but they look more like bristleworms than peanut worms. There is another smooth worm that is a predator, but I don't recall the name, just that it was smooth & a predator LOL. I'd defer to LeslieH on this one, she's a worm expert (literally!). Good, clear pics would help a lot, I can't tell anything from that vid.

[dthorn]

I added an album with pics and descriptions to my profile. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/al...p?albumid=7285 hopefully that helps. I did wonder if this was a leslie question, but after reading all 67 pages I thought I better start here.

[SushiGirl]

So are these healthy living snails they're eating?

[dthorn]

They appeared alive and well until getting too close. Once the tentacles touch the snail it becomes paralyzed and I've only seen anything after that once. They stretch their body and tentacles to the snail. The one time I saw it a nassarius snail was almost completely in one's mouth. I believe it intended to consume the shell and all. I turned on the lights to see better and take pics and the creature slowly retracted and spit the snail out. All of the larger snail shells remain, but empty. I could literally watch a snail fall into their territory where I couldn't save it. It would be moving trying to right itself until the tentacles touched it. Can't honestly say how fast they stopped moving or if they were paralyzed or dead. If I remember right my cuc came with 40 snails, which were all gone in no time. 3 peppermint shrimp apeared to stalk them, but never attack. Scarlet reef and blue legged dwarf hermits and my emerald like to grab at them, but they just retract like lightning under the sand. The snails all disappeared, the peppermints disappeared after a month, everything else is still happy and healthy. I occassionally notice tiny burn holes in my mandarin's fins that I wonder if these creatures or something else cause(I buy him pods). I have done a ton of digging around and have no clue what they are and if snails are the only thing I had to worry about. If that's the only concern once I identify them I can just get more hermits. Thanks for trying to help, you guys are definitely on top of things around here and I feel lucky to have found this site.

[Shorty Harris]

Are they definitely worms? Sounds like the snails are getting stung by the tentacles which makes me think anenomes or hydroids.

[dthorn]

I'm just a noob that likes to read. I don't think they are a worm either, was just repeating what it was identified as in a previous pic in this post. I believe it was identified as aiptasia on the other page I quoted. I could have misread the posts or the poor comparison of pics could have made them look like aiptasia or a peanut worm tube. I just referenced the two places in this sticky where I saw pictures of the same creatures I'm trying to identify. A very advanced creature, and I've got nowhere searching the net for months. I've shown videos and pics to all of the lfs people and posted on several online forums. I suspect some type of hydroid or nem as well, but that alone hasn't helped me much with what to do about them, if anything. I get lost easily being a noob and don't get any closer to an answer with each search. In the end, I always go back to researching things more important for a noob in way over his head trying not to fall through the ice. Thanks again for the help people. After reading this whole post I'm confident this group can help me figure it out or at least point me to someone who can. Happy reefing!

[helokittylovr]

i was looking at my 29 gal tank today and i saw this thing when i touched it
it withdrew so i know its alive but I'm totally clueless. not the leather on the right

[volcom5655]

Help with ID please. It has been around for last couple weeks but just recently relocated so i could take a photo.

[SushiGirl]

helokittylovr, sorry, I don't know.
volcom, that's aiptasia.

[guardian_2000]

This lil guy I happen to like since he was kind enough to rid my tank of 5 aiptasia that I had shown on my rock which people said to burn off and take out. Since then my emerald has also eaten most of the GBA off. The CUC has taken care of most of the fern algae which people said could of been bryopsis so I'm hoping it turns out to be a false id there. But I was just curious what this lil guy is specifically... I've combed tons of sites and can't id for certain. Just believe he is a Nudi.

His name is "*** I have some sort of tentacle monster in the tank that glows orange under actinic".....





Again thank you for the help.

[SushiGirl]

Wow, those are awesome pics! If it ate your aiptasia, I would guess it's a Berghia nudibranch. If all your aiptasia is gone & it is a Berghia, you might want to pass it along/sell it to someone with an aiptasia problem since it'll die without aiptasia to eat. I've never seen such a good pic of a Berghia, so I couldn't tell you if it actually is one, but their diet is strictly aiptasia so that would be my guess.

[guardian_2000]

Thanks for ID. I heard there was an nudi that ate aiptasia. I definately don't want him to die. He freaked me out the first time I saw him. Was checking the liverock I had gotten for christmas and saw two of my aiptasia were gone. Out from where one used to be these lil blue and yellow bubbles popped out of a crack. Slowly more and more then the tentacles face came out and the bubbles slithered up the rock and into a hole. Been about a week and a half since then and this guy just came back out last night and freaked out the gf crawling all over another rock that had had aiptasia and he was going to all the places where the aiptasia used to be. Haven't seen any new aiptasia since the first time I saw this guy.

[dthorn]

Anyone have any more thoughts on the creatures I'm trying to identify? If not where is the invertebrates section to contact leslie? Thanks!

[dthorn]

Any other thoughts on the creatures I'm trying to identify? If not, where do I find the invertebrates section to contact leslie? Thanks!

[dthorn]

Any other thoughts on the creatures I'm trying to identify? If not, where do I find the invertebrates section to contact leslie? Thanks!

[dthorn]

Sorry, cell phone malfunction!

[SushiGirl]

Leslie has posted in this thread. Go back a page or 2 & click on her name to send her a PM.

[dthorn]

Thanks!