Pix & ID: Critters that come in your rocks: the good and the bad. - Page 89

Ryphen · 05/23/2013, 08:31 PM

I believe they're called ball anemones. They can sting and have been known to spread quickly in some tanks. Some people treat them like aiptasia and eradicate them as they see them.

hogfanreefer · 05/23/2013, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryphen

I believe they're called ball anemones. They can sting and have been known to spread quickly in some tanks. Some people treat them like aiptasia and eradicate them as they see them.

This has a stony skeleton (that central disc is hard as a rock). I didn't think anemones did?

SushiGirl · 05/23/2013, 10:27 PM

Lammy, looks like it might be a sand skater or something along that type of pod. Markings are cool on it. Sand skaters are harmless.

Hogfan, I've never had a plate coral, but that's still my best guess going by all the pics of baby plates I've seen on here. Any LPS with tentacles can sting so as long as the zoas seem out of reach & fine they should be ok where they are. Not sure at what point you should move it to the sand. You could try reconfirming the ID on the LPS board or run a search on baby plates. Lots of threads out there IDing them & advising when to move them. It's definitely not a ball anemone...I'm the ball anemone queen OL.

Rob in Puyallup · 05/24/2013, 08:36 AM

Any idea what this is? I just noticed it several days ago on a piece of coral rubble.

alexander_ktn · 05/24/2013, 09:11 AM

It's a vermetid snail.

Rob in Puyallup · 05/24/2013, 09:28 AM

Oh... I just read up on those. Not good news, I guess. Should I get rid of it?

Thanks

alexander_ktn · 05/24/2013, 09:49 AM

As long as there are only a few they don't really harm anything... You can at any point break them off or glue them shut if they become a nuissance.

Foxxy · 05/24/2013, 11:19 PM

Hi, skimmed as many pages of this massive thread possible, but still need 2 ID's.
The worm/slug thing is almost 2" but shrinks to near nothing and goes back into the rock. It's white w/ black stripes and red antennae tips. The crab I assume is bad but can't get him out. He hides in a hole and waves a claw at my cleaner shrimp when he passes by. It's yellow, darker claw tips, appears to eat rock :/

Foxxy · 05/24/2013, 11:24 PM

K well I guess I can't edit my other post? put up the wrong link, and none of my other pics will load, I got a site error message and don't have time to mess with it anymore tonight lol, so just attached smaller ones... Thanks for any help!!

Rob in Puyallup · 05/24/2013, 11:58 PM

Thanks, Alexander. I'll be watching!

alexander_ktn · 05/25/2013, 02:24 AM

Foxxy, the first one is a species of Thuridilla, those are algae eating nudibranchs.

As for the crab: I can't say...

SushiGirl · 05/25/2013, 08:43 AM

Glad Alexander could ID the slug LOL. Crab kinda looks like maybe a Xanthid, pic is pretty blurry. You could try a small glass tipped up against the rock with some food in the bottom to try to catch it if you haven't tried that already. It's probably picking at the rock for algae. Crabs will eat pretty much anything.

Foxxy · 05/25/2013, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SushiGirl

Glad Alexander could ID the slug LOL. Crab kinda looks like maybe a Xanthid, pic is pretty blurry. You could try a small glass tipped up against the rock with some food in the bottom to try to catch it if you haven't tried that already. It's probably picking at the rock for algae. Crabs will eat pretty much anything.

great thank you both! So for now, if the slug sticks to algae, he's ok to keep. I have a couple great close-ups of the crab, but that's what I couldn't get loaded yesterday. As for the glass trick, well keeping the shrimp from eating anything before 5 minutes is a problem haha.

Salt_waterlover · 05/25/2013, 03:13 PM

Very helpful!

SweesFeesh · 05/25/2013, 05:58 PM

Sorry that I don't have a pic, I'll try to get one later. Found a green lipped mussel on a rock I bought about two months ago. It just appeared there. I had seen the spot many times before, then this appeared. Very weird. I don't know how its still alive.

tatuaje08 · 05/26/2013, 02:32 AM

Looks white in the tank.

alexander_ktn · 05/26/2013, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tatuaje08

Looks white in the tank.

It's a chiton, an algae grazing snail.

alexander_ktn · 05/28/2013, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatasshaAnna

is there bad or good critters?

Very philosophical!

But there are certainly critters that can harm what we have in our tanks or help with problems.

SweesFeesh · 05/28/2013, 01:08 PM

So many people hate Eunicid worms because of their destructive feeding, but they are actually extremely interesting. Like mantis shrimp, if given a species only tank, they will be interesting and occupy your time. They don't only eat corals, they also eat dead animals and left over food. Before just killing off your eunicid worm, at least consider giving it a tank of its own.

Flashy Fins · 05/29/2013, 10:41 PM

Spotted this dark colored thing in my tank; seems nearly black in reality, but showed up brown in the pictures. It was still for a while, but as I turned lights off and back on a couple times in an attempt to get decent pictures, he started moving. Speed was comparable to a snail. Starfish missing legs, maybe? Good or bad?

Thanks for your input! Learning a lot from this thread, although it's taking me some time to get all the way through it.

Flashy Fins · 05/29/2013, 11:01 PM

I have these on a rock from another person's tank, which I don't think are bad, but I'm wondering if they have spread to another rock in the tank, or if I have a lookalike pest?

The tiny polyp in the top right area of the pics looks just like the polyps in my first picture. However, the polyp in the bottom left corner of these pictures seems different; there is no green on it, just brown. Also, the stem doesn't seem quite the same. It's not as darkly colored and extends out from the rock a little further. Not the greatest pics, but a better look at the stem:

Anything to worry about?

alexander_ktn · 05/30/2013, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashy Fins

Spotted this dark colored thing in my tank; seems nearly black in reality, but showed up brown in the pictures. It was still for a while, but as I turned lights off and back on a couple times in an attempt to get decent pictures, he started moving. Speed was comparable to a snail. Starfish missing legs, maybe? Good or bad?

Thanks for your input! Learning a lot from this thread, although it's taking me some time to get all the way through it.

That's an Asterina starfish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashy Fins

I have these on a rock from another person's tank, which I don't think are bad, but I'm wondering if they have spread to another rock in the tank, or if I have a lookalike pest?

The tiny polyp in the top right area of the pics looks just like the polyps in my first picture. However, the polyp in the bottom left corner of these pictures seems different; there is no green on it, just brown. Also, the stem doesn't seem quite the same. It's not as darkly colored and extends out from the rock a little further. Not the greatest pics, but a better look at the stem:

Anything to worry about?

A Protopalythoa species - please read up on them because they are poisonous and thus dangerous if handled incorrectly.

Flashy Fins · 05/30/2013, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexander_ktn

That's an Asterina starfish.

A Protopalythoa species - please read up on them because they are poisonous and thus dangerous if handled incorrectly.

Wow, I feel silly now! I've seen white asterina stars on my glass and knew what they were, thanks to this thread. Never occurred to me they aren't white on the other side.

I spotted a white one this morning and made the effort to check out his other side and surprise - it was the exact same starfish I took the pictures of!

Thank you for the polyp info. I read up a bit and decided I don't want them in my tank (or should I say, taking over my tank), so I gloved up and took a hammer to a large rock to knock the bigger colony off. A smaller rock with new polyps, I just removed completely. Put all of it in my QT tank, where there is no light. If it survives, fine with me. Just don't want it in the display!

taylorking2000 · 05/31/2013, 12:05 AM

Hi guys,

I've been cycling my tank for three weeks and just found this crab this morning. Can anyone tell me what it is? Looking to keep SPS soon so don't want this crab giving them any trouble.

Thanks!

Tried to remove it with tweezers but it's hole is too deep.
Crab.jpg

OKDOHK · 05/31/2013, 05:42 PM

taylorking2000, you will need better photos for a id. But it does appear to be a crab from the Xanthidae family. Most reefers would remove the crab. Have you thought of trying the weighted bait and jar method. If you catch him take some more photos for a proper id.

05/23/2013, 10:27 PM	#2203
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Lammy, looks like it might be a sand skater or something along that type of pod. Markings are cool on it. Sand skaters are harmless. Hogfan, I've never had a plate coral, but that's still my best guess going by all the pics of baby plates I've seen on here. Any LPS with tentacles can sting so as long as the zoas seem out of reach & fine they should be ok where they are. Not sure at what point you should move it to the sand. You could try reconfirming the ID on the LPS board or run a search on baby plates. Lots of threads out there IDing them & advising when to move them. It's definitely not a ball anemone...I'm the ball anemone queen OL. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank Last edited by SushiGirl; 05/23/2013 at 10:44 PM.

05/25/2013, 08:43 AM	#2212
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Glad Alexander could ID the slug LOL. Crab kinda looks like maybe a Xanthid, pic is pretty blurry. You could try a small glass tipped up against the rock with some food in the bottom to try to catch it if you haven't tried that already. It's probably picking at the rock for algae. Crabs will eat pretty much anything. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

05/25/2013, 03:13 PM	#2214
Salt_waterlover Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Buford,Georgia Posts: 41	Very helpful! __________________ 100g,FOWLR tank,pH:8.0 Nitrate (NO2):0ppm (NO3):5.0 Ammonia:0ppm 2 Maxi-jet 1200 water pump, Canister filter magnum 350, Ocellaris Clownfish, three striped damsel Current Tank Info: 100g,FOWLR tank,pH:8.0 Nitrate (NO2):0ppm (NO3):5.0 Ammonia:0ppm

05/25/2013, 05:58 PM	#2215
SweesFeesh Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 140	Green Lipped Mussel Sorry that I don't have a pic, I'll try to get one later. Found a green lipped mussel on a rock I bought about two months ago. It just appeared there. I had seen the spot many times before, then this appeared. Very weird. I don't know how its still alive.

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05/23/2013, 08:31 PM	#2201
Ryphen Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 56	I believe they're called ball anemones. They can sting and have been known to spread quickly in some tanks. Some people treat them like aiptasia and eradicate them as they see them.

05/24/2013, 09:11 AM	#2205
alexander_ktn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 851	It's a vermetid snail.

05/24/2013, 09:28 AM	#2206
Rob in Puyallup Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 191	Oh... I just read up on those. Not good news, I guess. Should I get rid of it? Thanks

05/24/2013, 09:49 AM	#2207
alexander_ktn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 851	As long as there are only a few they don't really harm anything... You can at any point break them off or glue them shut if they become a nuissance.

05/24/2013, 11:19 PM	#2208
Foxxy Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Kapolei, HI Posts: 30	Hi, skimmed as many pages of this massive thread possible, but still need 2 ID's. The worm/slug thing is almost 2" but shrinks to near nothing and goes back into the rock. It's white w/ black stripes and red antennae tips. The crab I assume is bad but can't get him out. He hides in a hole and waves a claw at my cleaner shrimp when he passes by. It's yellow, darker claw tips, appears to eat rock :/

05/24/2013, 11:58 PM	#2210
Rob in Puyallup Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 191	Thanks, Alexander. I'll be watching!

05/25/2013, 02:24 AM	#2211
alexander_ktn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 851	Foxxy, the first one is a species of Thuridilla, those are algae eating nudibranchs. As for the crab: I can't say...

05/28/2013, 01:08 PM	#2219
SweesFeesh Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 140	So many people hate Eunicid worms because of their destructive feeding, but they are actually extremely interesting. Like mantis shrimp, if given a species only tank, they will be interesting and occupy your time. They don't only eat corals, they also eat dead animals and left over food. Before just killing off your eunicid worm, at least consider giving it a tank of its own.

05/29/2013, 10:41 PM	#2220
Flashy Fins Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Washington Posts: 105	Spotted this dark colored thing in my tank; seems nearly black in reality, but showed up brown in the pictures. It was still for a while, but as I turned lights off and back on a couple times in an attempt to get decent pictures, he started moving. Speed was comparable to a snail. Starfish missing legs, maybe? Good or bad? Thanks for your input! Learning a lot from this thread, although it's taking me some time to get all the way through it.

05/29/2013, 11:01 PM	#2221
Flashy Fins Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Washington Posts: 105	I have these on a rock from another person's tank, which I don't think are bad, but I'm wondering if they have spread to another rock in the tank, or if I have a lookalike pest? The tiny polyp in the top right area of the pics looks just like the polyps in my first picture. However, the polyp in the bottom left corner of these pictures seems different; there is no green on it, just brown. Also, the stem doesn't seem quite the same. It's not as darkly colored and extends out from the rock a little further. Not the greatest pics, but a better look at the stem: Anything to worry about?

05/31/2013, 12:05 AM	#2224
taylorking2000 Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 1	Hi guys, I've been cycling my tank for three weeks and just found this crab this morning. Can anyone tell me what it is? Looking to keep SPS soon so don't want this crab giving them any trouble. Thanks! Tried to remove it with tweezers but it's hole is too deep. Crab.jpg

05/31/2013, 05:42 PM	#2225
OKDOHK Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Canada Posts: 277	taylorking2000, you will need better photos for a id. But it does appear to be a crab from the Xanthidae family. Most reefers would remove the crab. Have you thought of trying the weighted bait and jar method. If you catch him take some more photos for a proper id.