Aiptasia or fan worms?

[JenK]

New reef aquarium - set up 2 mo. ago with uncured live rock. I've got two colonies of either fan worms or aiptasia, 5 in one group and maybe 10 or more in the other group. There only about 1/2 inch tall, look like little stick tubes with hairs coming out the top. When I put my finger up to the hairs, they retract.

Does this sound like fan worms or aiptasia? Can't get a picture, don't have the right equipment. Anybody know how to tell them apart or do I wait and see?

 

[sundance1]

If they retract into the "stick" and the "stick" remains out of the rock they are fan worms(feather dusters).It the entire thing retracts into the rock itself it's probably aptasia.

 

[Amphiprion]

If the "hairs fully retract with a tube left out, then it is either a hydroid (or scyphozoan polyp stage) or feather duster. The feeding tentacles of feather dusters will be branched or pinnate, while hydroids look just like hairs. Aiptasia sp. will fully contract into a their column, which means nothing visible will be left.

 

[bheron]

since you dont have pics here, do a quick google search of "aptasia" and you'll quickly figure it out. thats how I did.