ID hitchiker

[pascal32]

I noticed some small tentacles that looked like the tips of aptasia on a rock so I gently pulled the rock (it was slated to be removed anyhow). turns out the little tentacles are not aptasia, but this little fellow. any ideas?

 

[mr86mister]

5 arms? Possible starfish. Maybe brittle. That looks cool though.

 

[pascal32]

little guy has three arms. I had about 5 or 6 of them in that rock (yes I chiseled the rock apart out of curiosity)

 

[mr86mister]

Hmmm, very weird!

 

[magdelan]

Looks like a mini brittle.

 

[pascal32]

If it is a brittle I feel awefull for taking them out of the water assuming they could be hostile. I should have quaranteened them

 

[superkat]

brittle star. even if you take them out? even if you dump them into your tub and flush with tap water? walk away for about 20mins....they'll live. My daughter was saving the remains when my 55g crashed over a year ago...putting them in a little box...and she gasped, "they're still alive!" Threw them back in the tank. Little dudes are housed up in a big 'ole rock in the back. pretty big now.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I'm quite certain the star is Ophiactis algicola or a very close relative :fun2:

 

[tmz]

What Gary said . Commonly called a mini brittle star. I have plenty of them.

 

[pascal32]

well that is mighty disappointing. I feel like i acted in haste to protect the aquarium. from now on I'm going to quarantine unknowns till we get a warm fuzzy on the IDs.

 

[mr86mister]

Nothing wrong with taking them out to inspect, that's for sure. Better than leaving them in there and letting them destroy the system.