IDs plz

[ladyfsu]

Hey...sorry but I'm a total noob. I had a few fish and really got interested in all of this (am even starting to teach it which I LOVE) but....

I am switching from my awful fake plants/rocks etc...and making a real nice tank I hope.

I bought 2 lbs of live rock today...not much but I'm still learning about all of this.

Can you tell me what all of this is? I assume the orange is a sponge, the green round things are a plant and well...that's about as good as I can do. I also see some coral polyps I think in the bottom left. Can anyone ID ANYTHING on these 2 rocks so I am not brainless. I'm sure there is bad stuff on here too....I even think I found some bristle worms (or brittle star legs, lol, I dunno). I'm bad with the camera but the bottom picture is supposed to be of the little white thing I found.

Please tell me anything and everything about these 2 rocks. Thanks!!

OK, in the big picture above, the "worm" is almost in the center of it in a hole. On the pic below ( a close-up), look 1/4 inch below that blue leg hermit and 1/4 inch to the right...is that a bristle worm? There are 2 more in a hole that moved away when I touched them with something. Are they bad?

Thanks! Any help is appreciated! This whole REAL LIFE stuff is new too me (so used to plastic awful stuff )!

 

[ladyfsu]

Here's a couple more pics...

...and what is this sponge? Will it be able to filter enough food or do I need to add plankton regularly for it ( I guess I need to anyways for the live rock stuff...just curious for this sponge). He is a little smaller than a baseball.

 

[romunov]

You can read more about sponges here:
Sponges
How to ID a sponge and why should you just call it what it is - a sponge
Sponges: A Bunch of Holes Held Together by Some Cells
Sponges - pump-filter modules through space and time
Some Truths about Sponges

The cactus shaped alga is called Halimeda (read more about it here).

 

[ladyfsu]

thank you!

 

[ladyfsu]

The cactus shaped alga is called Halimeda (read more about it here). [/B]

OH...they sound good for my tank. I'm very new to this live rock and reef stuff...so I don't really know about all the calcium and other elements and compounds that are needed and they sound like they will help me. I'm learning...but I've gotten SOO much information in a matter of weeks and well...a lot of it has "mushed" in my brain. I seem to be retaining about 5% of what I've read/heard/seen etc.

THANKS

 

[ladyfsu]

.......and oh dear....the future doesn't look so bright for some of my sponges no wonder the yellow ball was only $5

 

[romunov]

That's why I always suggest to research an animal before purchase. www.reefkeeping.com is pretty good for starters. There are also different books on corals and other invertebrates, for example:

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087483/reeflink" target="_blank"><b>Aquarium Corals</b></a><br>Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History<br><i>by Eric Borneman</i><br><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087483/reeflink" target="_blank"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1890087483.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087661/reeflink/" target="_blank"><b>A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Invertebrates</b></a><br><i>by Ronald L. Shimek </i><br><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087661/reeflink/103-1837815-5093408" target="_blank"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1890087661.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg"></a>