Is this what I think it is?

[fasteddie99]

I've had these on the very corner of a piece of LR for at least a year and I thought they were hydroids until recently I looked a little closer at them and oh my how they've grown... And oh my they look like aptasia anemones!!

[/IMG]

Fortunately they are/were on the very corner of the rock and was able to cut the corner off. I set the corner on the sand to let them come back out to make sure I got them. Thought I'd take a pic of it just to make sure. Best I could do with the iPhone.

 

[Drewbaby]

They don't look like aptasia. They look like a filter feeder because of the way the hands are. They look more like a type of anthelia or xenia, but could be a feather duster of sorts. Kin of hard to tell by the pic. Good job for an iPhone pic though

 

[mikk1301]

colonial hydroids if they are isolated to that rock ditch it real pita

 

[Sk8r]

drewbaby's got a point. The ocean has more species than we EVER usually see in a tank. They're interesting: keep them away from your structural rock, and if they don't hurt anything, just consider them a neat curiosity. Aiptasia have smooth arms. These look much larger than hydroids that i'm familiar with ---here's a set of images which aren't well filtered (they include all sorts of things that aren't hydroids, including zoas and people) but maybe you can get a notion what hydroids look like. A casual scan didn't find your guys, though. Might report these over in the Invertebrates forum and see if any of the experts have an id for you.
http://www.google.com/images?q=colo...tle&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQsAQwAA&biw=1280&bih=608

 

[fasteddie99]

Thanks Sk8r. I will look through the pics. I figured I would keep an eye on these guys and keep them isolated. They react like anemones though. You touch them they all shrivel up. Quite quickly too.

 

[Misled]

From someone that has them, yes they are anthellia. They can get out of control if you don't keep an eye on them. My sponge keeps them in check.

 

[fasteddie99]

Misled, wow that looks just like them! I shall let them grow on their own little island and see what they turn in to.

Thanks everyone!