Looks Like Feather Dusters...but They Really Are?

salt e

In Memoriam
simple...they are on most of my live rocks...VERY small.... and resemble a spider web...what are they...please dont tell me what i think they are :rolleyes:
 
sorry...k...i found one that seems to be coming out of a tube...well they are VERY small...each one opens no bigger then the swab on a small Q-tip (most are even smaller)... they are white in color... and they seem to have a few AT LEAST on about EVERY peice of live rock in the tank but they seriously resemble a very small WHITE spider web and each indevisual arm/branch on the critter seems to be stripped with a dark gray which gives it the appearence of a spider web (hope this helps :( )
 
Feather dusters.

I have a ton!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks alot Ghever:rolleyes:

He gave me a piece of GSP and it was covered with these guys along the GSP.

No they are all over my sand. Tiny little guys u need to squint kinda...
 
so do you think they are feather dusters? they are EVERYWHERE in my tank... yea...you gotta get close to se em good...i dont really see em in my sand...just on the rocks :( my ray prolly moves the sand too much for them to get a grip down there
 
yep...Nothing spreads faster then those. Not even mojanos.

U can get a copperband butterfly and say bye bye featherdusters...:D
 
If they live in a tube and have a spider-web like appearance, they are probably feather dusters. They can be quite small and numerous.
 
well i only found one in a tube...the rest just seem to be coming out of the small holes in the live rock... not too attracted to the copper...how about the longnose butterfly... i've been itchin' for one of those :) if you say yes and its not true...i wont hold it against you :D
 
If you can keep the long nose alive go ahead. They have a low survival rate in tanks.

Sam
 
if it looks like a feather duster...and moves like a feather duster... its a Sea Lion :D

yea i know about the long nose... been researching them alot lately... im almost tempted to try... i have a thread currently running on them but i dont know if anyone has one that has lasted longer then a year or 2 at most... i think ill ask...
 
With a spider like web? Almost certainly not a feather duster, but some other filter feeding organism, perhaps vermetid snails. With a good macro picture, though, it could be anything. Or, the could be mini brittle stars and only appear to live in tubes.

Filter feeding organisms need food. Most sudden population explosions occur 1) as part of a new tank settling in, or 2) because of way too many organics in the water column.

DO NOT buy some new animal to eat a problem animal. This "solution" almost always ends up with the problem going a way for a while, the aquired animal dying, and then the problem working. Nuisance control via livestock is the worst possible response.

Nutrient control is key to reducing plaque proportions of filter feeders. Since this is a very new tank, it is likely it is just one of the many population explosions that will happen while the tank settles.

After re-reading the description about the stripes, it really does sound like mini brittles.

Starfish arms:
critter3.jpg


Very common spionid or phyllochaetopterus worms (probably):
critter1.jpg


Photos of vermetid snails and an article on them:
http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/picture_pages/faq_vermetid.html
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

More types of tube worms:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rs/index.php
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7829172#post7829172 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hawk72
NicoleC,

What are those anemones in your first picture?

Jason

Mojanos and I belive the one on the right hand side is aptasia.
 
They are not majanos nor aiptasia, but some other small anemone. They reproduced slowly (unlike majanos) and were also much more attractive. That pic is from a long time ago; I don't have them anymore, but I really liked them. Still, not something you'd want to get out of control, so I would trim the population with kalk paste periodically.
 
NicoleC,

I have a few of those that are green with pink tips. I never get the same answer twice on what they are. You are right they spread very slow. I started with 2 about a year ago and there are only 10 or so now.

Jason
 
looks nothing like any of the pictures provided...seriously...if you down sized a feather duster 286% it would look like what i have sticking out of my rocks... i just cut the lights back on...i found like 4 more coming out of tubes...
 
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