Pix & ID: Critters that come in your rocks: the good and the bad.
- Thread starter Sk8r
- Start date
Rob in Puyallup
New member
Yesterday I bought a couple pieces of live rock rubble to use as frag homes. On one of the pieces I found these pinkish red critters. There's one white one as well, thinking it's dead.
The rubble is in a quarantine tank for the time being.
Any ideas what these are and are they safe for my mini reef?
The rubble is in a quarantine tank for the time being.
Any ideas what these are and are they safe for my mini reef?
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Rob in Puyallup
New member
Thanks, Cloak. 
Top is just a harmless sponge. The anemone is some type of bleached majano; pest anemone. you'll want to inject it with kalk slurry or one of the commercially available aiptasia removers.
Hokies83
New member
I smacked them around with my Sand rake and they just folded up and did not go into rock.
So i think there some kind of polyp.
ReeferKimberly
Marley & Me
I totally see the issue here 
If you are looking for 1 creature that takes up the whole yellow square, it looks like 1 bleached aiptasia.
But what Cloak is looking at and what appears to be actually there are 3 creatures in the middle-left of the square, right? 3 tine white stalks with open ends.
I thought aiptasia at first too....but when you said hydroids I saw those three stalks and now I think the "aiptasia" was just a trick of the rock. There are grooves in it and when you are not paying really close attention it just looks like a bleached aiptasia taking up the whole yellow square.
If you are looking for 1 creature that takes up the whole yellow square, it looks like 1 bleached aiptasia.
But what Cloak is looking at and what appears to be actually there are 3 creatures in the middle-left of the square, right? 3 tine white stalks with open ends.
I thought aiptasia at first too....but when you said hydroids I saw those three stalks and now I think the "aiptasia" was just a trick of the rock. There are grooves in it and when you are not paying really close attention it just looks like a bleached aiptasia taking up the whole yellow square.
SushiGirl
Premium Member
Kimberley's right. Right before I read Cloak's post I zoomed in more on my phone (was on the excercise bike at PT the first time LOL). I had a bunch of those a while back. Took a long time but i'd be hard pressed to find one now. Just keep after them while your tank's not full of coral.
Fishareawesome
New member
Howdy All. Can anyone help id this "anemone"?
The tentacals are translucent/clear but looks like they might have a colored tip. It's very small, maybe 1/4 long.
I assumed it was just a manjano or maybe a flat aiptasia but it doesn't have any foot or pedestal to speak of. What really has me wondering if it isn't something else (crossing fingers) is that it appears to have a coral like base to it. The white radial lines appear to be hard, calcium like structures, not goo.
I found 2 others, and one that looks like the first but is dead (no tentacals ever out). When I touch that it is defintely hard, coral skeleton like. The 3 alive ones do retract the tentacals at night.
one other id: can anyone confirm that the second file is just some orange version of bubble algae? The color is so beautiful I might just leave it for a little while! Hard to tell from the pic but there is some type of internal structure around the edges of each bubble that look like tubes if that helps.
Thanks for the help!!
oh, and how the heck do I embed an image verses upload a thumbnail!
peace
The tentacals are translucent/clear but looks like they might have a colored tip. It's very small, maybe 1/4 long.
I assumed it was just a manjano or maybe a flat aiptasia but it doesn't have any foot or pedestal to speak of. What really has me wondering if it isn't something else (crossing fingers) is that it appears to have a coral like base to it. The white radial lines appear to be hard, calcium like structures, not goo.
I found 2 others, and one that looks like the first but is dead (no tentacals ever out). When I touch that it is defintely hard, coral skeleton like. The 3 alive ones do retract the tentacals at night.
one other id: can anyone confirm that the second file is just some orange version of bubble algae? The color is so beautiful I might just leave it for a little while! Hard to tell from the pic but there is some type of internal structure around the edges of each bubble that look like tubes if that helps.
Thanks for the help!!
oh, and how the heck do I embed an image verses upload a thumbnail!
peace
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Fishareawesome
New member
wow, thank you! :dance:
I google hidden cup coral and positively id'ed it as Hidden cup coral (Phyllangia americana). Thanks for the tip!
I even just spot fed it so baby brine and it loved it!
If your correct about the sponge (very possible as the live rock is covered with several different types of sponges) I am just blown away by the live rock vendor. The rock I bought was $4 a pound and I received (upon request) 2 huge peices with the largest being 19" long that included:
a 4" brain coral (which all but died as it was shipped in wet paper towel :debi: such a shame but about 15% is still holding on and seems to be growing back)
covered completely in several different shades of beautiful coraline algae, several different color flat sponges, foraminiferans and halimeda.
several types of fan worms (feather dusters)
about 9 large bi-valves (again, only 2 survived transport in wet towels however, phew they stunk!)
a bright orange box/ball sponge and one bright red tree sponge. Amazingly the tree sponge seemed to survive the trip. it became white on the outside a little the first couple days but seems to have regained it's deep, rich red color after 4 weeks in the tank.
The second peice was about 13" long and almost completely hollow with a tunnel going through it that my shrimp love and now add to the list 3 Hidden Cup corals.
55lbs shipped for $220
I don't know what the policy is about referring vendors so I won't post anything but if anyone wants a reference just send me a PM.
I've uploaded the picture he send me before I bought it and a second in my tank!
thanks again for the help with the ID!
I google hidden cup coral and positively id'ed it as Hidden cup coral (Phyllangia americana). Thanks for the tip!
I even just spot fed it so baby brine and it loved it!
If your correct about the sponge (very possible as the live rock is covered with several different types of sponges) I am just blown away by the live rock vendor. The rock I bought was $4 a pound and I received (upon request) 2 huge peices with the largest being 19" long that included:
a 4" brain coral (which all but died as it was shipped in wet paper towel :debi: such a shame but about 15% is still holding on and seems to be growing back)
covered completely in several different shades of beautiful coraline algae, several different color flat sponges, foraminiferans and halimeda.
several types of fan worms (feather dusters)
about 9 large bi-valves (again, only 2 survived transport in wet towels however, phew they stunk!)
a bright orange box/ball sponge and one bright red tree sponge. Amazingly the tree sponge seemed to survive the trip. it became white on the outside a little the first couple days but seems to have regained it's deep, rich red color after 4 weeks in the tank.
The second peice was about 13" long and almost completely hollow with a tunnel going through it that my shrimp love and now add to the list 3 Hidden Cup corals.
55lbs shipped for $220
I don't know what the policy is about referring vendors so I won't post anything but if anyone wants a reference just send me a PM.
I've uploaded the picture he send me before I bought it and a second in my tank!
thanks again for the help with the ID!
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ReeferKimberly
Marley & Me
Wow. THAT is live rock. I wish I needed more I would so pm you! Congrats. I am envious
