Pix & ID: Critters that come in your rocks: the good and the bad.

[Crna]

Big thanks to this ID thread! I now know that a worm we've been watching in our BC29 is a Eunicid worm. And it looks like we may have another. The second is hard to see, but he's building up a little shell burrow around his hole like the one we can see. And to make matters worse, he's in a piece of base rock at the very bottom of our scape. Going to have to break most of it down to get him out. Just glad we ID'd him now, our tank is young and I'm guessing sooner is better than later! Thanks again guys! Now, let the fun begin....

 

[pagojoe]

Only a handful of cowries are reef safe, the vast majority will eat sessile inverts.

The latter part of that statement is technically true, since all cowries will graze up diatoms and encrusting sponges with their algae grazing, but I'd say the vast majority of cowries are reef safe. The larger species are more likely to taste of things like zoanthids if they are starving, but you never find them, or the smaller species, associated with zoanthids in the wild.

All that said, Scag's snail isn't a cowry, it's an ovulid, and will certainly feed on some soft coral or gorgonian. If it came in as a hitchhiker, chances are pretty good that the host species is one that's in Scag's tank.

Cheers,



Don

 

[ViktorVaughn]

Any idea what type of worm this is? Is it a reef safe hitch-hiker or should I try and remove them? This is only a picture of one of them, I have seen 4 different ones so I am sure there are more. If removal is necessary what is the best way?

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Bristleworm. They are beneficial detrivores.

 

[seahorselvr]

Good or bad?

Found it in some macroalgae I just got.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Good or bad?

Found it in some macroalgae I just got.

Looks like an Elysia sp. sea slug. They graze on algae.

 

[pagojoe]

Yes, Elysia papillosa I believe.

http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/elyspapi

Cheers,



Don

 

[gregburb]

What is this?

What is this?

I posted this about a month ago with no replies. Can anyone id this please?
Greg

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

That's very unusual. Can you get a few more angles of it. Describe the texture, is it mobile?

 

[gregburb]

Another angle

Another angle

Here is another angle of ID? It has been in same spot for about 2mos.

 

[worm5406]

Looks like algae. I give it to my tang to eat and it goes crazy over it.

I thought it was flame algae at first then I see it is tubular.

 

[Ptyochromis]

I concur, it looks like caulerpa.

 

[gregburb]

Should I just leave it be?

 

[mrpergo]

my tank just cycled and I thought I would get a couple more pieces of LR.
These are on the one piece.
Noob don't know what it is , should I remove or leave ?

 

[Danienov]

my tank just cycled and I thought I would get a couple more pieces of LR.
These are on the one piece.
Noob don't know what it is , should I remove or leave ?

That's aiptasia - kill it till it dies

 

[mrpergo]

Thank You, hopefully it's only in the 2 spots
can I pull the rock and pour boiling water over it ?

 

[Danienov]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=803632

 

[Ptyochromis]

Thank You, hopefully it's only in the 2 spots
can I pull the rock and pour boiling water over it ?

No, exposing rock to boiling water is a bad idea. You can aerosolize toxins found in critters on the rock.
I would turn off all your pumps and cover the aiptasia in calcium hydroxide, wait a few min and siphon the calcium hydroxide off.

 

[Dctrojan]

Ive got a few things going on . Should I let iet it be in ny DT tank

 

[Dctrojan]

Here they are