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

Andi5000 said:
Soooo I'm new to both this forum and to reef tanks, just got some live rock in my tank a day ago. I'm curious what these 2 things are. The first one looks kinda like a bristol worm. It's alive, i know that much. I have a few of them living in the holes in the rock
The second thing: Green Umbrella/pod/flower (lol) came with the very colourful chunk of live rock I got. I have zero ideas as to what it is.
A little help would be mega appreciated :D
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First one definitely looks like a bristle worm. Good to have around for cleaning. I've got one in my tank that's about five inches long but I rarely see him. He found a hole in a piece of live rock he likes and pretty much stays in it. Every now and then he'll come out (usually not completely) to eat something off the bottom.

Can't help with the second one
 
My tank is one month old. I learned about aiptasia recently and there is an anemone like thing on my live rock since I bought it. When touched it would retreat, leaving on a tip visible. Is it aiptasia? Do I need to get rid of it?

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Yes it is aiptasia and yes you should get rid of it if you want coral. If no coral it does not really much matter (in my personal opinion), just know it will reproduce rapidly and can sting things.
 
Cool! I had a feeling it was a bristle worm, noticed this morning when I woke up that I've for a bristle star as well! To say the least, I'm really excited to pick up some more live rock tonight.
Question, since this is the first few days of me having a tank, it's still in the cycling process. will the coral temporarily die off while my water levels bounce around? As I expect that my cycling conditions aren't prime for coral to be growing in the tank already (it's a section about half the size of a dime)
Again, I'm a TOTAL newby here! lol
 
Honestly alveoporas are difficult. Not nearly as difficult as gonioporas though and people have been having a lot more success with those lately. If it is a big cycle it will not be good for the alve at all. It would not come back if it died quickly. It is possible it could make it of course....but the water would have to remain pretty good for it to survive a cycle. If you lose it I would not be surprised.....but at least you can know it wasn't you, they are just not all that easy corals. They require good water quality AND lot of tiny planktonic food. A difficult combination for a reef. Most do better in tanks without skimmers and with spot feeding. The problem is you want a lot of food but also want clean water so it is hard to replicate outside of the ocean.
 
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I honestly wasnt expecting any of the live rock to have coral. I had a feeling it might be some sort of polyp when I first saw it but was still very unsure. I thought it was dying the first day cuz it shrivelled and the little flower/umbrellas retracted to just look like spots/dots. but as soon as I put the tank light on to check everything out it was out full blooming and blowing in the current. Obviously I'd prefer to have it stay alive but I wont beat myself up if it doesn't make it. Good to know they aren't the easiest to keep (I'll just keep telling myself that lol)
Thanks very much for the help! I'm sure I'll be posting again soon! :D
 
I'm sorry to be a pest, 2 days in a row here.
I'd like to know what on earth is on this chunk of live rock I have. Whats the green/white spiky things? and also that red stuff that kinda looks like its taking over/ growing on top of the green/white things?
it was super hard to get a pic and I cant get a better one. This is a cycling tank as well.
Any help would be much appreciated. :)

P.s. ReeferKimberly you were spot on with that coral, thanks so much. when i was in the shop today they had some that was kinda pinkish! I'm learning so much so fast! :D
 

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No problem, happy to help :) That 'rock' is an LPS coral skeleton. The pinkish stuff growing could either be part of it trying to come back to life or it could just be coralline algae. Would need a better picture to see if it is actually coral flesh. As far as what kind of LPS, I am guessing a lobophyllia but am not sure without a top-down pic.....does kind of look like flesh though. It might be not 100% dead.
 
Can someone ID this snail thing? Found it sliding over my live rock.... Pulled it out with a turkey baster and it went into its shell. It's stayed in there since so can't get a pic of it other than in its shell. Do I need to chuck it?? Worried it'll eat my zoas.
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LadyDave said:
Can someone ID this snail thing? Found it sliding over my live rock.... Pulled it out with a turkey baster and it went into its shell. It's stayed in there since so can't get a pic of it other than in its shell. Do I need to chuck it?? Worried it'll eat my zoas.
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Does nobody know what this is? It kind of looks like a mussel/cockle from the side but I'm sure it's moving too fast.... It's crawling up the side of the cup I have it in now..... Tried to get a pic and scared it so it retreated again. It's now floating/stuck to the side of the cup with some kind of slimey trail!!
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The dark line down the middle bit facing upwards in the last photo is where it's snailey (I know that's not a word!!) body comes out of!
 
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