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

[JDM_SOHC]

Here is this little parachute lookin critter that's on the same rock... When I took the first pic i was shocked to see that this thing retracted into the rock very fast, an slowly came back out... It's right in the middle of the picture, looks like a badminton tennis ball lol.. Is this thing good/bad..??

 

[SushiGirl]

That's a featherduster.

 

[JDM_SOHC]

thnx..!

I read that they're not bad, is that right..?? Also could that be whats inside this rock that spurts stuff out every now and then..??

 

[SushiGirl]

It might be spitting out waste, and no, they're not bad.

 

[JDM_SOHC]

It's just funny cuz that thing and where the waste comes from are 2 diff spots on that same rock.. I bought it from my LFS and it was said to have been cleaned and what not but obviously not lol.. As long as it doesn't kill anything I'm good, thanks again..

 

[SushiGirl]

Then it's likely there's something else in there spitting out waste.

 

[ChrisL1976]

A week after adding liverock, I finally found something moving. Say this guy in the glass this morning. Good? Bad? Slice and dice, or let him run free?

 

[SushiGirl]

I'm on my phone, but it looks like a chiton to me. Most eat algae.

 

[Honks69]

I'm on my phone, but it looks like a chiton to me. Most eat algae.

+1 thats exactly what i think it is too. I have a bunch of these too

 

[ChrisL1976]

I'm on my phone, but it looks like a chiton to me. Most eat algae.

Thanks....I'll just leave him be than

 

[leadsinker]

noticed tiny tad pole type thing swimming aroud in bucket used to transport frag. flashed light in bucket, they swam quickly under rock, they apprear to be some type of shrimp. they are the size of a grain of sand and smaller, fast swimmers. the body has a slight coloring and a translucent tail that wiggles as it swim. sucked a couple out with pipette and put in bowl to try to take picture bit they constantly swimm around ,can not capture picture


any idea

 

[cheezischrist]

ive got another odd one, but i cant get a pic of it.its on a favia frag i just got, welll in it i guess, in between a few of the heads. it has like 12 stiff antennas, for lack of a better word, that fan out in a cone shape, but not all the way out like a feathr duster or fanworm. they all close together and catch things. at the base of it there are 2 tentacles that are constantly searching the favia heads, and pick things off the antenaes. and seems to be a black beak in the center of the base. when startled or if my sixline comes near it it closes and retracts in a good amount, but part of the antenae remain exposed. its also capable of spinning, and does this by lifting out, turning and sinking back in. and seems to expell more fish poop, well what looks like fish poop, than my fish do. its oddly fascinating to watch it with the magnifying glass. and now another smaller one seems to be pushing out between 3 of the other heads. i dont know if its some kind of bivalve or worm, but im at my wits end tryin to figure it out. any suggestions? really wish i could get a pic, but between its size, my lighting, and my crappy cameraphone, its useless

 

[SushiGirl]

Leadsinker, could be a mysis shrimp or an amphipod. Sounds more like a mysid, though. I'm always getting those on frags from my LFS. They look more like tadpoles.

cheez, sounds like a barnacle.

 

[cheezischrist]

any other ideas, lol, cause im bretty sure its not a barnacle. im hopefully gonna get a picture tonite

 

[SushiGirl]

Well, if you find out it's something different, let us know. Sounds just like a barnacle I have living in a rock.

 

[sirbazz]

Well my new tank has had live rock for around 7 weeks now and up until now only snails have been added to help clean up of the waves of algae.

A few more hitchhikers have since shown up including a couple of different types of mantis and pistol shrimps as well as a few crabs. They're all too busy feeding off the live rock at night to bother with the home trap but hoping to catch at least some down the track when they.....well I don't know how yet! :lmao:

Anyway here's a few pics of others that survived the initial curing process and seem to be travelling OK. Anything I need to get rid of ?

1. Posted a shot of this one a couple of weeks back. Have fed it raw shrimp pieces.

2. Some sort of slug? No antennae or other recognisable features on the top of the body.

3. Green mouth Zoas?

4. Mojano maybe? Hoping it's not and is actually some kind of paly.

5. Can anyone ID this algae? Snails won't touch it.

 

[SushiGirl]

I think #3 is majanos, though I could be wrong. Hard to tell from that angle, but the skirts don't look right for zoas.
#4 is a paly.
Would love to see the top of that nem!
Not sure on #2 since it has no antennas or anything on the top, maybe some kind of flatworm. Pretty colors.
Not sure on the algae, but you can check with John from reefcleaners.org. He has a nuisance algae link but I don't see it there. You could email him & ask if no one here can ID it.

So is this Florida live rock?

 

[sirbazz]

I think #3 is majanos, though I could be wrong. Hard to tell from that angle, but the skirts don't look right for zoas.
#4 is a paly.
Would love to see the top of that nem!
Not sure on #2 since it has no antennas or anything on the top, maybe some kind of flatworm. Pretty colors.
Not sure on the algae, but you can check with John from reefcleaners.org. He has a nuisance algae link but I don't see it there. You could email him & ask if no one here can ID it.

So is this Florida live rock?

Thanks for that sushigirl...you just saved the paly from an early death.
I'll also keep an eye on #3 for a while until I can find an image of zoas or majano that are a better match. These are still very small in size and there's no visible stalk as yet.....they appear to be growing almost flush against the rock.
Will also keep trying to get a better pic of the nem as it's form develops further.

The rock itself is from Cairns Marine via one of our LFS's so would think that it originated from the Great Barrier Reef.

 

[SushiGirl]

I just assumed you were from the US LOL.

 

[Mr. Demeanor]

Got some more for review. This rock is covered with feather dusters that have started to move off into the sand. Tonight I broke out the magnifying glass and found some things I could not see (although I have poor vision).

This kind of looks like Aptasia. They are tiny tiny tiny and have never spread from this rock over the last couple months. First pic is when they are closed (little brown nubs), second when its open.

Hoping these are all hydroids????

Closed:

Open:

And then I have a couple colonies of these. Multiple colors and various sizes but all very very small. barley visible with naked eye.