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

[Sugar Magnolia]

What is the pink thing on my live rock?

Foraminiferan. Harmless.

 

[AmberLee]

What kind of worm swims, very quickly, all around a tank, by wriggling it's entire body furiously?

 

[alexander_ktn]

What kind of worm swims, very quickly, all around a tank, by wriggling it's entire body furiously?

The part of the worm that wants to procreate - I'd guess it's an epitoke, a way of sexual reproduction for some worms.

 

[AmberLee]

The part of the worm that wants to procreate - I'd guess it's an epitoke, a way of sexual reproduction for some worms.

Thanks!!
It's freaking me out a little haha

 

[alexander_ktn]

Best not to apply human concepts onto animal behavior (easier said than done, though) - saves you from getting freaked out...

 

[AmberLee]

Best not to apply human concepts onto animal behavior (easier said than done, though) - saves you from getting freaked out...

Freaking me out in a good way, discovering some strange life moving in a strange way= kinda awesome but weird

My favourite part of my tank, all this random life I keep finding.

 

[alexander_ktn]

Freaking me out in a good way, discovering some strange life moving in a strange way= kinda awesome but weird

My favourite part of my tank, all this random life I keep finding.

Ah, I misunderstood then - good!

And yes, all the stuff "simply appearing" in our tanks is definitely one of the great things in this hobby. If you have access to a microscope: it's incredible how much stuff can swim around in optically clear water or be found between grains of sand - definitely worth a look, too.

 

[AmberLee]

Ah, I misunderstood then - good!

And yes, all the stuff "simply appearing" in our tanks is definitely one of the great things in this hobby. If you have access to a microscope: it's incredible how much stuff can swim around in optically clear water or be found between grains of sand - definitely worth a look, too.

Unfortunately no microscope! Would be pretty cool though.

 

[AmberLee]

And another thing (proof I spend way too ,much time staring at my tank)



This is in my QT, had rock in there at one stage but recently took it out. Will be putting my first fish into QT tomorrow so please let me know if this thing is a bad guy!

 

[alexander_ktn]

It's an isopod - most are harmless but a few genera can be predatory or fish parasites. Here's a good article on them: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/

 

[AmberLee]

Mysis shrimp??

 

[alexander_ktn]

It's a gammarid amphipod - part of the cleanup crew that develops in tanks.

 

[AmberLee]

It's a gammarid amphipod - part of the cleanup crew that develops in tanks.

Oh cool, cheers!

 

[LAMBrose1994]

Can anyone ID this please. It's on the left side of the photo on the wall, I don't know how to explain it but to me it looks like round balls with black dots in could this be snail eggs?

Are they good or bad

Thanks Everyone

 

[alexander_ktn]

I see a sea squirt near the bottom of the wall, on the right of the image foraminiferans (pink) but not much more...

 

[LAMBrose1994]

I see a sea squirt near the bottom of the wall, on the right of the image foraminiferans (pink) but not much more...

Ah cool thank you not really thought much of them.

I've not seen it here before. I've circled it incase that helps its tucked away in a little crevice. Hmmmm

 

[alexander_ktn]

That's the sea squirt (ascidian) I mentioned...

 

[LAMBrose1994]

Whoops! I got little confused there, thought you was talking about something else but that's great thank you I was getting worried that that unusual specimen was

Thanks

 

[alexander_ktn]

You're welcome! It's because I tend to write everything into one long sentence - can be a bit ambiguous sometimes...

BTW the sea squirt probably can't be identified to a species level but the foraminiferan I talked about can with some certainty: it's Miniacina miniacea as far as I can tell - they look nice and sometimes survive in our tanks.

 

[Snowdawg]

I have seen three of these small green things in the past couple weeks. Two were attached to the base of a birdsnest, and this one was attached to a hammer coral frag. They are very firm and don't "pop" easily. Any ideas?