Pix & ID: Critters that come in your rocks: the good and the bad.
- Thread starter Sk8r
- Start date
Shorty Harris
New member
interesting follow up to my previous post
interesting follow up to my previous post
That colonial tunicate that SushiGirl ID's for me has split overnight! I looked at it before I went to bed and I was afraid it was dying because it looked really flat and pale. Today I see that it has split and now consists of 2 distinct units. If I knew that was coming I would have set up my camera to take time-lapse shots overnight.
Today's photo:
interesting follow up to my previous post
That colonial tunicate that SushiGirl ID's for me has split overnight! I looked at it before I went to bed and I was afraid it was dying because it looked really flat and pale. Today I see that it has split and now consists of 2 distinct units. If I knew that was coming I would have set up my camera to take time-lapse shots overnight.
Today's photo:
mgproudfit
New member
I found this little guy on a piece of LR. Looks like a tiny anemone. Can anyone ID?
Last night he was all closed up, but he came out in full force this morning.
Last night's pic:
Last night he was all closed up, but he came out in full force this morning.
Last night's pic:
chicagojoe
New member
Hi all, a huge thank you for this thread. it's helped out an awful lot these past 6 hours since i found it! I bought my first saltwater tank a week ago (12g Nano DX), and ran it. I got tired of waiting for the tank to start a cycle and went to the LFS and bought 2 big chunks of LR to help it along. I'm so new that I've no idea what looks good or bad so I grabbed from the "permium" LR tank. After reading this thread however, I'm concerned about what's on my rock. I've found most of it in this thread already, but a few I'm lost on.
on 2/22/2012 SushiGirl guessed this was a baby LPS Coral. I have 2, but i'm worried they might be a nuisance type so I figure it cant hurt to ask again. The blue arrow is pointing at it.
Also I have some type of green "leafy" thing that the LFS told me was micro algae. now I thought it was called micro because it's microscopic? Should i be removing these whatever they are?
and I think I have a snail. picture is horrible because of where it's at.
My son swears he sees 3 worms. 1 red and bigger then the other 2, 2 smaller and blackish. trying to get images now, but these things are seriously camera shy and hate light and sound......
on 2/22/2012 SushiGirl guessed this was a baby LPS Coral. I have 2, but i'm worried they might be a nuisance type so I figure it cant hurt to ask again. The blue arrow is pointing at it.
Also I have some type of green "leafy" thing that the LFS told me was micro algae. now I thought it was called micro because it's microscopic? Should i be removing these whatever they are?
and I think I have a snail. picture is horrible because of where it's at.
My son swears he sees 3 worms. 1 red and bigger then the other 2, 2 smaller and blackish. trying to get images now, but these things are seriously camera shy and hate light and sound......
ReeferKimberly
Marley & Me
Chicagojoe, the first is aiptasia, nuisance anenome. If you don't have something that will eat the shrimp (example a coral banded shrimp), you can get a peppermint shrimp, they usually will eat them. Or a variety of products to do it, people like aiptasia X. Once they get big enough I personally inject them with vinegar or let other organisms (peppermint shrimp, Berghia Nudibranch) eat them.
Second is some type is macro (not micro) algae. Some are great and beneficial, some will take over your tank and should be removed. I don't know much about which is which yet.
Third, is it a dove snail AKA Collumbelid? Check google images and see if it looks like it. Pic is pretty hard to tell. I'd look up stomatellas too just because they are such common hitchers. But it's foot shape looks like a Dove snail. Does it have a long snorkle looking think for a nose? Doves do.
The big red worm is probably a bristle worm. Check google images again. They are great for shrifing/cleaning the sandbed but wear gloves when handling live rock as they string. I wear gloves anyways, lots of nasties in the ocean.
Second is some type is macro (not micro) algae. Some are great and beneficial, some will take over your tank and should be removed. I don't know much about which is which yet.
Third, is it a dove snail AKA Collumbelid? Check google images and see if it looks like it. Pic is pretty hard to tell. I'd look up stomatellas too just because they are such common hitchers. But it's foot shape looks like a Dove snail. Does it have a long snorkle looking think for a nose? Doves do.
The big red worm is probably a bristle worm. Check google images again. They are great for shrifing/cleaning the sandbed but wear gloves when handling live rock as they string. I wear gloves anyways, lots of nasties in the ocean.
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ReeferKimberly
Marley & Me
Mgproudfit, it looks like a majano anenome but I am not 100% sure as I have not had one in person.
ReeferKimberly
Marley & Me
That's an asterina star. They eat coralline algae and can reproduce rapidly by splitting. You will see a leg here and there. One person I saw said he saw his bothering corals. I personally don't mind them unless I see epic proportions. You will probably find more. They come in white, grey, salt/pepper, blackish grey, ect. I have a few pinkish ones too. Harlequin shrimps will often eat them but not always and if you get one and he eats them all or refuses to eat them you have to get him other stars to eat.
Chicagojoe. forgot to say Doves (and Stomatellas) are good little snails, don't get too big and can reproduce in the tank but I havn't heard of anyone having an issue with that.
Chicagojoe. forgot to say Doves (and Stomatellas) are good little snails, don't get too big and can reproduce in the tank but I havn't heard of anyone having an issue with that.
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chicagojoe
New member
Thank you for the quick reply ReeferKimberly!
Will the shrimp cause an outbreak of aiptasia due to being torn apart? Should i just remove the LR with the aiptasia on it before anything moves or spawns?
Thank you for the clarification.
Didn't think to look, and now its hiding, will check tonight.
Will do, thank you.
Will the shrimp cause an outbreak of aiptasia due to being torn apart? Should i just remove the LR with the aiptasia on it before anything moves or spawns?
Thank you for the clarification.
Didn't think to look, and now its hiding, will check tonight.
Will do, thank you.
ReeferKimberly
Marley & Me
Nah, if the pep shrimp is an aiptasia eater (every one I have had was but people say some won't), anyways if he eats them he will take care of them all.
Believe me.. when they eat it they will eat it all. They really like the smaller plants better too.
It wont really spread until you go and try to pull it out by force then it will send pods every where. The shrimp will gather them up and have dinner.
chicagojoe
New member
good deal! thanks for the replies ReeferKimberly and worm5406. much appreciated. Now i'm off to figure out what this "snot" is.... lol
Susan Lohrer
New member
I just noticed this whitish stuff on one of my rocks. I tried so hard not to take a blurry picture, too. 
It's fine-textured, branching (kind of like the tiny hair roots on a house plant), and it looks like it spreads via runners across the rock. I googled it, but because of the color, I'm not sure whether it might be anything that's listed on the pages I found.
Opinions?
It's fine-textured, branching (kind of like the tiny hair roots on a house plant), and it looks like it spreads via runners across the rock. I googled it, but because of the color, I'm not sure whether it might be anything that's listed on the pages I found. Opinions?
CanuckReefer
New member
Just so you guys know, i found shooting boiling hot water through a syringe at the aiptasia seemed to kill them almost instantly.
This works only for the ones you can see obviously.
This works only for the ones you can see obviously.
Susan Lohrer
New member
Hmm. After much further googling, omitting algae as a search term and replacing it with roots, I think maybe my white stuff could be a sponge and harmless. But I would dearly love confirmation in case it's a a nuisance organism.
