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

[Markbb]

Need help with getting rid of this stuff

Need help with getting rid of this stuff

Hello All,

Somehow this purple algae (?) got into my tank and is slowly taking it over. I was trying to clean corals as they were effected and it is getting ahead of me. Can anyone tell me what this is, and how to get rid of it...

THANK YOU !!

 

[svoad]

This is a small snail I found in my sump this morning. Tank has cycling for 3 weeks and there is much in my tank so I was kinda excited to find something alive . Just wanted to make sure it was a good hitchhiker before letting him out of jail. Thanks.

 

[cloak]

This is a small snail I found in my sump this morning. Tank has cycling for 3 weeks and there is much in my tank so I was kinda excited to find something alive . Just wanted to make sure it was a good hitchhiker before letting him out of jail. Thanks.

I think it might be a Columbellid snail.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-07/rs/index.php

 

[ReeferKimberly]

awww he is cute. I love their snorkels. (I know they aren't really snorkels). Reminds me of my cowrie hitcher

 

[svoad]

Thanks for the info Cloak. So, I should let this little guy go on his way and do his job eating all my algae ?

 

[cloak]

Thanks for the info Cloak. So, I should let this little guy go on his way and do his job eating all my algae ?

I would.

 

[JYoung]

Can someone id these snails

 

[JYoung]

They are about an inch long and have small almost like a shield for a shell and I only see them during the night hours.

 

[Markbb]

Anyone have any advice on this purple growth?

 

[cloak]

They are about an inch long and have small almost like a shield for a shell and I only see them during the night hours.

Sounds like a stomatella snail. (harmless)

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php

 

[jock]

Wow its amazing what grows in a Reef Can you please help me ID the following & more importantly whether they are harmless or need dealt with:
1. algae.jpg - what is this algae you can see on edge of rock & who best gets rid? It is like a film over quite a few rocks now
2. cocoons.jpg - what are these 'cocoon' like things?
3. snail.jpg - this is weird looking snail. Possibly what they're referring to in post above? Anyone got a name so I can research.
4. unknown.jpg - hmmm ha my best guess would be a sponge? I have no idea. Also you can see a couple of small white things sticking out right next to the pinkish 'sponge' which is same as pic worm.jpg.
5. worm.jpg - as I said above this is actually the exact same area (without a light shining on it, its not really that dark just slightly shaded but my camera phone is crap) but you can see one of the small white things has stretched right out & is reaching/feeding?? on the substrate. There are around 4 or 5 of these in that area.
6. reached my limit for this post 1 left that i will post in a minute.

Thanks

 

[jock]

Googled stomatella snail & looks really like snail I see in my tank so think I can mark that down as harmless & remove from list.

Last pic i couldnt upload on last post

white things.jpg - These 'white things' are on a few of my snails & are all over my internal filter. Should I be worried?

THanks

 

[jasin401]

whiten things on snails look like feather dusters, cocoons look like pinapple sponges..both good

 

[ed84g]

I found this guy last night... Took him 3 weeks to come out and was a bit of a surprise considering how intimidating it looks!!

 

[ReeferKimberly]

ed84g that is an urchin..which you probly already knew....someone else maybe will know what kind.

Hey so I found this guy last night. Could not get a good pic so I drew him. This is just a little bigger than his actual size (about 2.5 inches long, 1.5 inch wide). It has the consistency of a snail, with NO shell of any sort. He must be nocturnal and he moved pretty quick (out of site before I could get the camera). Unfortunately I did not note if he had eyes or a mouth or what they looked like. He was completely flat. Any idea? Looked like this ->

(he was not completely oval shaped but that was the closest shape to him. Don't mind my awesome paint skills)

He was grey with white spots, yanno, if that isn't obvious :/

 

[cloak]

Wow its amazing what grows in a Reef Can you please help me ID the following & more importantly whether they are harmless or need dealt with:
1. algae.jpg - what is this algae you can see on edge of rock & who best gets rid? It is like a film over quite a few rocks now
2. cocoons.jpg - what are these 'cocoon' like things?
3. snail.jpg - this is weird looking snail. Possibly what they're referring to in post above? Anyone got a name so I can research.
4. unknown.jpg - hmmm ha my best guess would be a sponge? I have no idea. Also you can see a couple of small white things sticking out right next to the pinkish 'sponge' which is same as pic worm.jpg.
5. worm.jpg - as I said above this is actually the exact same area (without a light shining on it, its not really that dark just slightly shaded but my camera phone is crap) but you can see one of the small white things has stretched right out & is reaching/feeding?? on the substrate. There are around 4 or 5 of these in that area.
6. reached my limit for this post 1 left that i will post in a minute.

Thanks

I think the first picture is some type of bacteria, as opposed to algae. I've seen it come and go in my tanks over the years without any problems. The second picture is of scypha sponges, aka "pineapple" sponges. The third is a stomatella snail. (harmless) I think the fourth is a tunicate of some sort. The fifth picture, peanut worm perhaps? (harmless) HTH.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-04/rs/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/rs/index.php

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhiker.shtml

 

[cloak]

Googled stomatella snail & looks really like snail I see in my tank so think I can mark that down as harmless & remove from list.

Last pic i couldnt upload on last post

white things.jpg - These 'white things' are on a few of my snails & are all over my internal filter. Should I be worried?

THanks

Spirorbid worms. No worries.

 

[cloak]

ed84g that is an urchin..which you probly already knew....someone else maybe will know what kind.

Hey so I found this guy last night. Could not get a good pic so I drew him. This is just a little bigger than his actual size (about 2.5 inches long, 1.5 inch wide). It has the consistency of a snail, with NO shell of any sort. He must be nocturnal and he moved pretty quick (out of site before I could get the camera). Unfortunately I did not note if he had eyes or a mouth or what they looked like. He was completely flat. Any idea? Looked like this ->

(he was not completely oval shaped but that was the closest shape to him. Don't mind my awesome paint skills)

He was grey with white spots, yanno, if that isn't obvious :/

Sounds like a flatworm of some sort. Some of them are good, some are bad. I think they're more of an eye sore than anything else, but that's just me.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/4/aafeature2

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhiker.shtml

HTH.

 

[SushiGirl]

I'm laid up & on my phone, so I can't see any of the pics that are posted as thumbnails. Thanks for stepping in, Cloak.

To the guy with the algae, I'd post it in the algae forum.

Kimberly, look up snail-eating polyclad flatworm.

 

[ReeferKimberly]

Kimberly, look up snail-eating polyclad flatworm.

Geez girl you are GOOD. Yep that's him. Big huh :/

Problem is I have only seen him once ever and I doubt I will again for probly a long time.

So, do they eat most snail? I only have a turbo and a stomatella I actually care about. Do they just eat small ones? I would guess the turbo to be safe. I have other small species of snail and the stom. Should I expect to lose them to this monster? I actually kind of like the worm, he is pretty cool looking and if he only eats small snails I won't mind...but if he can somehow eat a turbo he might be toast if I can ever find him again....

I guess it's not the end of the world if he even eats turbo (I am telling myself this because I highly doubt I will ever be able to catch him)