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

That is great news and I can't believe that you, SushiGirl replied. You are like a celebrity and you've replied to my post!!! Keep up all the great work!
 
On the topic of aiptasia, is that what I have that is so rudely surviving on the bottom of my rock?
 

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On the topic of aiptasia, is that what I have that is so rudely surviving on the bottom of my rock?

Looks like aiptasia to me, though I could be wrong. Haven't been that long in the hobby.




On that note. I tossed in half a hikari algae wafer today in my 142G for the hermits & snails, but the first thing that got to it seemed to be about 5 5~6mm isopods and about 20-30 much smaller ones, that I assume, are the same species. The larger ones weren't eating the smaller ones at any rate.

Only useable picture I was able to get, they are so bloody fast.
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Whilst I would love to know the species, can I at least assume these particular ones aren't a danger to my fish given their love for the algae wafer? (My 1" clown fishes seemed to have fun trying to catch the smaller ones at any rate :spin3:)
 
Back again with another monster from the depths...

I just purchased a gorgeous piece of pipe organ coral and this dude came creeping out of it about 45 minutes after it was in the tank. I know it is some kind of nudi, but is it a good one or a bad one? He is about 1 1/2 inches long, and he is quarantined in a measuring cup at the moment... Thanks for the help as always!

Matt

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I would guess bad. They're rarely good & they're usually directly or or around what they eat. I'd get that coral dipped.
 
Help me ID this crab pls.. Good or Bad

Help me ID this crab pls.. Good or Bad

Hi there... Ive just set up a nano reef tank = 10L.
Its cycling now.. about day 5 now..
So far ive been finding all kinds of tiny little life. Worms, fan worm, copepods.

Today i found this little green crab.
Can some1 pls tell me what it is and is it safe to be kept with corals, fish?
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Reef safe as far as I know. I've had them twice in the past. They came in in maiden's hair algae frags. The algae always died off & the crabs didn't survive very long once their home was gone. I had one that tried to hide in a tiny patch of hair algae for a week, then iit was gone. I don't think they do well without the algae to hide in. Mine ate small bits of meaty foods. If you look at my homepage, there are a few pics in there. Cute little buggers, and they're swimming crabs. I always wished I could have kept them longer.
 
Reef safe as far as I know. I've had them twice in the past. They came in in maiden's hair algae frags. The algae always died off & the crabs didn't survive very long once their home was gone. I had one that tried to hide in a tiny patch of hair algae for a week, then iit was gone. I don't think they do well without the algae to hide in. Mine ate small bits of meaty foods. If you look at my homepage, there are a few pics in there. Cute little buggers, and they're swimming crabs. I always wished I could have kept them longer.

Thanks mate.. I have like 2 of em now.. and i think one just laid lots tiny yellow eggs...!! haha.
Wont they disturb the fishes?
 
They won't get any larger than that, so no worries about the fish. The female should carry eggs on her abdomen until they're hatching, then she'll release the fry into the water. I loved mine. Took a month before I knew I had the first one because they're the same color as maiden's hair. One day when feeding I saw the "grass" part. Took several times to figure out what they were even after that because they'd close the parting back really fast. It was cute to see them do that, then grab the food LOL. My first one would sit in my hand after the algae was gone.
 
I am still trying to figure this out. I found an exact match @ http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchanemone.html I have found matching picks under nynantheae anemone, but under the pic it says a member of edwardsiidae. Finding this makes me feel like I could finally figure this out, but I'm still having some trouble finding an exact match that includes any type of basic information about them. I'm hoping this new information can help the experts point me in the right direction. I need to learn more about them so I can decide how to handle them. I'm guessing they need to go, and a natural predator is the only way I see them going anywhere. Thanks again for the help so far and for any other help or suggestions anyone can offer.
 
Help with these pictures of stuff in my tank

Help with these pictures of stuff in my tank

Hi there -

Just wondering what these objects may be. I labeled them accordingly. Maybe someone smart can help me do some ID-ing?

Thanks a bunch!
 

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1. It looks kind of like an amphipod. (harmless)
2. Not really sure. Possibly a sponge or tunicate. (harmless)
3. Flatworm (bad/can multiply to plague like proportions)
4. Vermetid snail (harmless IMO/the population will usually rise and fall, depending on how much food is available in the system)
 
1. It looks kind of like an amphipod. (harmless)
2. Not really sure. Possibly a sponge or tunicate. (harmless)
3. Flatworm (bad/can multiply to plague like proportions)
4. Vermetid snail (harmless IMO/the population will usually rise and fall, depending on how much food is available in the system)

Gotcha -

If it is flatworms, then what is the best way to get rid of them, meaning natural predators? I would prefer not to use chemical warfare like Flatworm exit.

They do move really fast though, so I originally though they were some sort of Copepod.

Vermetid snail - is it true that they never move? That bump has been on that rock (and others on other rocks) since the day I started the tank.

It almost looks like there are "claws" or horns sticking out of that hole. What would be the web like stuff that's spewing out of the hole from time to time?

Thanks so much in advance!
 
Can anyone help me with this anemone?

I'm thinking it's a somewhat odd looking Aiptasia, but I'm not positive.

It's not quite fully extended in these pictures, I couldn't get it to cooperate. The mouth disk is about 3/4" across.

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Artkwan, 2 & 3 might be the same thing. 3 is a flatworm but it's the harmless kind that just eats copepods. Usually they boom then die out. Vermetids don't move, the horns are antennas like on other snails. The web is mucus they put out to catch food particles & they reel it back in to eat. They usually boom in tanks, sometimes dying back & sometimes just moving to more hidden spots in the tank. We have tons of them but they finally moved to under rocks, etc. where they're not so annoying.

Grok, it's hard to tell exactly what kind of nem that is. The tentacles look a little rounded in that pic. Are they always that way? is it kind of green like maybe a majano?
 
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