Who is this guy?

[outitan]

I've had him for a couple months now. Came from TBS with my live rock along with a Condi that hangs out on the other side of the tank. Not sure what he is though. Is he a baby carpet or something?

 

[andymh]

Its tough to tell from the first picture but from the second picture I think it looks like a rock anemone. How big is it?

 

[garygb]

I agree, looks like a bleached flower (or rock) anemone. Latin name: Epicystis crucifer. Needs strong light to regain its natural color.

 

[outitan]

he's about an inch and a half wide. I started him up in the light but he moved down to the bottom of the tank and back into the cave for about a month. Only just recently came back out.. and only after my 10000k bulb went out. My new bulb will get here tomorrow. I'm curious to see if he goes back into hiding once I get all my lights back on again.. Thanks for the ID, I have some reading to do now!

 

[outitan]

On a side note he has always been this color, though he'll shrink up from time to time.. the condy does that too, what does that mean?

 

[jeff@zina.com]

It sure looks like a basic rock flower anemone. They, and many nems, will shrink for a lot of reasons, mostly harmless. They don't like bright light, possibly why yours moved. Mostly they seem to hang out in shaded areas. They're also common in the waters where Tampa Bay Saltwater has their live rock leases, so it's expected to get one or more from them.

Some people hate these, but they're really easy to care for. They eat any of the frozen foods, mysis, pieces of clam or shrimp, etc. They need iodine dosing if you don't do frequent water changes, but that's about it. Not spectacular, but interesting.

Jeff

 

[garygb]

Although they can survive without bright light, for them to thrive and look their best, they need strong lighting. If you do dose anything, make sure you test your water for it. Otherwise definitely don't dose. For anemones, regular water changes is all I personally do with either Instant Ocean or Reef Crystals.

 

[outitan]

I do regular water changes, which is easy as I just have a BC 14 right now. I use Instant Ocean. The mantis shrimp that hitched along with the rock wiped out the cucumbers and the brittle star before I caught him so its just these the Condy, this Rock, a bunch of hermits and snails, two sponges, two red mithrax crabs, 3 pistol shrimp and a few dozen barnacles and bristle worms. I've actually had this same set up for 3 months now. Everythings is stable, tons of pods crawling around. Just learning all I can about the critters I have and planning out a bigger tank for next year sometime.