Wierd Filter Feeder.... ID Please!

castorpollux

castorpollux

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I discovered this wierd filter feeder last night, its anchored at its root by a foot of some kind, non-calcarus and its not a tubeworm of any kind although it does have an assortment of filter feeder feathers at the end that do not retract inside they close up similar to the tips of xenia.

These colonized a CPR backpak skimmer in a matter of hours and they could have possibly moved from the refugium below the skimmer. just out of curiousity though does anyone know what they are? they remind me of a small sea pen with filter fans. Heres the picture of a couple of them they are about an half inch or more in length.

mike
 
Do they move? Is this a picture from the bottom up?

I almost want to say they are just a large pineapple sponge (AKA Q-Tip Sponge). Sometimes they grow really long.
 
Looks like a medusa worm, aka synaptic cucumber. Several hitchhiked into one of my tanks with a shipment from FloridaPets last year. They seem to be thriving on the diatoms in my overfed seahorse tank.

Here's one I shot in December. About twice as long now.
synaptid_5286.jpg
 
so are they a nuicase or non bothersome? they look pretty cool though, have they reached plague proportions yet?
 
I wouldn't call them a nuisance, they seem to mind their own business. I doubt of they will even reproduce in the tank.

I did see one crawling across the face of one of the horses. Spooked me at first, but didn't seem to bother the fish.
 
i had a problem with them reproducing like crazy...just my personal expierience...some people don't mind little fauna everywhere but i'm one of those who can't stand the sponges, sand dusters, 'dusa worms...etc. i like a clean look to my tank.
 
ah the intricacies of internet forum posts......i never have been to skilled in that department. i actually was going to elaborate further on my original post but got cut off by the phone and had to make it short. i apologize if anyone was mislead.
 
I encourage the most diversity you can have in an aquarium. The more sponges and worms the better. You can have a "clean" looking environment that is extremely diverse. When's the last time you saw a "clean" reef?
 
castorpollux,

If you would be willing to e-mail me high-resolution pictures I would live to see them. my e-mail is kmkocot_at_ilstu.edu. (Replace _at_ with @ of course).

Thanks!
Kevin
 
Synapta Maculata (Medusa Worm) are a type of cucumber. They are amazing to watch when they get big, but they may poison your tank if (when) they die. I've had them up to 3' long, but they get twice that size. They look like the creature from Dune. I think their are only from the Pacific, but perhaps there is an Atlantic cousin.

I have witnessed wipe-outs after their demise. Treat them the same as Sea Apples.

The toxin is deep within their tissue and may or may not leak the poison into the water-column. If they are small or you remove them quickly after death, you will be safe. The common problem, is that they often die behind rockwork where you can't see them.
 
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