Unidentified Egg Casings? (and the unknown worm) – 5/26/12
Hello, I hope you are doing well.
<Thanks Rhi, and back at you.  How may I help you today?>
I got up this morning to find 9 transparent "things" sticking out of the sand bed and I hope you can assist in their identification.
<I’ll certainly try.>
They appear to be shell casings
<Definitely egg capsules/casings of some sort.>
…from something, my question is, what?
<That’s a good question. What snail species do you currently have in stock?>
They are approximately an inch to an inch and a quarter in height
<That’s a sizeable capsule.>
…and appear to have a base made of sand. A photo of dubious quality is included.
<It looks good to me, thanks.>
I have a good deal of diversity in my reef tank, including many species of snails and some odd creatures I sent pictures of before. Sadly we weren't able to identify those
<Yep, I remember those and despite further research, I still don’t know what they are.  Unsolved ID’s like that really prey on my mind until solved.>
..and upon advice I tried to remove one that was irritating a Duncan colony with tweezers and all the "fluffy parts" at its base flew off and are now populating multiple areas of rock around the tank and irritating various other corals at night.
<Oh no, I’m so sorry!  That’s the downside of not knowing what sort of creature we’re dealing with.>
Since those appear to reproduce via some kind of cloning at the base I don't suppose the eggs belong to the unidentified worm-thing.
<Nope, I would seriously doubt it.>
However, I will include a photo of it with its "babies" that I took once the worm was removed, just for curiosity's sake. I really would love to know what they are.
<You and me both!  I’m going to do some more research, ask some people and see what I can find. It may take awhile, but if/when I get an answer, I’ll be sure to let you know.>
Thanks for your time,
<You’re very welcome.  Do let me know what snail species you currently have and we’ll figure out which one left those capsules.>
Rhi
<Take care, Lynn Z>

Re: Unidentified Egg Casings? (and the unknown worm): Possible Babylonia Egg Capsules - 5/27/12
<Hello Rhi>
As you know, vendors of aquatic life are not the most accurate when it comes to labeling their "merchandise"
<Yes, unfortunately it’s not a priority for some.  It puts the onus on the consumer to beware and research before bringing any organism(s) home.>
… and I acquired my CUC from various places, but I will do my best to identify what I have in the tank now.
<Thanks, I appreciate it.>
Astrea snails (Astraea tecta)
<This has been reclassified as Lithopoma tectum but the old species name, Astraea tecta, is still widely used.  This is a broadcast spawner (eggs and sperm released into the water column), so it’s out of the running as far as producing egg capsules.>
Large Cerith snails (Cerithium sp.)
<Reproduction can vary with these but we can rule them out as well. Most that we see in the hobby leave either clear to translucent meandering ribbons dotted with eggs, or whitish, rope-like “snail trails” adhered to hard surfaces or sometimes anchored to, and strung across, seagrasses or macroalgae.>
Margarita snails (Margarites pupillus)
<These are broadcast spawners, so no capsules. They’re also a cooler-water species that doesn’t last long when exposed to the higher temperatures of reef systems.>
…tiny Nassarius snails (Nassarius sp.) - based on shell coloration there appears to be multiple types here
<Nope, no capsules here either.  They tend to deposit eggs in swaths and “trails” on hard surfaces.>
36 Caribbean Nerite snails (Nerita sp.)
<Nerites do produce capsules deposited in loose groupings, but they're typically low profile, white to cream-colored, and round to oval in shape.>
Stomatella varia
<These are broadcast spawners, so no capsules.>
2 huge "Orange spot Nassarius snails" (Babylonia formosae?) which now after looking up their scientific name am concerned are actually carnivorous whelks that killed rather than "cleaned up" my baby maxima clam that died recently. (The tank was laying fallow and so was being fed lightly due to dearth of fish)
<Yikes, yep Babylonia snails and bivalves are not a good combo – at least as far as the bivalves are concerned!  This species does however leave egg capsules that are typically adhered to a hard substrate.  Unfortunately I can’t find any photos for comparison.>
a couple of Turbo snails (Turbo fluctuosa)
<Turbo’s typically either broadcast spawn or release an egg mass, sometimes adhered to a surface, sometimes loose.>
The eggs are still present and unchanged in the tank and I look forward to hearing from you.
<Well, by process of elimination, the most likely candidate is the Babylonia snail.  It also makes sense because of the size (big snail - big capsules) but I’d feel a whole lot more confident if I could find a photo for confirmation.  If they are indeed from this snail, the young should begin to emerge after about 5 days and enter into a planktonic larval (”veliger”) stage that lasts around 8 - 10 days.  Unfortunately, the fact that they do go through a free-swimming phase limits their chance of survival as they are exposed to all manner of threat, from livestock as well as equipment.>
Thanks again for your time.
<You’re very welcome. Again, I’ll let you know if/when I’m able to give you an answer regarding the other worm-like critters.>
Rhi
<Take care, Lynn Z>

ID Help Please: Poriferan – 5/22/12
Hey gang,
<Hey there, Lynn here this morning.>
Any chance of helping me ID this please?? Is it a sponge or hard coral at least?!
<It’s a sponge/Poriferan. Please see the following link for more information: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm >
Many thanks!
<You’re welcome! Take care, Lynn Z>