Creature ID 3/5/09 Folks, <Jerry> Let me begin by congratulating you on a phenomenal website. <Thank you.> I'm just starting off in the world of marine fish keeping and your resources and advice are peerless. Thank you. <Welcome.> I have a hitchhiker on one of my pieces of Live Rock and I've searched your site and most other places on the web, but can't find anything that resembles it. The organism doesn't look anything like the images of Aiptasia or Anemonia majano that I could find, nor does it look like anything else that I've seen. Any help in IDing the creature would be greatly appreciated. The centres of the organisms are a much brighter green that what shows up in the images. The tentacles retract very quickly into the body when disturbed and the organism seems to be flourishing and growing rather quickly in my otherwise barren tank (It's still just cycling with LS and LR) <What you have is a small Zoanthid colony. Read here and related articles/FAQ's http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm> Thank you again for your tireless efforts. <Again, you're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Jerry

Anemonia? 1/14/09 Bob, Thanks for all your work to help reefs around the world (both in nature and in our homes) thrive. I have two anemone that I believe to be majano. A picture is attached and I was hoping that you might verify my suspicion. <Might be this Anemone... but due to the lack of tentacles nearer the mouth, arrangement on the periphery of the crown... these could be Zoanthids...> They are on a clam away from everything else in my tank. If they are Majano sp. I have a few questions. First, do they simply divide by fission in the tank and therefore will only reproduce in the area that they are in and spread from there or can they find there way across the tank without my noticing some how? <Both these groups of stinging-celled life principally spread through asexual fission... pedal laceration and such... about the area where they're located... though in the wild, sexual reproduction, very wide spreading does occur> Can they kill the Maxima clam that they are on now? <Either could be a negative influence, yes> Should I remove them and place them in my trigger tank? <Yes I would... and carefully... outside the main system... with a sharp implement... scrubbing the remaining area with an old toothbrush... rinsing the clam a few times in new water... carefully disposing of the "cut process" water... Do wear gloves and eye protection> Should I be upset at my LFS who told me that the one that was there when I bought the clam was a small flower anemone? <Mmm, is a/nother common name for this (A. cf. majano) and other life...> (I realize you likely will not advocate harboring enmity toward others but I thought I would ask anyway). Thanks for all your help Joe Marchetti Anchorage, AK <A pleasure to meet, share with you Joe. Bob Fenner>

Anemone cluster identification 1/1/09 Hi crew, <Michael> WWM is an awesome website. I've had a 120 gallon SW tank with ~175lbs live rock, peaceful fish, some invert cleaners, a few corals for almost 3 years now. The information on your website has helped me through many trials and tribulations. The scariest event was a plague of BGA that spread like wildfire in my tank, covered almost everything, starved my algae blenny...then rapidly lifted after I vacuumed a half inch of detritus that collected in my sump over a 1 year period! It was an amazing feeling to see it all disappear! If I tried vacuuming the BGA, it just reappeared within a day. <Ahh!> I finally write to you now for the first time with an attached picture (sorry if the pic is of poor quality). Can you help me identify this cluster of what looks like tiny anemones. <Mmm, yes, I think so> They are very small, somewhat brownish in color. All of my live rock were purchased through liveaquaria.com, except for this piece, which I bought at a local pet store (maybe 1.5 years ago). One day, I noticed a few of this cute little guys, then they've slowly reproduced over the last year. I'm curious if they're considered a pest and could eventually cover the whole piece of rock. I could remove the rock and chisel them off. :) <Do so carefully, outside the system... they're quite toxic... to you, your livestock> As far as invert cleaners, I have assorted hermit crabs, snails, a pistol shrimp and serpent sea star. All of my emerald crabs and peppermint shrimps seem to have perished. I plan to get more. My setup has an outer orbit light fixture with 2-130W CF's and 2-150W MH's, moonlights. I have more live rock rubble in the sump. Any ideas on the cluster? Thanks again for maintaining such a resourceful website!!! Michael <You're welcome. This appears to be a group of Zoanthids... Please see the chart here re discerning various Cnidarian groups: http://wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm and the linked file re Zoanthid Compatibility above. Cheers, Bob Fenner>