FAQs on Identification of Stinging-Celled
Animals 9
Related Articles: Cnidarians, Water Flow, How Much
is Enough,
Related FAQs: Cnidarian IDs 1, Cnidarian IDs 2, Cnidarian IDs 3,
Cnidarians ID 4,
Cnidarians ID 5,
Cnidarians ID
6, Cnidarian ID 7, Cnidarian ID 8, Cnidarian ID 10, Cnidarian ID 11, Cnidarian ID 12, Cnidarian ID 13, Cnidarian ID
14, Cnidarian ID
15, Cnidarian ID
16, Cnidarian ID 17, Cnidarian ID 18, Cnidarian ID 19, Cnidarian ID 20, Cnidarian ID 21, Cnidarian ID 22, Cnidarian ID 23, Cnidarian ID 24, Cnidarian ID 26, Cnidarian ID 27, Cnidarian ID 28,
Cnidarian
ID 29,
Cnidarian ID 30,
Cnidarian ID 31,
& Anemone ID 1, Aiptasia
ID 1, Stony Coral ID
1, Mushroom Identification,
Soft Coral ID, Alcyoniid ID, Xeniid ID,
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ID on live rock... Octocoral -- 10/18/07
Hello, <Hi John, Mich with you tonight.> I was wondering if
someone could help with an I.D. of life that came on a piece of
live rock I purchased the other day. <Well at quick glance I
thought it was a sponge, but it is not. On closer inspection it
looks like an Octocoral of some sort, perhaps of the family
Clavulariidae. A nice surprise for you.> Picture attached.
Thanks,
<Welcome! Mich>
John
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Cnidarian Identification 10/17/07 Hello again
<Hello> The sack like growths are in the photos at the top and
bottom of this page www.wetwebmedia.com/cnididfaq4.htm. Do you know
what they are now? They had covered the tank within weeks. Do you know
where they came from or what I can do to get rid of the remaining ones,
in case they spread again? Thanks again, Danielle <To quote Bob on
the FAQ, "Leave them... look like some sort of polypoid
life...". I could not venture a more accurate guess.>
<Chris>
Id: Staurocladia oahuensis - 10/16/07 Hi,
<Hi there, Ben> This tiny little fellow, about 50
thousandths of an inch across, is presently adhered to the front
of my tank: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fyngyrz/1573547118/
<Nice photo!> He looks like a baby anemone of some kind to
me. Any of you recognize the lil' fellow specifically?
<Heeeeee, well, not that one specific individual, but I do
recognize the specie: Staurocladia oahuensis. These are tiny
crawling hydromedusae, also known as hydroid jellyfish, and are
generally not a problem. They typically wax and wane in
aquariums, sometimes appearing in great numbers, only to
disappear a short time later. Please see these links for more
information re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/jellyidfaqs.htm
http://www.ronshimek.com/Animal%20Groups%203%20Cnidarians.htm
> Thanks!
--Ben
<You're very welcome! --Lynn>
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Coral Identification 10/14/07 Hi
crew....Anthony, Bob, Steve... how is going... <Going well,
Carlos, James with you today.> I attached a picture of a
recently purchased coral or coralymorph, <corallimorph> so
can you help me to identify it?? <Looks like Ricordea Florida.
Go here for more info. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm>
Thank you very much. <You're welcome. James (Salty
Dog)>
Carlos |
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Re: Creature ID, Pseudocorynactis sp, Aiptasia
-- 10/04/07 >Hi, ><Hello Ben! Sorry for the delay. I had
some problem accessing your links> No problem. Just wanted to be
sure you got it. <<Yes! Got it!>> Now maybe I can help you.
That link is to "flickr"; flickr uses Java, but otherwise
should work with any modern browser. It is one of the most widely used
sites in the world for images. Firefox will work perfectly, as will
Opera, Safari, Explorer, Omniweb and Mozilla. Just make sure Java is
on. Firefox is *highly* recommended - best browser on the planet, and
it is free. <<I have a Mac so I'm using Safari.>>
>just a cornucopia of living goodness. ><Amazing, isn't
it?> Indeed it is. <<One of my favorite things was just
watching what developed from the LR.>> >We popped it in our
55-gallon tank, which was about two months old at the time, and
everything has done just fine. ><Glad to hear! Is this the tank
in your bathroom? Is quite a beautiful bathroom I might add!> Thank
you. My sweetheart and I built it. This was an empty box, an abandoned
church, and we're building an interior into it as time and funds
allow. <<How cool! You have done a beautiful job with the
bathroom for sure!>> Yes, that's the bathroom tank. We have
three others that are freshwater. Odds are good there are more salt
tanks in our future. We have room, and motivation is growing. No
surprise to you, I'm sure. <<Yes, as one of my crewmate
Andrea said... Multiple Tank Syndrome is hard to fight.>> >But
do watch out with this Xenia... it can become a "weed".>
Not sure I mind, really, I find them quite beautiful. Especially when
they pulse. <<Assuredly! Xenia can be quite beautiful, some
people can't get xenia to grow, while others can't get rid of
them!>> The intent is to make a reef tank, not so much a fish
tank, but I'm not sure we're looking for conventional imports -
I'm very curious to see what grows. All manner of things are
starting up. If they really get crazy, maybe I'll put them in a new
tank. :-) They took transport poorly, took many days to recover, and
some died. Be easier if they were local. <<Absolutely, shipping
is a big problem with this coral.>> >We only have a couple of
small, innocuous fish at this point, going slowly. ><Slowly is
good!> That's my understanding. I'm patient. Mostly. :-)
<<Heehee! Can be hard but is worth your while!>>
><This appears to be Pseudocorynactis sp, a corallimorph.> Ah.
Thank you. With the name, I found a pic and a little info on your site.
Very good. <<Glad to hear!>> ><This may be an
Aiptasia that has collapsed upon its self... a good thing... more
reading for you below on this matter.> Nope, definitely the same as
the other patch; opens nightly now. Funky little thing. <<Oh
Good! Pseudocorynactis sp. are very desirable corals.>> >The
last patch of jelly still looks the same as shown in the image above.
Here's how a closed one looks: ><This pic is a duplicate of
the Xenia.> Now THAT is just plain weird. I still have the original
email in my outbox, and the correct three pictures are linked. Can you
tell me what web browser you are using? <<Safari.>>
Something is flat busted. You're not using... cough... AOL, are
you? <<Heehee! No.>> Because there's just no polite way
to put it, AOL is last decade's technology today, busted, crippled,
censored and laden with the digital equivalent of Aiptasia. Or copper
sulfate. :) <<Heehee!>> ><Ummm, if you like
Aiptasia... You will want to try to eliminate this pest. More here:
Yes, I've read all about them, and am willing to throw one or more
nudibranchs in there if required, <<Can work, but I would
recommend other means first. Especially while you have a reasonable
amount to get rid of. I would recommend injecting the Aiptasia with a
syringe filled with either Calcium or Lemon juice. The Berghia
nudibranch are good, but are obligate Aiptasia eaters... therefore once
the Aiptasia are gone the Berghia will slowly starve to death. The
other means can be effect.>> but so far, they just seem
interesting and pretty to me. <<So far but you really will want
to get rid of them. They can kill and limit the grow of other desirable
species.>> No migration. Yet. <<Yet being the key word
here...They can really take of and multiply very, very quickly.>>
If they start killing things, as seems likely from everything I've
read, then it'll be a nudibranch picnic as soon as I can get some.
<<Again I would recommend other means first, and use the Berghia
only as a last resort. Cheers and good luck to you Ben! Mich>>
Ben
Marine Betta not Feeding Picture... ID Palythoa
-- 08/26/07 Including the picture often helps. <Yep!> The
coral I am curious about is on the left. <Mmm, hope you mean
top.> I assumed for a long time that they were rock anemones but
now I actually have some glass anemones which look entirely
different. <The corals in your picture include a mushroom on the
bottom and on the top are Palythoa. More here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm Similar photos here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoidfaq2.htm > Thanks,
<Welcome!>
Zach
<Mich> |
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Strange Floating Creature 8/14/07 Hi wetweb
team, <Hi Peter> I've been a long time reader of
browser of your site. I find it invaluable for all my freshwater
and marine fish keeping needs. I currently have a 75gal reef tank
which has been set up for a year+. I have taken the fish out
lately to do some heavy duty aqua-scaping. Without any fish there
seems to be a tremendous bloom of life around the live rock.
Tonight I took my flashlight and looked at the tank in the dark.
To my surprise there was a squishy looking little jellyfish type
creature in the water being blown around. I have seen what looks
to be like hermit crab larvae before but this is something new. I
quickly took a medium sized cup and captured it as it came close
to the surface. This creature looks like a medusa stage of some
animal though I do not know what it could be. It pulses like a
jelly fish. The white protrusions have a property of being sticky
as it is now clinging onto the wall of cup. I was thinking of
keeping it alive and seeing what it turns into. Enclosed is a
picture I drew of it as best I could. To be honest, that is
exactly what it looks like. Thanks for all your guys help and
advice. <I'm thinking you are correct, more than likely,
some type of jellyfish.><<Or perhaps a Hydrozoan in the
medusoid stage... or even a Ctenophoran. RMF>> Sincerely,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Peter Cao
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Visual identification, Polypoid
life... 5/30/07 I just noticed this guy growing in
my tank, at first i thought he was a featherduster or tubeworm of
some sort but i haven't been able to turn up any searches that
look like this one. unlike a feather duster this guys stem is soft
and when it retracts it retracts stem and all to were it is just a
spec on the live rock. do you know what it is? <Mmm, see the
number of tentacles? Is an octocoral... See that their pinnated?
Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidaria.htm Bob
Fenner> |
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Re: Tank Upgrade, Critter ID and
Clownfish Question. 5/24/07 Hi
Justin and all at WetWebMedia its Ben here from the UK, I hope
you have had a good Easter and haven't eaten too many
chocolate eggs. <I didn't even get one!> Am not sure if
you recall me saying that I am looking to upgrade my 45litre tank
to a 3ft 100litre tank at the end of the month and after looking
at the FAQs about upgrading I thought I would just run past you
how I plan to make the change. I think I am going to set the new
tank up in its new space and fill it up with about 60 litres of
bought salt water and leave it overnight to warm the water to as
close to the main tank as possible. How does this sound so far?
<I would actually first fill it with freshwater only... to
test for leaks, levelness, hook up all the gear, make sure
it's functional... leave this go a day or two...> My next
question is in regards to substrate. I currently have 20lbs of
CaribSea live sand in my main tank and am wondering if it is
worth buying another pack of the same sand to place in the new
tank or should I just buy plain marine sand and then seed it with
the established substrate? <Either one...> How much would I
need to add to the new tank? <Posted... read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/index.htm
scroll down to the greenish line... on Marine Substrates> Once
the water in the new tank is at the same temperature as the main
tank I intend to start adding water from the old tank to fill it
up, before doing this would it be best to add all of the live
rock or is it best to fill the water up and then add everything
all at once? <... also posted... Please learn to/use the
indices, search tool> My LFS has said that it is best to add
everything all at once, they have also recommended that I
purchase SeaChem stability and SeaChem prime to add to the new
tank for the first few days, does this seem ok? <Sure> Once
everything has been added to the new tank I would like to
purchase more live rock, I think I will gradually add 1 small
piece every 1-2weeks just so that it will hopefully keep any
spikes to a minimum. I think those are the only questions that I
have regarding the tank move, if I have missed anything important
out please let me know. <Just reading... there is much
ancillary/related material you will encounter by investigating
thus.> I feel I should mention that I am going to be using the
same AquaMedic BioStar flotor from the main tank so hopefully the
bacteria will still be present. My next subject (sorry about
this) is in regards to a naming a creature that I have found on
my live rock, Am not sure if you remember me saying about this
creature in my first emails (it resided directly below my leather
toadstool) I have hopefully attached a picture of it for your
perusal, at present it does not seem to be causing a problem, am
fact I quite like the little guy, under actinics the tentacles?
fluoresce a nice green colour. <Mmm, looks to me like a
Zoanthid> Lastly I have one other question for my own interest
really, its nothing serious its quite amusing I think, have you
ever known a clownfish to host a feather duster? <Yes> As
mine has decided that he likes to sleep and wriggle inside the
head of my white feather duster, he loves it. Is there an
explanation for this behaviour or do I just have a really
friendly clownfish :). Again I have attached some photos for you
to see. <Are close symbionts in the wild... or consumed...
with Actinarians... look for substitutes in captivity> I thank
you again for all of the help that you have given me over the
last 6 months and I hope you can help again. All the best to you
all Ben Sandford
<Be chatting, reading... Bob Fenner>
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Help ID, Beaded Anemone (Heteractis aurora) and
Palythoa 5/8/07 <Hi Michelle, another Michelle
with you tonight!> Thank you for an excellent site full of
helpful info. <Glad you think so!> It
has been an invaluable tool for me with both my saltwater and
freshwater tanks. <Tis good to hear!> I currently
have a 20-gallon long tank with 22#'s of live rock 4 electric
blue hermits, 1 chocolate chip sea star, <Mmm, these often
don't do well in captivity. They are not reef
compatible and may eat sessile invertebrates, soft and stony
corals, even anemones.> 5 purple mushrooms (started with 3, but
they budded into new babies) a very large red sea squirt that came
on my live rock, a monster sized turkey wing approximately 4"
length, (also a hitch-hiker) and a rock with over 50 zoas on
it. The live rock is a mixture of Florida
aqua-cultured and Caribbean live rock. My tank parameters have been
very stable for a small tank, ph 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrites 0,
nitrates .5, and calcium 380. I do a 10% water
change every week and do tests 3 times a week. This tank has been
up and running for a year. <Excellent!> I still do not have
any fish in this tank as I'm trying to decide what I would
like. The fish I decide on will be the only fish in this
tank (just 1). <Very wise!> I do need some help
with identifying 2 critters in my tank that have come as
hitchhikers on my live rock. It does have an appearance
of a type of Aiptasia, but much prettier. There are only
2 in this tank and they have not spread to any other live rock in
my tank. I would like to have someone more experienced
in identification to confirm this for me before I
"accidentally" zap a possible good guy.
<Looks like a beaded anemone (Heteractis aurora) to me,
typically prefers a sand bed but it will relocate if it's
unhappy. A little more here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
> The other critter is a small round shaped. It does have small
tentacles that are out constantly looking for food. I
feed it small pieces of Mysis shrimp every other day. It
has been rather entertaining watching it eat as it puffs up around
the food. Since finding it, it has grown from a small
eraser head size to the size of my thumbnail. <Mmm,
likely a Palythoa. Though Palythoa will generally close
around the food item like a purse string. More here and
related links in blue: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm >
Even though my tank has been up for a year, it's still amazing
to see new things on there that I didn't see
before. <One of my favorite parts in setting up a
tank is watching what grows out of the live rock.> Hoping
everyone has a great week. <And the same to you!>
Michelle
<Cheers! Mich> |
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Strange creatures on the aquarium
glass 5/3/07 Dear Sir,
<Adeel> I hope you are doing good.
This is my first time, so I apologize if not following any fixed
procedure for asking a question. <You're doing
fine> Tank Details : I have a 50 gallon fish only salt
water tank with some amount of live rock. Its been about 6 weeks or so
since I setup the tank. I collected water from the sea FYI. I have two
3 striped damsels. Just today I added a pair of percula clown. All
other parameters are normal...since I believe the nitrate cycle must be
complete by now. <Yes> Question : I
have noticed very very tiny almost a dot sized white spots on the
aquarium glass. On close observation, I noticed the white dots actually
have tiny white hair/spikes...almost like a tiny microscopic sun or a
microscopic flower. It is totally white. When I push it off the glass
with the tip of a stick, the creatures just falls off and floats with
the water current till it settles down. I hope I have given a good
description. What are these things and do I need them?
<Mmm, could be a polyp form of life of some sort... Cnidarians... of
any of the three Classes... Hydrozoan... Scyphozoan... or...?> Are
they beneficial...if not how can I kill them? <No way to tell, and
not likely easy... Very likely "came in/along" with the
water... If you want to continue to collect your own, it needs to be
processed... in the dark, by poisoning possibly... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seah2onatural.htm
and the linked files above> I have put in too much in setting up the
tank and cannot think about losing it. Please tell me if these
creatures are safe or not although they are microscopic sized. Just to
add. I have also noticed those white roach type bugs that run around on
the glass. Thanks for all your help.
Adeel Let me know if you need a picture. Its
very difficult as they are microscopic, but I can try anything to save
my tank. I am writing all the way from Dubai and I love your website.
Good work. <Thank you for your kind, encouraging words. Chances are
that what you describe is not problematical... But again, I would at
least store all new water in the dark for a few weeks before using. Bob
Fenner>
Unknown hitchhiker White Ball Corallimorph
(Pseudocorynactis sp.) 4/27/07 <Hi Jim, Mich
here.> Would you advise your best opinion as to what this
creature is. <Yes, looks to be a White Ball Corallimorph
(Pseudocorynactis sp.)> I found it on an empty snail shell in my
tank. <Likely a hitchhiker.> One opinion from another forum
was that it is a bleached majano anemone. <No. It is
not a Majano anemone. Is a lucky addition to your tank.
You might try offering this coral finely chopped fish at night or
when the tentacles are extended. They are not common in
captivity so enjoy it!> Thanks for any help.
<You're welcome! Mich>
Jim |
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Trying to Identify This, a Coral Perhaps -
04/25/07 Greetings, <And salutations! Mich
here.> I have attached a photo of a creature that hitched a ride
on some LFS cured live rock that I recently purchased.
<OK.> I've taken several pictures but have not been able
to get one with the eye. The eye is just off the shadow
to the left of the creature. <Eye?> I am not sure
whether or not if it alive or calcified. <This would
be helpful info.> Any help in identification or a site that may
be able to identify would be great. <It is difficult to say with
the limited information provided, generally the more info you can
provide the better, i.e. is it motile or non-motile, is it fleshy
or stony, is it smooth or rough, etc. I suspect this is
a stony coral or polyp of some sort, though it also resembles a
shell. It is difficult to say with the limited
info. It is unlikely anything harmful.>
Thanks
<Welcome, Mich> |
Is this it? RMF cropped
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Pics and ? Nudibranch and polyp/anemones
3/28/07 Hi there to all the crew. My name is Tracey. I have a
125 gallon reef tank and have for about 13 years now. I have two
things I would like to address here. First, I have a couple of colt
coral that started suddenly not doing well. Like they were being
stung, <Consumed, predated...> but nothing was near enough
even with current that would make that probable. I needed to top
off my water and added my upped the alkalinity just enough to
irritate the critter that was causing the problem to come into
view. I am attaching a pic of this beautiful guy which I think is
maybe a Nudibranch? <Yes... at least a
Opisthobranch/Seaslug...> I'm surprised to see this now as I
have not added anything new in months. I took him out and place him
in quarantine until I learn more. I have seen and removed these
before quite some time ago, and they had more of a pink color but
were smaller. This guy is about 1 1/2" long and 3/4"
wide. I removed him with tweezers and he had a sticky and slimy
substance left behind what ever he came into contact with. I have
found them near the base of the colt only. I'm not seeing flesh
decay of the colt, it looks more like it being stung though I'm
not certain. The base of the colt looks like it is separating some
from the rock. He looks better already after only an hour of
removing him. <Is/was being chewed... keep your eyes peeled for
others> Ok, my next issue is this. I have several different
polyps in my tank and have had a new species of some sort pop up
and they multiply quickly. They split in half and they just move
around and make more, even through the current. They grow on the
glass, in the sand, on the rocks like crazy, and I have seen them
grow attached to other coral. I'm wondering if this is some
type of anemone rather than polyps. <Mmm, some pix look like
Zoanthids... others summat like Anemonia species> I did have an
Aiptasia problem and got that problem under control, so I'm
pretty sure that's not what these are. I took out a few rocks
that are just covered in about a months time and quarantined them
also. I'm sending a few pics of these as well. Thanks in
advance for your time and help. I love this site. Tracey <Do
take a scan on/over WWM re these species... best to not let
proliferate/cover too much of your LR. Bob Fenner> |
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