Logo
Please visit our Sponsors
FAQs about Non-Vertebrate Animal Identification 21

Related Articles: Marine Invertebrates, Marine Invertebrate Systems, Marine Invertebrate Compatibility, Marine Invertebrate Disease, Marine Invertebrate Reproduction, Quarantine of Corals and Invertebrates, Feeding Reef Invertebrates, Lighting Marine Invertebrates, Water Flow, How Much is Enough,

Related FAQs: Non-Vert IDs 1, Non-Vert IDs 2, Non-Vert IDs 3, Non-Vert IDs 4, Non-Vert IDs 5, Non-Vert IDs 6, Non-Vert IDs 7, Non-Vert IDs 8, Non-Vert IDs 9, Non-Vert IDs 10, Non-Vert IDs 11, Non-Vert IDs 12, Non-Vert IDs 13, Non-Vert IDs 14, Non-Vert IDs 15, Non-Vert IDs 16, Non-Vert IDs 17, Non-Vert IDs 18, Non-Vert. ID 19, Non-Vert. ID 20, Non-Vert. ID 21, Non-Vert. ID 22, Non-Vert. ID 23, Non-Vert. ID 24, Non-Vert. ID 25, Non-Vert ID 26, Non-Vert ID 27, Non-Vert ID 28, Non-Vert ID 29, Non-Vert ID 30 Non-Vert ID 31, Non-Vert ID 32, Non-Vert 33, Non-Vert ID 34, Non-Vert ID 35, Non-Vert ID 36, Non-Vert ID 37, Non-Vert ID 38, Non-Vert ID 39, Non-Vert ID 40, Non-Vert ID 41, Non-Vert ID 42, Non-Vert ID 43, Non-Vert ID 44, Non-Vert ID 45, Non-Vert ID 46, Non-Vert ID 47, Non-Vert ID 48, Non-Vert ID 49, Non-Vert ID 50, Non-Vert ID 51, Non-Vert ID 52, Non-Vert ID 53, Non-Vert ID 54, Non-Vert ID 55, Non-Vert ID 56, Non-Vert ID 57, Non-Vert ID 58, Non-Vert ID 59, Non-Vert ID 60, Non-Vert ID 61, & Marine Invertebrates, Marine Invert.s 2, Marine Invert.s 3, & FAQs about: Marine Invertebrate Behavior, Marine Invertebrate Compatibility, Marine Invertebrate Selection, Marine Invertebrate Systems, Feeding Reef Invertebrates, Marine Invertebrate Disease, Marine Invertebrate Reproduction& LR Life IdentificationLR Hitchhiker ID 1, Anemone Identification, Aiptasia Identification, Aiptasia ID 2, Worm Identification, Tubeworm ID, Polychaete Identification, Snail Identification, Marine Crab Identification, Marine Invert.s 1, Marine Invert.s 2, Marine Plankton

All living marine systems have a myriad of worms species living in their substrates.

More creatures, Blurry Photos, ID Possibly Aiptasia, Mini Stars and Unknowns  2/28/07 Hi there <Hi Faye, Mich here.> I've been lurking on your website and have looked all over the place and I still can't find any information or pictures of the creatures I'm trying to identify, so I've added some photos to show you which I took with my phone and a magnifying glass! <Ho buoy!  Blurrreee!!!> The first one has a creature on it which I'm struggling to make my mind up whether its an evil anemone or a sort of tube worm, its about 4mm diameter on a fat stalk and they retract when touched they are quite transparent too, <I think this is an Aiptasia anemone.  I would make an effort to remove it from your system.  More here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm  and here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htm  > In the picture with it is a blob which has appeared a couple of days ago and looks like a triangular shaped rock on a stalk! It is only about 3mm wide by about the same tall. <I really can't tell from your description and the photo.  I'm sorry.> The next one is a colony of polyps which are about 3mm diameter each and are orange coloured with a black centre, they have a thin stalk and are quite flowery in appearance also they appear to be sending out some sort of runner for reproduction although I'm not sure.   <Again, I'm really not sure.> I'm constantly amazed with all the different creatures coming out of my live rock! <Amazing isn't it?> I'm pretty new to marine life and find it fascinating.   <Yes.> There's a creature in there too that I can't get a picture of, it looks like approximately 5 small stripy tentacles hanging out of my rock about 5mm long, it keeps moving round the rock and popping up in different locations.   <Likely a Striped Micro Brittle Star (Ophiactis) or an mini serpent Star (Amphipholis) both beneficial additions which will hopefully reproduce in you system.> Anyway I hope someone can help me and I apologize for the rubbish photographs! <Yes, Perhaps a camera with a macro setting would help here.  Though good idea to try the magnifying glass.  I realize these creatures are quite tiny, but the photos, well, I wish they were a little clearer.>   I had a better one of the orange polyps but it seems to have disappeared from my computer! <Ghost in the machine?> My rock came from Fiji if that helps at all. Thanks in advance <Welcome, Sorry I couldn't be of more help.  -Mich> Faye (In England) PS Have found that Red Sea salt is rubbish the calcium is far too low hence why I have changed to Instant Ocean, much better! <Noted.>

 

Aiptasia or Tube Anemone? Neither, ID Feather Duster  2/28/07 <Hi Dan, Mich with you tonight.> I really hate asking you another tube anemone or Aiptasia anemone question, after reading so much on your site.  But none of the pics available really matched this. <Is neither an Aiptasia nor a tube anemone> This is white, comes out of a tube, and so far is the only "Visible" one in the display. <Is a Polychaete worm, a Sabellid, commonly called a fan worm or feather duster.     I am hoping it is a tube anemone, but fearing it is Aiptasia.  It moves pretty quickly into its tube when a fish comes around it.  My copperband swims right by and ignores it. <That good.  Feather dusters are a welcome addition to your tank.> Thanks for a better ID, and sorry for wasting your time if it turns out it is Aiptasia. <No worries, never a waste, always best to know what you're dealing with.  -Mich> DanH

Live creatures of some sort, someplace...  2/28/07 <Hi there, Mich here.> I keep seeing live "worms" in my tank.  They float around and sometimes attach to the sides for a while.  They are slightly thicker than a hair and about 1/2 cm in length.  Are they dangerous?  (All my levels are normal according to the "dipstick.") <Ummm, yeah, so uh, where to begin.  I haven't quite mastered those psychic powers yet so I'll have to say I'm not even sure if you have a fresh or a salt water tank here.  If you can provide a little more information, and perhaps a photo, someone may be able to help you figure out what you are dealing with. -Mich>   Thanks!

Look's like a Chiton - about 6 inches... images an order of magnitude too large... PLEASE> FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!!  -- 2/26/07 I own a copy of your book as it saved me when I first got my tank from making a lot of mistakes.  I have elevated my knowledge in the last year alone and added two more tanks to my system and have used some GARF products to help to boost my tanks performance. <Brad, you've crashed our server...> We had a power outage for over 24 hours and I kept as many of my fish alive as possible.  In the end I lost two including a black clown that was being eaten by a crab in the picture.  I usually would not let the crab eat a fish, but I wanted him to leave the sluggish tired fish alone in the tank as my batteries had run out and a generator was still hours away. I found this critter doing a hot lap past the crab and clown that appeared to be a chiton.  I was curious though as it changed color to a darker brown and kind of green one subsection at a time right as it approached the crab eating the fish.  I watched in anticipation, but in the end it just kept scooting on out of site.  I have never seen this guy before and he is fairly substantial in size.   I took 32 pictures of this guy, these are some of the clearer ones since I was shooting through the gals of the tank.  I didn't want to take him out since he appeared harmless to my tank inhabitants.  That is until proven guilty as I have been removing Zoos from this tank since they were not fairing well for some reason? Let me know what you think,
Brad
<Is a Chiton. Bob Fenner>

Tunicate or what??  The Answer Would be "or What."   2/23/07 Hi <Hello Judy, Mich with you tonight.> I've been reading your forum for over a year since I first started my Fish with Live Rock Tank.  Yesterday I bought your book - Reef Invertebrates (great book!) hoping to find a critter I first found several months ago but no luck.    <A beautiful informative book, I'd agree.> It is on my live rock, at times just a tiny pin-point of a white belly-button.  Then it will open almost like a flower; when fully open it is a bit less than 1/8" across.  When startled, it will close back up and just look like a very tiny white speck.  It opens in both light and in the dark. This is a picture I found on the web at this website: http://depts.washington.edu/fhlk12/StudentProjects/Tun.biology.html <OK.> Tunicates covering rope    My little "thing" looks about like the white flower in the middle except mine is on the live rock and when it 'disappears' it is nearly impossible to see. <If it moves, is not a Tunicate.> <<If it is the "yellow thing" with two apparent vents... this is a Tunicate/Ascidian... do not "walk", but many species can/do shrink/expand appreciably. RMF>> I just love it . I'd like to know what it is. <It sounds like a polyp of some sort or possibly an anemone, sorry I can't be more helpful here.> Thanks.
Judi
<Welcome, -Mich>
Re: Tunicate or what??  The Answer Would be "or What."   2/25/07 Thanks for the fast reply.   <You're quite welcome.> I'll go look for info on polyps and anemones. <The photo you supplied was that of a known tunicate, but not that of the actual creature in your tank.  The behavior you described "opens almost like a flower" and  "When startled, it will close back up and just look like a very tiny white speck" sounds more like the actions of a polyp or anemone to me.  That being said, Bob did note on the daily FAQ's page the following: "If it is the 'yellow thing' with two apparent vents... this is a Tunicate/Ascidian... do not "walk", but many species can/do shrink/expand appreciably. RMF."  There are many possibilities here.  If you can get a decent macro shot of your actual creature, someone may be able to provide an ID.  Otherwise it's just more of a guess.  Good Luck!  -Mich> Judi

White root like plant? algae? Bryozoan   2/22/07 Hello guys! Hope you are all well today. Just a quick question and here are a few pictures as well. <Okay> The tank is a 33 gallon with 38 lbs of Fiji live rock. The LR was taken from an established 210G that was being dismantled, it was a steal at $4 a pound. The rock was out of the water for under an hour and it's barely produced much of a cycle. After two weeks of no traces of ammonia nor nitrite, only 10 ppm nitrates the first week, we added a clean up crew with an assortment of astrea, margarita and Nassarius snails and also some blue leg and left handed hermits. We cleaned off any die-off from the rock before we placed it in the tank but these white root like things have stayed and there are probably about 5-10 different root things over all the rock combined. Each one ranges from about 1/4 inch tall to 3/4 inch tall at the biggest. I haven't been able to find any mention of these root things on the internet...please help! I hope the pictures help with the identification. Thanks very much for your time! Eva <My first guess is some sort of Bryozoan... second is perhaps a "stringy" sort of sponge... In either case, not deleterious... and will likely pass in a few months... succession. Bob Fenner>

Dendro spawn, Nope...Tunicate   2/22/07 Dear WWM, <Hello Joe!  Mich here.> Such a great site for reference.   <Glad you think so!> I have a Dendro coral with 7 heads that has been in my tank for 2 1/2 months.  I have been waiting for it to produce a new head on the colony, but no luck.  It doesn't help that I have an Aiptasia on it, had 2 one crawled off and I sucked it up, and Valonia on it.   <Yikes!> However, a close look on my porites Christmas rock not too far away revealed a small orange thing.  It is oval, clear with an orange tint, and looks to have 2 small holes on the top.  I have not seen any tentacles.  We did have an ice storm where the power was off for several hours, wrapped the tank in towels to keep warm and only lost a degree.   Could it be a spawned baby, and is this one of the stages the planula larvae goes through.  Thank you for your time.  Attached are 2 photos. <Sorry no baby here.  Looks like a Tunicate or sea squirt to me.  More here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidfaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidians.htm -Mich>
-Joe    

 

Photo i.d.  2/18/07 Hi all. Hope you can help me correctly identify. Tampa Bay, Florida U.S.A. Thanks, <A sponge, Poriferan of some sort. BobF>

Become a Sponsor Features:
Daily FAQs FW Daily FAQs SW Pix of the Day FW Pix of the Day New On WWM
Helpful Links Hobbyist Forum Calendars Admin Index Cover Images
Featured Sponsors: