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FAQs about Non-Vertebrate Animal Identification 22

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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 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

Picture I.D.'s   2/11/07 Hi Sabrina, <Adam J with you.> I re-sized the pics to half the original size. I hope that's small enough.  Thanks in advance for your help. It's much appreciated! <The first appears to be a Zoanthus colony of some sort, the latter an Aiptasia...difficult to see in picture.> Thank, <Of course.> Matt Thomas. <Adam J.> <<And the third some sort of communal bivalve. RMF>>

Can you help me ID this? (Syconoid?) 2/7/07 Have this pic posted on a forum as well but I do not know if I did it right. This is about 3 weeks in the making. <Nice picture!> The tank is about 3 months old. Do I need to get on this or is it safe to leave. <Safe, harmless, beneficial. I'm no expert on photo-ID of sponges, but I suspect a Syconoid sponge is the culprit. Try matching up what you have here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spongeidfaqs.htm and see what you come up with!> Thank you for all your help with my other questions as well. -JL <Welcome, good luck and welcome to the wonderful hobby! -GrahamT>
Can you help me ID this?  2/7/07 Have this pic posted on a forum as well but I do not know if I did it right. This is about 3 weeks in the making. The tank is about 3 months old. Do I need to get on this or is it safe to leave. Thank you for all your help with my other questions as well. -JL <A sponge of some sort... not harmful... I would leave as is. Bob Fenner>

Mound builder, SW invert. ID guess    2/6/07 Hi, we have a marine tank set up 7 weeks.  All's well.  We purchased a rock with mushrooms.  We have witnessed very fine floaty hair like strands coming from under the sand beside this rock.  These strands "collect" pieces of sand & have built a small mound against the rock....any ideas what it might be? Kind regards Sue Carveth <Mmm, might be the Corallimorpharian itself... could be an Ophiuroid or one of many worms... Bob Fenner> Re: mound builder  2/9/07 So are you saying this creature could be a basket star or brittle star? <Could be numerous ones of the latter> I've read this can be good or bad...what is your opinion? <Is not bad>   We have hermit crabs 5 larger (1 inch) & had 2 both of which I've found out of their shells & dead ...could this be connected? <Mmm, not likely, no> Today I saw something  next to the rock projecting from the sand .....looks likes a very pale skin colour tube like thingy (3mm diameter ) with jagged edges....looks like the hair like fronds are projecting from it.  Most of the floaty hair like fronds range from a couple of inches to 4/5 inches in length & whitish in colour, although today a very long one has appeared & wrapped itself around the sponge growing on the rock.  Under microscope it looks as though it is darker in colour & segmented & may have flattened thorny bits on it.  It also looks like it is not attached??  Tried a photo but it wasn't visible against the sand! Thanks for your time....Sue <Welcome. BobF>

Hitchhiker ID...Ophiuroids I think - 02/04/07 Hi (again) <<Hello Joanne>> Thanks for the info on the shrimp, I looked Mysid shrimp up and you were right, that's exactly what they look like! <<Neat!>> I'm sorry to come back to you so soon but I have spent the last 2 hours on the net looking for an ID to a worm I have living in my live rock. <<No problem>> I thought it might be a spaghetti worm as there seems to be several of them coming out of a hole in the rock, they are not much thicker than a hair but they are black and white banded and haven't found anything that sounds the same.  They widen slightly towards the base although I have not seen the other end, this stays in the rock.  I tried to take a pic but they are too small to pick up on the camera. <<...?>> Any ideas? <<Well Joanne I can only guess from your description, but based on this and their behavior I think what you are seeing is not a worm at all...but rather a tiny Ophiuroid (a brittle or serpent star).  And nothing to worry about as it is a harmless and beneficial detritivore.  Perhaps a peek with a flashlight after the lights on the tank go out will confirm>> Thanks again x, Joanne <<Quite welcome, EricR>>

Identifications: Miter snail, Zoanthids and Pachyclavularia Oh! My! Hello to the most informative crew on the web! <Hi Todd, Mich with you today.  Wow!  What flattery!>      I'm sending along three pictures today of animals I'm hoping you may be able to help me identify.  I've done my due diligence on your site and in many books and believe that I have narrowed down general ID's of two of the three but am hoping for more specifics, or corrections of my assumptions.  I believe it is our responsibility to try and correctly identify all our charges so we can provide the best husbandry for them possible. <Most assuredly.>      Picture one is a snail that was sold to me by my LFS before I found this wonderful site.  It was sold to me as a sand sifter and in fact below the sand is where it seems to stay; often coming to the surface at night to cruise around half submerged.  I did find a picture on your site of one of these, located in the FAQ about Marine Snail Identification 2 section, that while not providing a definitive id did suggest this may be an egg cowry, perhaps Dentiovula dorsuosa.  However further research on this particular species seems to show a smooth shell, while this one as obvious ridges, and indicates that they live on coral and not under the sand. <This is a snail of the family Mitridae, possibly Mitra mitra.>      Pictures two and three are animals that I received attached to two separate pieces of live rock.  One appears to be some species of green button polyp, each polyp is about a quarter of an inch across while the other to me resembles a brown phase of star polyps. <Yes, a green Zoanthid.  A great coral to frag and share.  Read more about them here:   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/blane-zoanthids/zoanthids.htm I believe you are correct with the Green Star Polyps (GSP)(Pachyclavularia sp.) also, It appears the polyps are coming from a purple mat, which would be a dead give away.   More to read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clavulariids.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polypbehfaqs.htm > Thanks again,
Todd
Identification salt water hitchhiker I have a 55 gallon, with 2 percula clowns and a purple dotty back and about 50 lbs of Live Rock.  I have noticed this in the aquarium now for a couple months, and it doesn't *seem* to be hurting anything.  You have a great resource in this website, and I have been searching and searching, but I haven't been able to find anything like it on your site, although I am sure it is there I am just not looking in the right places. Thank you so much for your help. Thanks, Jeff <Mmm, appears to be some sort of polychaete worm... Not harmful... in fact, of use. I would leave it/them be. Bob Fenner>
Re: Identification salt water hitchhiker Thank you so much for your reply.  I guess I failed to fully describe the item it seems to have a bunch of arms that branch out and spread throughout the aquarium, so I didn't think it was a worm, but that's a good place for me to search Thanks, Jeff <Yes... these are almost assuredly a population of such worms... judging by color, shape, behavior. Cheers, BobF>

Little crawly critter I.D. 1/28/07 Hello Bob or Graham, <GrahamT again, Steph. Did you miss me?> This is Steph. I had a few "green bubbles" on my button polyp, which, after looking on your site resembled bubble algae. Removed those, only a few. <Hope you read on the preferred method for "bubble algae" removal, using a siphon, etc.> Now, I see some whitish, long, and slender "bugs". Some of them are on the sides of the tank and some crawling on my button polyps....are these a good thing? <Hmm, still would like to see these, rather than go on a verbal description. I am inclined to believe that you are ok, though. Steph

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