Need Information -- Corallimorph ID 3/4/10
Hello,
Last May I started a 12 gallon salt tank with live rock. This small pink thing was about the size of a grain of rice and has steadily grown in the last 10 months. It is now the size of a softball. Could you please tell me what this is, is it going to outgrow my tank?
<Looks like you got yourself a hairy mushroom polyp... it's hard to say if it will "outgrow" your tank. It might depend on what you mean by "outgrow." Some of these guys can reach the since of diner plates. Even at that size, it might still "fit" in your tank, but it will likely become the only thing left.
See here:
http://www.asira.org/corallimorphia%28ricordiaandmushrooms%29 >
I would appreciate any information you can give me.
Lori A. Pickett
<Cheers,
Sara M.>

Live Rock Anemone ID and Skilter Search 2/17/10
Hey guys, I had 2 quick questions I need your help with.
<Ok>
I have a little 10 gallon saltwater aquarium I am gearing up for a reef tank. I've been pretty religious in checking the salinity levels and doing 2 gallon water changes every other week.
<Probably not often enough for such a small tank.>
Current stock is a Firefish, a tiny royal gramma, a percula clownfish, 2 peppermint shrimp, some snails, and some blue leg hermits.
<Too much here, the gramma will eventually kill the Firefish most likely, then go after the clown. My gramma is very aggressive in a 46G with just a pair of clowns, in a ten it will most likely kill all other tankmates.>
One day while doing maintenance I noticed a small anemone on a piece of live rock. It doesn't appear to be a glass anemone, but I know most desirable ones require high light which is not available at the moment, yet the anemone appears to be thriving. Its about a half an inch across, beige base with clear tentacles tipped with white. I included a poor quality pic if that helps. I was wondering if it should be removed or kept.
<Hard to say from the picture, but I would guess a majano.>
<<Very hard to see, but my guess is a Pseudocorynactis. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/mushrmidfaq2.htm
at the bottom for instance. RMF>>
Also before I turn the aquarium over into reef (I'm giving it 6 months to mature) I wanted to find a good quality Skilter to replace the current filter for increased current and skimming.
<I would not spend money on a Skilter, neither filters nor skims very well in my opinion. Look into a Aqua-C Nano for more bang for your buck.>
The only one we sell at the store I work at does 250 gallons an hour, probably much too much for the little 10 gallon.
<Depends on what you are keeping.>
I was hoping you might know where one could find a good quality Skilter for a 10-20 gallon aquarium. Thanks guys!
<Welcome>
PS I give your website to any customer at the store who is starting out in the hobby! Keep up the good work-Ray
<Great!>
<Chris>

Identification Assistance 02-14-02
Hello,
<Hi there>
I would first like to thank you for the operation of such an informative, user-friendly site. I have been in the saltwater hobby for just under a year and due to the vast amounts of useful information available through sites like yours, I have been able to have a successful reef tank in such a short amount of time that it astounds my fellow hobbyists. I operate a 90 gallon reef and have a question about a freebie that has showed up off of some live rock that was added into the tank approximately 4-5 months ago.
I first noticed it about 4 months ago on the live rock, which was near the tank floor in the rear of the tank. I first thought it was some kind of coral due to its initial size and bright greenish, almost neon coloration.
However, as the time progressed, I noticed the organism began moving on the rock. It was negligible movement totaling maybe an inch or so over a month span. Three weeks ago, it moved from the initial rock on the floor of the
tank to a peak of the rock work facing the front of the tank located under one of the MH bulbs. This was probably a foot of total movement in a day,
which considering the size, seemed impressive. Also the coloration is now a pearly white with a pinkish center and it appears to have the general structure of an anemone. This photo is as close as I was able to get without losing too much resolution, the actual size is approximately 1/4 inch in diameter. Any help that you may be able to provide in this matter is appreciated. Again thank you for the excellent site, and keep up the good work.
Shaun Gee
Tank Info
90 gallon reef tank - (100 lbs LR, and 30 lbs LS)
Livestock: 1 false percula, 1 domino damsel, 1 Clarkii clownfish hosted by RTBA, 2 mandarin dragonets (1 male/1 female), 1 orange Linckia starfish, 1 derasa clam, 1 crocea clam, 1 lettuce sea slug, cleanup crew of multiple
snails, hermit, and emerald crabs.
Corals: Green torch, pulsing xenia, green star polyps, multiple varieties of Zoanthids
Hydor Koralia 3 Wavemaker system
Hamilton 2x175 MH with 14K bulbs with 2- 48" Coralife 40 watt true actinic fluorescent tubes, and blue LED moonlight system
Coralife Turbo Twist 12x UV sterilizer
29 gallon mud refugium utilizing Caulerpa, mangrove shoots, and10 lbs live rock followed by protein skimmer for filtration.
Parameters: NH4=0, NO2+=0, NO3=0-2ppm, SG 1.023-1.025, pH 8.1 @ 80 degrees
Utilize ESV B-Ionic 2-part Alkalinity/Calcium buffer system daily
<Looks like some sort of Corallimorpharian to me. See here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm
and the linked files above.
Bob Fenner>

LR Hitchhiker ID -- 01/12/2010
Hello,
<Hello! JustinN here!>
I attached 2 pics of something I have growing on a live rock I purchased.
<I see this>
I searched it and it looks like it could be a mushroom?
<Indeed -- does appear to be a Corallimorph of some sort -- see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm>
Pretty cool. I was wondering if you knew what it was and if so is my 18" 17 watt fluorescent light enough to support it?
<Mmm, not likely, no. This is evidenced by how elongated these specimen are -- they are stretching for the (already inadequately strength) light.>
I will eventually be getting a better light but this is in the mean time.
Its a FOWLR tank 30 gal. Thanks.
<It should survive for some time with the lighting you have now -- it is clearly not completely bleached -- but it will likely never thrive under this lighting. They may survive longer with some meaty food provided occasionally, such as frozen Mysis shrimp. Good luck! -JustinN>

Anemone Identification 1/6/10
Hello, all:
<Hello Matthew>
I've been a long-time lurker of WWM, and thank you all very much for your contributions to the reef-keeping knowledge base.
<You're welcome.>
I am usually fairly adept regarding identification of things in my tank, but this one has me stumped. I have looked through all 27 pages of Anemone ID on your site, and Google is of no use. Here goes:
I've got a JBJ 12g Nanocube that has been up and running for around 3 years or so. It was at first a home to a very dear friend of mine, a G. ternatensis mantis shrimp. She was great, but being wild caught, was unfortunately short lived (just over 2 years). The tank has since been converted to a reef. I keep mainly LPS corals, with a few Zoanthids for good measure. Other livestock include 1 percula clownfish, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 blue-leg hermit crabs, a few Nassarius snails, a strawberry anemone (the sort that lives symbiotically with hermits) an E. quadricolor rose-tip bubble anemone. Also various stomatellids, Vermetid snails, Asterina stars, etc. etc. A good hitch-hiker community. I didn't buy the rose-tip anemone, it was given to me by someone who didn't know what they were getting into, and decided they couldn't handle it. I know 12g is way too small for such a creature, but it seems to do okay, with fully colored, and bubbled, tentacles. It has divided 3 times. On to the critter(s) in question. I inspect my tank nightly, mainly because I like to see what lurks in the darkness. About 3 weeks ago I noticed two new anemones. Bear in mind that I have not added anything to the tank in probably 6 months, minimum. The first anemone is has a clear foot, along with clear tentacles, and white tips on each tentacle. It is probably quarter-sized when fully opened. It only comes out at night, yet is not light-sensitive. It is not visible at all during the day. The other anemone is quite similar, maybe related. It has the same clear tentacles, and same while tips on them, the only difference being a translucent orange base. I've searched the internet to the best of my ability, and have come up with no ID's for these two. The best I could find are ball-tip anemones from Singapore, which I can't find genus and species information for. Do you have any idea what they may be? I am guessing they are juveniles.
<There are literally thousands of animals belonging to Cnidaria, and your find may not even be an anemone but another member of this large group.
I would give some time to let these animals grow, see if they bud/reproduce to give a better picture as to what they might possibly be. At that time, sending us a couple of pics would help. Bob may shed some light/input here, but you can also look through the photos in this link, you may find a match. Do not limit your search to anemones.
http://guamreeflife.com/htm/inverts.htm>
Thanks very much for your help, and I look forward to your response.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Matthew

Re Anemone Identification 1/6/10
Hello again:
<Hello Matthew>
Thank you, James, for the quick response.
<You're very welcome.>
I looked on the www.guamreeflife.com < http://www.guamreeflife.com/> site, and I believe I found a near-match:
<Was hoping that would aid you.>
http://guamreeflife.com/images/organisms/thumbs/inverts/anthozoans/actiniarians/
actinarian_spI/actinarian_spI_thumb1.jpg
Unfortunately, there is no genus or species information included for that individual. I did come up with a bit more from a different forum, though.
While I cannot attest to the accuracy of the post, I can say that the critter in question is the same. The forum has identified it as a juvenile 'Orange Ball Anemone.' Here is another picture:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f382/icyuod2/IMG_7084.jpg
<Neat, will attach to this email for Bob to post.>
<<The pic is very likely a Corallimorpharian of the genus Pseudocorynactis. See WWM re: http://wetwebmedia.com/mushrmidfaq2.htm
and the linked files above. BobF>>
That picture is identical to the specimen I have found. The genus appears to be Pseudocorynactis, and species appears to be inconclusive. What do you think about this conclusion?
<Will let Bob answer that here.>
I have read differing reports regarding this genus - ranging from docile to fish-eating. Do you know much about the husbandry of them?
<Likely non-photosynthetic since it only appears at night and likely an opportunistic feeder catching whatever comes by that it's capable of eating.
I would try putting Cyclop-eeze in the evenings. Is how I feed my Plate and Candy Cane Corals.>
Thanks in advance for your help.
Unfortunately, I don't believe I was much help. Thank you for sharing your findings with us. James (Salty Dog)>
Matthew

Rhodactis ID -- 10/26/09
hello, I have tried and tried in different forums to identify this mushroom coral, but no one knows for sure. I have narrowed it down to the Rhodactis type. however I want a more positive ID. it shrinks up about mid day, and after the lights go off. and it is more cup shaped than spread out.
http://i33.tinypic.com/153p5qh.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/bgxob4.jpg
<Maybe of this genus... And likely needs feeding... See WWM re Corallimorpharian care: http://wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: Anemone ID 8/14/09
Dear Bob,
<RPI>
Thank you for your fast response. I am honored to have you respond to my anemone inquiry.
<Glad to help where, when I can>
I have attached the video I took yesterday with the camera.
<Nice, but no more informative than your stills... Is there an easy way to move the animal in question away from the Xeniid in front of it?>
It is a hair clearer. I think the thing is cute (notice the majano behind it? Lol).
Thank you again,
RPI
<Methinks these other Cnidarians are working whatever this is woe. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above, particularly on Actinarian and Xeniid Compatibility. BobF>

Re: Anemone ID 8/14/09
Hello and thanks for the advice regarding the overcrowding issues in my aquarium. I am well aware and it's heart-wrenching to think about clearing some paths but it's got to be done.
<Yes>
With that said, the Xeniids in front of the little anemone have been removed.
I have 2 new photos to send you of the little thing and it's far smaller than I had originally thought. I had written it was about 1.5" but, in actuality, it is only 3/4" wide.
<I see... and see that this is much more likely a Corallimorph. Please see here: http://wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm>
Thank you in advance for all this time and help...and I am so grateful you are out there helping people like me who have questions like this.
Here is the little guy again.
Thank you,
Renee
<Welcome. B>