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FAQs about Non-Vertebrate Animal Identification 43
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 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 44, Non-Vert ID 45,
Non-Vert ID 46, & 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
Identification, LR 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, | 
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Help with identification of corals & fish, help yourself 1/31/09
Can you help with the identification of the corals & fish attached.
Common names are sufficient.
<Hmmm, this is some fairly common,
simple stuff. A little research on the net or the purchase of a book or
two will help you ID these and more. Check
http://wetwebmedia.com/swbooksneale.htm for some recommended books.>
Thank you.
<Welcome, Scott V.>
Re: Help with identification of corals & fish 2/1/09
My
apologies to be a bother. You web site came highly recommended by the
local aquarium group here.
I have bought several books and have
been pouring thru pictures at the library.
Your e-mail was rather
rude and short. Please do not respond.
Thank you.
<Ooh, ooh,
can I answer this one! Seriously, Wheeler, as Shakespeare would say, the
fault was not in the stars. Your e-mail had twenty photographs attached.
It wasn't sent in a particularly informative or polite way, but more
like what happens when your boss "asks" you to do something. It was a
demand for a bunch of work without explaining why we at WWM should care.
For what it's worth, I did actually look through a few of those images;
I saw what seemed to be a blue-spotted grouper, a titan trigger, an
Arothron puffer of some sort, a cuttlefish or two. I make the point that
I could have a stab at naming them, and I'm the guy who helps with the
*freshwater* fish queries. What I know about marine aquaria you could
write on the back of a postage stamp! None of us a paid to do this, so
we tend to expend more energy on those e-mails that are engaging or
urgent. If we get anything that comes across as a curt demand for
information, then as Bob F. likes to say, "No Sale". Have a nice day,
Neale.> <<Thank you Neale. RMF>>
I.D. Please; Featherduster 1/29/09
Hi guys,
<Hello>
I appreciate your service very much as it has been very
useful. I am very green when it comes to saltwater aquatics. I have
sent a pic to hope that someone my identify this little creature.
They are white, round and feathery like.
<Looks like a small
feather duster, a harmless filter feeder.>
I have 3 little ones
as pictured they are about the size of a BB and I have a larger one
about the size of a quarter. I would have loved to get a picture of
the larger one, but, it's in a crevasse and not able to get any
pictures. My tank is a 55g and is about 6 months old. Thank-you.
<Please compare them to http://www.wetwebmedia.com/feather.htm and
the linked FAQs on ID. Also, compare them and the larger ones to
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm
and the linked FAQs on ID. Sometimes they are apparently thought to
be the same. I do wish you much fun with your hobby. Cheers, Marco.> | 
Mmm, looks like an Octocoral/"Polyp" to RMF.
Re: I.D. Please
– 1/30/09
"Mmm, looks like an
Octocoral/"Polyp" to RMF."
<Yes, I also saw that there are
8 tentacles, but solitary Octocorals are quite uncommon, limited
to 3 or so genera from deep waters like Taiaroa sp.
There
are small feather dusters like Brachiomma curta that have
relatively few arms (about 12), Spirorbis sp. has 9. What do you
think? ...a better picture would reveal more detail. Marco.>
<Mmm, do agree with you all the way around... but thought I'd
toss in my dos centavos re the Cnid. poss. Danke, BobF> |
Egg cup like things 1/26/09
Hey Crew,
<Danny>
I just noticed these white cup shaped "things" in my
sump / refuge. They are about an 1/8" by 1/4" long and are attached
by a stem. In the sump I have a tiger cowry and a red footed snail
(species unknown), do you think
these could be eggs from
either?
<Mmm, possibly the latter>
I hope you could let
me know what they are and if I should remove them or not.
<I
would leave these be... do look like solitary (i.e. non-colonial)
Ascidians most likely... sea squirts... not harmful... Actually
beneficial and interesting>
Thanks in advance for any
information you can provide,
Danny
<Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ascidians.htm
and the linked files
above. Bob Fenner> |  |
What IS this creature in my reef? 01/23/09
Hi Bob and
crew!
Hope you are all doing well, it's been a while since I've
written!
There are all kinds of baby creatures popping up in my
7-year-old 55 gal. reef tank lately. Among the dozens of newborn Astrea
snails, I found this little wonder (see pics which show it from both the
top and bottom).
<It's an Asterina starfish... quite common.>
My first guess was a starfish of some kind (since about a year ago I did
have a couple brittle stars in the tank, and have gotten some new corals
a few months ago, so probably a hitchhiker). I thought it resembled a
chocolate chip star (which I have never had). But I am really
questioning whether it is a star because this little creature actually
has 7 legs.
<And how many legs do you think a starfish should
have? There are some with a few dozen...>
(OMG! Could it be an
octopus missing a leg?!)
<...>
My second guess was some type
of coral or anemone?
<Please stop guessing... it's a starfish,
trust me.>
But it looks like there is a mouth on the bottom. I
would be very interested in your opinion. Do you know what this is?? I
am hoping it is a good creature. If it is not good, will it eat my
corals or snails?
<Nope. They are grazers... mostly harmless. Some
people are weary of them when they get to be really numerous. But in my
experience, there is no cause to be. In fact, they are often sold as
algae eaters/scavengers.
Personally, I like them.>
Here are
the photos I took. Please feel free to use them and/or resize them as
you'd like for your web site.
Thanks so much for your help!
Laura
<De nada,
Sara M.>
http://www.olaura.com/reef/creature-top.jpg
http://www.olaura.com/reef/creature-bottom.jpg |  |
What Are They? Stomatellid Snail and Possible Pseudocorynactis – 1/20/09
<Hi Nancy, Lynn here this morning.>
Could you identify these
creatures for me??
<I’ll sure try!>
My LFS told me you would be a
better source than them to make a correct ID. The first one is
incredibly small - maybe a few millimeters wide. I have 3 of them on my
live rock. The biggest one is the one in the first pic. It does eat
small pieces of mashed shrimp when it is dragged over it. Its sticky
tentacles grab right on, and it bubbles up to swallow it.
<Hmmm, that
is one tiny creature, isn’t it! I can’t quite see enough detail to be
sure, but it looks a lot like a harmless Corallimorph in the genus
Pseudocorynactis. Please see the FAQ’s/photos at the following link for
more information and comparison:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mushridf4.htm >
The second creature I
found today and thought while sending you the first pic, that I'd send
you one of this at the same time.
<Bring it on!>
It looks like
maybe a Nudibranch??
<No, but they’re often (and understandably)
mistaken for that or a limpet.>
Maybe it’s a baby snail?
<Bingo!
It’s a harmless and very beneficial snail in the genus Stomatella –
likely Stomatella varia. They’re herbivorous grazers that are highly
variable in color, reproduce readily in our tanks, and can get up to
~1.25” in length.>
Doesn't look like it has much of a shell if it is.
<You’re right. The shell is very small indeed but typical of this
genus.>
It does suck and have antenna like a snail, but its body is
very long (about a centimeter). Hopefully these are a great bonus to my
new mini-reef, and not bad ones!!
<They are indeed a great bonus! For
more information/photos, please see the following links:
http://wetwebmedia.com/MolluscPIX/Gastropods/Prosobranch%20PIX/Limpets%20Scutus/LimpetF1.htm
http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=181 >
Thanks so much
for your help!!! Nancy
<You’re very welcome, Nancy! Take care, Lynn> |  |
Maybe a sponge?
01/18/09
Hello, I saw this thing growing in my 55gal reef
tank about a month ago.
Appears to be some kind of sponge, but I
was hoping to get an opinion. It's light gray and has a soft/spongy
texture. Has a very strange pattern and a distinct hole in the middle of
it. It's about the size of a nickel. Any ideas?
<If there's only
one main hole, yes, I'd say it's likely a sponge. If there are two
holes, then it might be a tunicate.>
Thanks so much,
Tiffany
<De nada,
Sara M.> |  |
I still am of the opinion that we could/should produce di-,
tri-chotomous keys... with drawings 1/16/08
... I can/will
pay Dorkasaurus, others to produce... and neat-o guides like those on
Melev's Reef (.com)<
I totally agree. If there's anything I can do
to help, please let me know. What's even better is that this is a slow
time of year for me, so I'm relatively free for the next couple of
months.
<How should we proceed? I recently saw Ron Shimek's go...
not all that useful>
<<I agree. I think we could come up with
something more user-friendly. People need pictures/drawings along with a
key, otherwise they get overwhelmed with unfamiliar descriptive terms
and give up. It's the old adage "A picture's worth a thousand words".
I've always wanted to do an interactive key, but I'm guessing that's got
to require some kind of program (it's awful being such a computer
dummy). It would be great though, because people like anything
interactive these days. You could start off with the basic list of
criteria presented as clickable buttons (with pictures/drawings where
necessary), then keep getting more and more specific, down to species in
many cases. You could also have direct links for those people that
already know they have some type of snail or sea slug but want to narrow
it down further. At some point in their search (maybe Family level?),
there would be a drop down menu listing locales/location of origin
choices for the organism (including "Unknown"). From there, they'd just
keep narrowing things down until they could go no further.
The
great thing is that this project could be presented with the basics,
initially, and still be very useful for hobbyists. Beyond that, it would
be a continuing work in progress. You could have those members/others
that specialize in certain areas, contribute their own section(s) of
flow charts/keys (obviously subject to your review/approval) that take
the inquirer as far as the contributor is able - in some cases, to
species level.
This would be a huge undertaking as a whole, but
seen as segments, really isn't too awful. I just think it would be a
terrific tool for people and a great addition to WWM. I don't know of
anything else like it out there for hobbyists. It would be
user-friendly, include pictures, and better yet, we'd be able to offer
more in-depth information on the various organisms right there at WWM.
All we'd have to do is list them at the top of each page - like we
already do. It's a win-win as I see it!>>
Interestingly enough, the
day after Christmas, I decided to start putting together a thread at the
forums that would serve as a quick visual ID guide for hitchhikers. To
that end, I've been sorting and going through what photos I have and
trying to outline how to best present it. The thing is though, if we
could pool our resources and talent, and put something together through
WWM, for WWM, it would be much better all the way around. Just give me a
shout if I can be of any assistance - I'd love to be a part of that
project.
<When I'm back in SD... next week... actually the weekend
ending the 24th, I'll pen the beginning, a start... and ask others to
chime in...>
<<Sounds great!>>
Take care. Oh, and by the way,
if you're home in San Diego right now, please send us some sun!! We've
had "pea soup" fog now for 3 days and I'm tired of it!
-Lynn
<Am out in HI... it is also fab here currently. Take care, B>
<<Oh
lucky you! It's cold pea-soup again here today, but I'm hoping for the
best for this weekend. Take care and have a great weekend - Lynn>
>Yikes... well, sis Donna is down taking diving lessons... Me, got to
pull more weeds, do some other house moving prep. work today... Cheers!
BobF<
Please Help with what ever these things are in our SW tank
Worm ID
1/15/09
Hi Bob,
<Hi Shirley, you drew James today.>
Hope you are able to help.
<I'll try.>
In our 55 gallon
Saltwater tank we have these hard tubular things growing on the rock,
and even on snails. It has this white stringy stuff that comes out of
them. If you know what these could be could you please let me know and
let me know if I should worry about them.
<These are very likely a
species of Polychaete worm from the Family Serpulidae. They are
detritivores and are harmless.>
Thank you,
<You're welcome.
James (Salty Dog)>
Shirley
Id of hitchhiker 1/3/09
I have been
keeping saltwater tank's for almost four years now. After I started
I found this great site. Any problems have been taking care of
thanks to you. My tank's are 75 gals reef , 55 gal seahorse , 5 gal
dwarf seahorse . All test show 0 except for nitrates that are about
20 . I found this about two years ago .It was so small that I had to
use a magnify glass to see what it looked like .It is now about
1inch long the half shell on top that is . I have looked at slugs
,snails , and anything else I could think of but could not find .
Thank you and happy new year.
<Looks like a juvenile Haliotis
sp. gastropod of some sort, the sea snails commonly called
"abalones" or "ear-shells". What you should see is that the shell is
flat like a dish but coils over to one side when viewed from above,
and on the side away from the coil you'll see a row of small
openings running from the helix all the way to the front of the
shell. Your photo is of the side with the coil, so I can't see those
openings. Adult Haliotis spp. at least are almost entirely
herbivorous, feeding on different types of green and red algae.
Since yours is growing and is unlikely to be doing any harm to your
other marine life, I think you can sit back and enjoy this rather
fascinating snail. For more, see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/abalones.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
<<Mmm, is a Trochid... that looks like, is most often listed as a
limpet... likely of the genus Stomatella. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/MolluscPIX/Gastropods/Prosobranch%20PIX/Limpets%20Scutus/LimpetF1.htm
BobF>> |  |
More re: Id of hitchhiker 1/3/09
Hi Bob. You may well
be correct. The shell looked distinctly asymmetrical to me, hence
plumping for Haliotis. I wasn't aware that there were any flat
shelled Trochids, but Stomatella does indeed appear to be one such
beast.
Obviously a view from the side away from the spiral
would have show (or not) the gill openings, and clinched the deal!
Cheers, Neale.>
"<<Mmm, is a Trochid... that looks like, is
most often listed as a limpet... likely of the genus Stomatella.
Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/MolluscPIX/Gastropods/Prosobranch%20PIX/Limpets%20Scutus/LimpetF1.htm
BobF>>"
<Another point of divergence, asking if you will... For
so many organisms, groups we deal with... the use of the more
"common" names and higher tax. for findings sake... Here, should
I/we put Stomatella "in" with the Trochidae, or place (as I have)
with the Limpets... as they are commonly "found" in hobby lit.? B>
Re: More re: Id of hitchhiker 1/3/09
Thank you for the
id . I first thought it was an Abalone but as it did not have holes
along the side . I never thought to look at Limpets cause I only
heard of keyhole limpets . As this did not have a hole on top .
After looking over your Limpets page and doing a Google search on
them . I do have a Limpet .
thanks for everything and this
great site .
<Mmm, again... this is actually a Snail... a
member of the family Trochidae... Is called a limpet due to its
flattened appearance I guess.
Cheers! BobF> |
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