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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, & Anemone ID 1,
Aiptasia ID 1, Stony Coral ID 1,
Mushroom Identification,
Soft Coral ID,
Alcyoniid ID, Xeniid ID,
Cnidarians 1, Cnidarians 2,
Cnidarian Behavior, Cnidarian
Compatibility, Cnidarian Selection,
Cnidarian Systems, Cnidarian Feeding,
Cnidarian Disease, Cnidarian
Reproduction,
Acclimating Symbiotic Reef Invertebrates to Captive Lighting, | 
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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
|
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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