FeathWmIDF3

FAQs about Sedentary, Tubiculous, Featherduster Worm Identification 3

Related Articles: Featherduster Worms, Polychaete Worms,

Feather Duster & algae/sponge Id 8/14//08 Thank you all for your help in the past. I was wondering if you could Id these for me. This Is a picture of Mr. Fuzzy my feather duster. I cant seem to find the exact name for this guy & the LFS seems a bit confused as they keep giving me different answers. <Ok... maybe a Sabellastarte sanctijosephi or S. indica> Sorry for the picture quality my camera is acting up. The water is actually crystal clear but it makes the tank look murky & nasty. I will try to describe the algae/sponge I have growing as well as I can. I found it growing 2-3 months ago on top of rock that I've had for quite a while. It's defiantly a purple color (not nearly as red as in the picture or as dark) the 'leaves' as you can see are irregular around the edges; they appear to be growing in a layered slightly spiral like arrangement. The leaves are a little darker & slightly more reddish at the edges than towards the middle. They have a very subtle pattern of faintly lighter and darker areas on them & are covered in sand grain sized speckles deep purple in color. The leaves are thinner towards the edge and thicker towards the middle. The texture is smooth & it reminds me of my mushrooms but not as slimy. I've been watching it for a while now, at first I was convinced it was some type of algae but after noticing the very minute color variances & tinny speckles I'm wondering if this could perhaps be some sort of sponge? <Mmm, looks to me like a Rhodophyte... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/redalgae.htm and the ID files linked above. Bob Fenner>

Strange thing in my tank 8/6/08 Okay to start off, I have a 70 g, two 50g, a 30g, and a 110g saltwater tank. The 70g tank has been up over a year. The two 50s and the 30g(refugium) have been up awhile. Long enough to be doing well. Anyway, I know you are not supposed to but we bought some live rock from friends of ours that they had in a tank for over two years. It was beautiful. Lots of colors and very pretty. Anyway, they noticed, after they purchased several corals, that this thing was at the bottom of the tank. It sat on the bottom of their tank in a mass of hair algae. We bought the rock, brought it home and scrubbed it down, and then put it in the tank for curing. The hair algae is gone, but the little critter has made a reappearance. It is the red Aiptasia looking thing beneath the Montipora, and in some of the other pics you can see its 'legs' stretching across the rock. It looks like hairs stretching across the rock. The 'legs' appear to be segmented. And although the body is red, the 'legs' are white with black 'joints'. The body is about .5" and the total red mass is 1" to 1.5" , and the 'legs' are about 10" stretching across the rock and down the side of it. We are worried and don't know if we should try to extract it, or if we should try to kill it, or if it would try to get us!!! I don't want to get stung. Please help!! Thank you, BJ hardy <This is very likely a type of Sedentariate polychaete worm... do take a look on the Net, WWM re "spaghetti worms"... Completely harmless... even beneficial, or aesthetic beauty. I would leave it as is, enjoy. Bob Fenner>

Feather Duster ID 07/28/2008 Hello folks, <Lisa> I love the resources you provide here and make much use of them. That being said, I cannot locate an ID on this feather duster. I was at my LFS snapping a few pics and they had this feather duster. When I asked what type it was, the owner referred to his stocking list and said that the wholesaler listed it just as a Sabellid sp. <In this family...> I thought it was quite unusual looking, not at all like the Hawaiian feather dusters <Mmm, perhaps a bit aberrant... but is likely a Sabellastarte sanctijosephi> that are usually sold. Can you help me ID it, or point me to a resource that can help? (It has the appearance of an urchin sitting on a stalk.) Thanks..... Lisa <Put this sci. name in your search tools and let 'er rip. Bob Fenner>

Re: Feather Duster all over my 140 6/26/08 Thanks, <Welcome Matthew.> Nature is funny. <Sure does have an ironic sense of humor sometimes...> I can't seem to get out of this hobby but I have realized that the wild is sometimes better left there. <Often this is the case. One can really appreciate once life is witnessed in it's natural setting.> I feed these fish and corals better then myself, <The animals in your care are dependant on you, don't neglect yourself.> buy the best equipment I can afford and to no avail I have worms. <Worms in your aquarium aren't so bad. Could be much worse elsewhere!> LOL. Too funny. Any fish or Invert short of a Copper Band I can use to ride this on top of more water changes? <Perhaps a 6-line wrasse, but no guarantees.> I cheeked my R/O and it's reading 0.00 on the water output. <Excellent.> Also is there a salt you like over another? <There are many good salts out there, I personally don't have a particular favorite.> Thanks for all the help. <Welcome!> I see you guys will be in Atlanta, <Oh yes! Several crew members will be there. Bob and Scott Fellman are both giving two presentations.> maybe will see each other. <I will be there. Say hello! I will likely be hanging out with Scott.> Oh, the dusters are BioSpira brunnea <Better than hydroids!> and the look like the picture <Good!> just all over my tank. <Heehee! Mother nature has a quirky way sometimes.> Matthew
<Cheers,
Mich>

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