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FAQs about Non-Vertebrate Animal Identification
21 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 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 & 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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All living marine systems have a myriad of
worms species living in their substrates. |
More creatures, Blurry Photos, ID Possibly
Aiptasia, Mini Stars and Unknowns 2/28/07
Hi there
<Hi Faye, Mich here.>
I’ve been lurking on your website and have looked all over the place and
I still can’t find any information or pictures of the creatures I’m
trying to identify, so I’ve added some photos to show you which I took
with my phone and a magnifying glass!
<Ho buoy! Blurrreee!!!>
The first one has a creature on it which I'm struggling to make my mind
up whether its an evil anemone or a sort of tube worm, its about 4mm
diameter on a fat stalk and they retract when touched they are quite
transparent too,
<I think this is an Aiptasia anemone. I would make an effort to remove
it from your system. More here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm and
here
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htm >
In the picture with it is a blob which has appeared a couple of days ago
and looks like a triangular shaped rock on a stalk! It is only about 3mm
wide by about the same tall.
<I really can't tell from your description and the photo. I'm sorry.>
The next one is a colony of polyps which are about 3mm diameter each and
are orange coloured with a black centre, they have a thin stalk and are
quite flowery in appearance also they appear to be sending out some sort
of runner for reproduction although I’m not sure.
<Again, I'm really not sure.>
I’m constantly amazed with all the different creatures coming out of my
live rock!
<Amazing isn't it?>
I’m pretty new to marine life and find it fascinating.
<Yes.>
There’s a creature in there too that I can’t get a picture of, it looks
like approximately 5 small stripy tentacles hanging out of my rock about
5mm long, it keeps moving round the rock and popping up in different
locations.
<Likely a Striped Micro Brittle Star (Ophiactis) or an mini serpent Star
(Amphipholis) both beneficial additions which will hopefully reproduce
in you system.>
Anyway I hope someone can help me and I apologize for the rubbish
photographs!
<Yes, Perhaps a camera with a macro setting would help here. Though
good idea to try the magnifying glass. I realize these creatures are
quite tiny, but the photos, well, I wish they were a little clearer.>
I had a better one of the orange polyps but it seems to have disappeared
from my computer!
<Ghost in the machine?>
My rock came from Fiji if that helps at all.
Thanks in advance
<Welcome, Sorry I couldn't be of more help. -Mich>
Faye (In England)
PS Have found that Red Sea salt is rubbish the calcium is far too low
hence why I have changed to Instant Ocean, much better!
<Noted.> |
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Aiptasia or Tube Anemone? Neither, ID Feather
Duster 2/28/07
<Hi Dan, Mich with you tonight.>
I really hate asking you another tube anemone or Aiptasia anemone
question, after reading so much on your site. But none of the pics
available really matched this.
<Is neither an Aiptasia nor a tube anemone>
This is white, comes out of a tube, and so far is the only "Visible" one
in the display.
<Is a Polychaete worm, a Sabellid, commonly called a fan worm or feather
duster.
I am hoping it is a tube anemone, but fearing it is Aiptasia. It moves
pretty quickly into its tube when a fish comes around it. My copperband
swims right by and ignores it.
<That good. Feather dusters are a welcome addition to your tank.>
Thanks for a better ID, and sorry for wasting your time if it turns out
it is Aiptasia.
<No worries, never a waste, always best to know what you’re dealing
with. -Mich>
DanH |
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Live creatures of some sort, someplace... 2/28/07
<Hi there, Mich here.>
I keep seeing live "worms" in my tank. They float around and sometimes attach
to the sides for a while. They are slightly thicker than a hair and about 1/2
cm in length. Are they dangerous? (All my levels are normal according to the
"dipstick.")
<Ummm, yeah, so uh, where to begin. I haven't quite mastered those psychic
powers yet so I'll have to say I'm not even sure if you have a fresh or a salt
water tank here. If you can provide a little more information, and perhaps a
photo, someone may be able to help you figure out what you are dealing with.
-Mich>
Thanks!
Look's like a Chiton - about 6 inches...
images an order of magnitude too large... PLEASE> FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!!
– 2/26/07
I own a copy of your book as it saved me when I first got my tank
from making a lot of mistakes. I have elevated my knowledge in the last
year alone and added two more tanks to my system and have used some GARF
products to help to boost my tanks performance.
<Brad, you've crashed our server...>
We had a power outage for over 24 hours and I kept as many of my fish
alive as possible. In the end I lost two including a black clown that
was being eaten by a crab in the picture. I usually would not let the
crab eat a fish, but I wanted him to leave the sluggish tired fish alone
in the tank as my batteries had run out and a generator was still hours
away.
I found this critter doing a hot lap past the crab and clown that
appeared to be a chiton. I was curious though as it changed color to a
darker brown and kind of green one subsection at a time right as it
approached the crab eating the fish. I watched in anticipation, but in
the end it just kept scooting on out of site. I have never seen this
guy before and he is fairly substantial in size.
I took 32 pictures of this guy, these are some of the clearer ones since
I was shooting through the gals of the tank. I didn't want to take him
out since he appeared harmless to my tank inhabitants. That is until
proven guilty as I have been removing Zoos from this tank since they
were not fairing well for some reason?
Let me know what you think,
Brad
<Is a Chiton. Bob Fenner> |
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Tunicate or what?? The Answer Would be "or
What." 2/23/07
Hi
<Hello Judy, Mich with you tonight.>
I've been reading your forum for over a year since I first started my
Fish with Live Rock Tank. Yesterday I bought your book - Reef
Invertebrates (great book!) hoping to find a critter I first found
several months ago but no luck.
<A beautiful informative book, I'd agree.>
It is on my live rock, at times just a tiny pin-point of a white
belly-button. Then it will open almost like a flower; when fully open
it is a bit less than 1/8" across. When startled, it will close back up
and just look like a very tiny white speck. It opens in both light and
in the dark.
This is a picture I found on the web at this website:
http://depts.washington.edu/fhlk12/StudentProjects/Tun.biology.html
<OK.>
Tunicates covering rope My little "thing" looks about like the white
flower in the middle except mine is on the live rock and when it
'disappears' it is nearly impossible to see.
<If it moves, is not a Tunicate.> <<If it is the "yellow thing" with two
apparent vents... this is a Tunicate/Ascidian... do not "walk", but many
species can/do shrink/expand appreciably. RMF>>
I just love it . I'd like to know what it is.
<It sounds like a polyp of some sort or possibly an anemone, sorry I
can't be more helpful here.>
Thanks.
Judi
<Welcome, -Mich> |
Re: Tunicate or what?? The Answer Would be "or What." 2/25/07
Thanks for the fast reply.
<You're quite welcome.>
I'll go look for info on polyps and anemones.
<The photo you supplied was that of a known tunicate, but not that of the actual
creature in your tank. The behavior you described "opens almost like a flower"
and "When startled, it will close back up and just look like a very tiny white
speck" sounds more like the actions of a polyp or anemone to me. That being
said, Bob did note on the daily FAQ's page the following: "If it is the 'yellow
thing' with two apparent vents... this is a Tunicate/Ascidian... do not "walk",
but many species can/do shrink/expand appreciably. RMF." There are many
possibilities here. If you can get a decent macro shot of your actual creature,
someone may be able to provide an ID. Otherwise it's just more of a
guess. Good Luck! -Mich>
Judi |
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White root like plant? algae? Bryozoan
2/22/07
Hello guys! Hope you are all well today. Just a quick question and
here are a few pictures as well.
<Okay>
The tank is a 33 gallon with 38 lbs of Fiji live rock. The LR was taken
from an established 210G that was being dismantled, it was a steal at $4
a pound. The rock was out of the water for under an hour and it's barely
produced much of a cycle. After two weeks of no traces of ammonia nor
nitrite, only 10 ppm nitrates the first week, we added a clean up crew
with an assortment of astrea, margarita and Nassarius snails and also
some blue leg and left handed hermits.
We cleaned off any die-off from the rock before we placed it in the tank
but these white root like things have stayed and there are probably
about 5-10 different root things over all the rock combined. Each one
ranges from about 1/4 inch tall to 3/4 inch tall at the biggest. I
haven't been able to find any mention of these root things on the
internet...please help! I hope the pictures help with the
identification.
Thanks very much for your time!
Eva
<My first guess is some sort of Bryozoan... second is perhaps a
"stringy" sort of sponge... In either case, not deleterious... and will
likely pass in a few months... succession. Bob Fenner> |
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Dendro spawn, Nope...Tunicate
2/22/07
Dear WWM,
<Hello Joe! Mich here.>
Such a great site for reference.
<Glad you think so!>
I have a Dendro coral with 7 heads that has been in my tank for 2 1/2
months. I have been waiting for it to produce a new head on the colony,
but no luck. It doesn't help that I have an Aiptasia on it, had 2 one
crawled off and I sucked it up, and Valonia on it.
<Yikes!>
However, a close look on my porites Christmas rock not too far away
revealed a small orange thing. It is oval, clear with an orange tint,
and looks to have 2 small holes on the top. I have not seen any
tentacles. We did have an ice storm where the power was off for several
hours, wrapped the tank in towels to keep warm and only lost a
degree. Could it be a spawned baby, and is this one of the stages the
planula larvae goes through. Thank you for your time. Attached are 2
photos.
<Sorry no baby here. Looks like a Tunicate or sea squirt to me. More
here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidians.htm
-Mich>
-Joe |
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Photo i.d. 2/18/07
Hi all.
Hope you can help me correctly identify.
Tampa Bay, Florida U.S.A.
Thanks,
Mark
<A sponge, Poriferan of some sort. BobF> |
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