InvertIDFAQ8

FAQs about Non-Vertebrate Animal Identification 8

Weird, little things... Hi there! <Howdy> I'm going to do my best to describe these things to you. I tried to take pictures on them, but none of the photos did them justice. I first believed they were some sort of sponge and that is still my closest guess. One day I found a small (about the size of a pea) yellow, fuzzy ball on the underside of one of my rocks. Sticking out of the mass is what looks to be a ring of white feathers (similar to a very young feather duster). In the center of the feathers is a hole that seems to lead into the middle of the mass. I found it interesting, but didn't think much more of it. It has now been a couple of weeks and these things are popping up all over my tank! I found one today that has turned a reddish color and has lost it's spherical shape. It now looks more like a sea cucumber, but they are definitely stationary. My tank is well established with a great deal of live rock. It is only recently that I have seen these guys popping up. Sorry I couldn't attach pictures. If you think you really need them to identify the little mysteries then I will try to take some again. Thanks so much for taking the time to address my question. - Stephanie <Would like to see the pix... could still be sea cucumbers, ascidians, sponges, algae, worms... Likely not harmful. Bob Fenner> Dear Crew, explosion of life on the glass Hi there and by the way what a great website for information !!! Well Done, and that is from a UK designer of websites! <Why, thank you> I have a recently setup marine tank egg 4 months, recently I observed several puffs of creamy matter being ejected from some of the live rock in the tank, I though this was probably just a burrowing critter cleaning out its burrow. <Or even reproductive events> Now 4/5 days on I have many (maybe 50 or more) tiny creatures all over the glass and some of the rock. <Ah ha!> Description: cream/white in colour, almost a shell like structure in a circular fashion starting from the middle wrapping around 2/3 times and with a almost feather duster like fan at the end. size ranging from miniscule and almost unobservable to 2/3mm across with the largest fan about 4mm across. <Yes... sounds very much like juvenile featherduster worms> I am obviously pleased that the setup is allowing creatures like this to multiply but my real questions are, What are they? Did they come from a parent in the rock? <Undoubtedly> Is it too much and should I cull some of them? <Either way... will likely become self-limited... other organisms will "pop-up" that compete, predate them> Will the current inhabitants enjoy them as a tasteful snack (not yet observed) <Ah, yes> One of my 2 feather duster fanworms recently lost all his feathers and crawled out of his tube (taking 2 days to do it) and decided to croak so I removed it to prevent pollution. Could this possibly be offspring? <Yes> and do they die like salmon when spawning? <Not as far as I'm aware... have seen spawning with persistence of adults> INTERESTING !!! <Yes! What a planet!> Setup is a modest 190ltr bow front tank with live rock and ocean rock. 1 domino damsel, 1 humbug damsel, 1 clownfish, 1 yellow tailed damsel, 1 fire shrimp & 1 hermit + the remaining feather duster. Bob Knight <Bob Fenner>

Dear Crew, explosion of life on the glass Hi there and by the way what a great website for information !!! Well Done, and that is from a UK designer of websites! <Thanks for the kind words!> I have a recently setup marine tank e.g. 4 months, recently I observed several puffs of creamy matter being ejected from some of the live rock in the tank, I though this was probably just a burrowing critter cleaning out its burrow. Now 4/5 days on I have many (maybe 50 or more) tiny creatures all over the glass and some of the rock. Description: cream/white in colour, almost a shell like structure in a circular fashion starting from the middle wrapping around 2/3 times and with a almost feather duster like fan at the end. size ranging from miniscule and almost unobservable to 2/3mm across with the largest fan about 4mm across. I am obviously pleased that the setup is allowing creatures like this to multiply but my real questions are, What are they? Did they come from a parent in the rock? Is it too much and should I cull some of them? Will the current inhabitants enjoy them as a tasteful snack (not yet observed) One of my 2 feather duster fanworms recently lost all his feathers and crawled out of his tube (taking 2 days to do it) and decided to croak so I removed it to prevent pollution. Could this possibly be offspring? and do they die like salmon when spawning? <These sound like sabellid polychaetes, commonly called feather dusters. What you saw was likely spawning of some adults inside the rockwork. They're harmless filter feeders, and a sign that your tank is aging and flourishing well. Some wrasses and other fish will eat feather dusters but most fish will leave them alone. The fish you currently have won't bother them. Good luck with your tank!> INTERESTING !!! Setup is a modest 190ltr bow front tank with live rock and ocean rock. 1 domino damsel, 1 humbug damsel, 1 clownfish, 1 yellow tailed damsel, 1 fire shrimp & 1 hermit + the remaining feather duster. Bob Knight

Identify this thing I have this unknown Non-Vert in my tank, it has a red color body kind of shell with spine on it, Please help to identify. <> << Blundell >>

Weird orange thingies on the glass - 12/8/04 Ok, I have a 55 gallon reef tank. Right now the only inhabitants of the tanks are white sponges (?), 1 snail and 1 zebra hermit crab. On the glass (right front) are tiny orange spots. We have not found this any where else in the tank. In two places, they've grown and "branched out". According to my husband, he started seeing them about 3 or 4 weeks ago and they've started to get bigger. The larger one is a little smaller than a quarter. You can see what looks like 'spider webbing' starting from the ends of these branches. I'm assuming that they are going to turn orange like the rest. They're super thin, probably like... 2 strands of hair thin, and for what we can tell ( I don't want to reach in the tank and touch it for fear that I might hurt / kill it ), it seems to be pretty flush against the glass. My curiosity has gotten the better of me. I have spent hours looking online for some explanation and would greatly appreciate any info you might have. I've been told by some that it sounds like a sponge, but I could not find anything to support this. I'd like to have it in my tank if it wont hurt anything but I also don't want it to totally take over the front glass of my tank. <Well, it sounds initially like a sponge, but could even be a type of worm. Hard to immediately tell from your description to be honest. Can you take a picture and or draw it for me? Sounds crazy I know, but will go a long way to help me diagnose what you have. Likely a benign entity...does it move/is it motile or do you notice any type of change when feeding or when light is on or off? This information will also help. Pictures, pictures, pictures. Thanks ~Paul> Thanks! Vix Tiny Creatures On The Glass: Cause For Concern? Scott, <Hello again!> Thanks for the advice. I don't know if you saw in my email that I also have tiny little white creature crawling on the inside of the glass. <Think I missed that...Sorry!> They look like miniscule pieces of rice and appear to be multiplying rapidly. What do you think is going on here? This all started after the addition of all the livestock I previously spoke about and about 5 lbs of new live rock. Thanks, Bruce <Well, Bruce-I wouldn't be overly concerned about these creatures, which often come along with new live rock and sand. There are many fascinating tiny creatures, such as minute worms, amphipods, and others, which are very tiny, visible on the glass, and are generally harmless. On the other hand, "bad guys", such as parasitic isopods, and planarians of questionable intention, can also come in on live rock and sand. These are generally less common, however. I think that there is probably no real connection between the rapid fish deaths and the appearance of these animals. Most parasitic diseases will take longer to manifest, and will generally show distinct symptoms which can call you to action with their obvious appearance. I'm still leaning towards some sort of toxin or environmental lapse as the cause of death. This is a great observation on your part; one worth keeping an eye on- but I wouldn't be too concerned. Best of luck to you as you move towards success! Feel free to write us again any time! Regards, Scott F> Bruce Kardos

Egg-like attachments on aquarium walls 12/2/04 Hi there, What an excellent site you have! The amount of information is phenomenal, perhaps this is why I've been unable to find a question that has perhaps already been asked, but this is sort of an emergency...<Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully we can thwart disaster!> We've got a 46 gallon saltwater tank, a couple of crustaceans (a green emerald crab and a fire shrimp) and 3 fish: yellow wrasse, blue damsel and a 4 stripe damsel. We had a clown as well,, but it died of an as-of-yet unknown cause.. but I suspect ich, however there were no white spots on him.<Then why do you suspect Ich? Did you see spots on any of the other fish?> In order to analyze my problem, I want to first figure out what these white/yellow bottom eggs near the substrate are? Are they ich cysts? They resemble a tiny pebble, the size of about 4 or 5 fine grains of sand.. they are pearly or white and at the bottom have some yellow. They are very strongly attached to the glass and the rocks in the aquarium and there's quite a large number of them? I am so afraid that these are Ich cysts and that they could hatch any moment now and all the fish will be dead :( The fish have been showing some signs of stress and ich-like behavior. I just want to know if I should be getting rid of these egg things or are they actually a good thing? Awaiting your reply ... please hurry! :-S Maksim! <These are most definitely NOT Ick cysts. Ich cysts are not visible to the naked eye. I suspect that they are some sort of sessile invertebrate. You will need to send a clear picture for a better shot at ID'ing what you've got. In any case, it is very rare for an unidentified new critter to be harmful. Most are harmless or even beneficial. Best Regards! AdamC.>

Re: White egg-like attachments on aquarium walls and rocks? 12/09/04 Hi Thanks for your reply and help! <Glad to!> The reason I suspect Ick is because some of the fish were showing signs of stress, some odd behavior (like the blue damsel sort of darting around) and there is something odd on one side, below the top fin on the damsel that I don't recall seeing before. Its a very light whitish area, looks like the scales are maybe affected... its hard to tell because the fish is very reflective. <All of this could be the results of many kinds of stress.> I've also seen a couple of the fish (yellow wrasse and that same blue damsel) scratch on rocks every so often, especially after the clown fish died. They seem to be doing better now... is it normal for fish to scratch against rocks once in a while? I don't see any other white spots or anything like it on other fish. <Occasional glancing is normal and sometimes nest building or territory tending behavior mimic glancing. Excessive glancing is usually a sign of disease. Ich is rarely if ever fatal without being very obvious. Your clown and other fishes would surely exhibited clear signs of the disease.> Glad to hear the egg things are not Ick cysts, I guess I won't be trying to destroy them anymore (not that its really possible anyway, they are all over the tank...). They are pretty strong material and take some scratching to get off the glass by hand. I don't have a camera, but I've drawn what they look like, attached below: <Your pic would not open. I suspect that as a .tiff, it was too large. If you don't mind resizing it and saving it as a .jpg, it will probably come through. Thanks! Adam>

Strange creature I recently set up a pod tank as a back-up feeding system for my spotted mandarin. She eats frozen (Cyclop-eeze, Mysis, etc) and live foods so she is pretty fat. Anyhow, I purchased some macroalgae for the tank along with some rubble. I guess this is where the hitchhiker came from. It is completely clear and hardly noticeable until is it reaches about 1/4-inch, then it turns milky white. It kind of looks like a jellyfish, but it moves along the glass like a snail. It is basically a flat round/oval shape with what I call "tuxedo tails". In its center is a small pink area. They do not seem to grow over 1/2-inch and are very interesting to watch, but I am worried about them getting into the main tank since I don't know what they are. They seem very happy in the tank and are multiplying quickly. I have tried to attach a crude drawing to give you an idea of the shape. Any idea what they might be? Thanks. Sandy T <Mmm, maybe a flatworm, perhaps a type of shell-less mollusk (sea slug)... at any length, not likely harmful... At most I'd try siphoning them out while doing other maintenance work... In all likelihood they will "disappear" of their own accord at some point. Bob Fenner>

Re: Strange red worm like thing Hi <Hey Lukas> MacL I was doing a water change the other day before I got your email. So I wiped out the whole colony. <That's kewl!> I'm sure what ever it is will be back some time within the next couple of weeks. I will send a pic at that time. <Fantastic!!!> I don't think its a form of algae its blood red and looks like worms. It sort of reminds me of blood worms but I know that I don't have any in there since I don't feed my fish blood worms. <Freshwater?> Thanks for your help in advance. <We will get this worked out, Let me know MacL> Lukas Egg Sack or sponge? Hi-Love your web site. <Thanks!> I have a 125 gal reef tank - has been in operation for about 4 months. Have an assortment of soft and hard corals, four fish, one LTA, and a cleaner crew of snails, hermit crabs, crabs and starfish. A few days ago, I noticed a translucent, blue/green sphere attached to a piece of rock. About the size of a large pea. Appears to be growing. Any idea what it might be, and if it is detrimental to the tank? Thanks. Bruce Robinson <Nothing you listed is likely to have produced and egg mass like you descried. My hunch is tunicate or sponge. In any case, it is very unlikely to be harmful. I would suggest that you simply enjoy the amazing diversity that comes with a reef tank! Best Regards. AdamC.> Bugs skating at the surface Hi I have a 55 gallon marine tank, 60# live rock. power filter, protein skimmer (the kind attached to a power head) two maxi jet power heads and a power filter. my question is this recently I noticed on the surface of my water floats little light tan bugs or something. they look kinda like spiders. but not. they are only on the surface, sort of float around with the current. what the heck are they and how do I get rid of them? thanks for you time! Dani <Mmm, might be insects... likely "water striders", http://images.google.com/images?q=water%20strider%20insects&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=wi Can be easily netted off. Bob Fenner>

EEK! WHAT'S THIS? Thank you so much in the past for your quick responses and wonderful advise. Once again I must ask for your knowledge. My 55 gallon tank is still very new, approx..7-8 months. I have 2 small tomato clowns, tiger jaw fish, cardinal, strawberry Gramma, two or three hermits. A couple feather dusters attached to the 55+ lbs of live rock I bought in the beginning. I recently found a small (2 to 3 individuals) of star polyps growing. Nothing in 4 -5 months has been added to due high nitrates of 40. Recently my yellow tang died, unknown causes.( A cardinal also died, but my strawberry Gramma ate his tail in the night.) Anyhow a few days ago I found what I thought was maybe a soft, white (almost clear) coral. Now they are al over the glass. Very small, not moving (I thought they were flat worms but they are not moving and shorter). However they are multiplying very rapidly all over the glass. They don't match the Aiptasia I saw pictures of. I realize without a picture this is difficult for you to determine, however it never hurts to ask.. If possible what is this? How did it get in my tank? Good or bad? How can I lessen the amount of them? Or destroy those I have? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Tann >>>Hello Tann, I'm sorry, but I can't see your picture. My suspicion though is that whatever it is, is unrelated to your fish deaths. Jim<<<

Unknown Worm ? Guys, I have a visitor to my reef tank, it normal live beneath the crushed coral bed, but I have occasionally seen them early in the morning moving about on the glass. Normally all you seen is the thin tendrils. Are they harmful to my corals. Recently my small Acropora [about 10cm tall] polyp eject all it's polyps [I only had it for about a 2 weeks in the tank], but what I noticed was that it was wrapped in the tendrils of this animal. Can you help. All my corals are store purchased in Australia, presumably local GBR <Sounds like you might have a "spaghetti worm", a harmless sediment feeding polychaete worm. It wouldn't have caused your Acropora issues. I'd be hard pressed to think of an organism that would cause your coral to shed all of its polyps; much more likely is issues with water quality. Can you tell us more about your tank setup, lighting, water parameters, etc?>

Anemone Question Hi, Was wondering if you could help me figure out what this is? http://www.chepstow.ca/mypics/sw002a.jpg http://www.chepstow.ca/mypics/sw002.jpg I didn't know if it was a type of coral, sponge, or whatever.... It's about 1 inch wide, and dark red. Seems to be a slow grower. It's very pretty whatever it is. :-) Also, I bought a rock anemone a few days ago that appears to be splitting. Do I need to do anything special for it or just let it be? And is there a link where I can get more info and pics on rock anemones as I haven't found one on wetweb that looks like it. Thanks, Patsy >>>Greetings Patsy, From your pic, it looks to be like a species of algae. However the pic is very blurry, and I can't be 100% sure. "Rock anemone" is a common name thrown around quite liberally describing a few different genera. I've seen everything from Sebae anemones, to flower anemones sold as rock anemones. The best thing would be to get a good pic, then post it either on the forums here, or on Reefs.org. I, or someone else will meet you there and help you figure out what it is. As far as splitting goes, there is nothing you can do but let it happen. :) Cheers
Jim<<<

Unknown critter First - thanks to all for all the great information (just wish Id found this site before setting up the tank)- I've been following for a while but this is my first ?. I have a 100 gallon mostly reef system with LPS. I moved a coral to a second tank and found the following attached to the bottom (see attached) about an inch long. It looks like a bivalve critter that I'm not really worried about -but I thought I would show it to you anyway. Was wondering since it is white - is it young, just molted or should I keep it out of direct (bright) light? << I have no idea what it is. It actually looks to me like more of a sponge or tunicate, so I must be missing something. Observe it, and write back with a description of how it moves, if it expands, is it hard shelled, and things like that. As for what it needs, I would just provide it with an environment like it had, since it was apparently living well before. >> Thanks again rich << Blundell >>

What Is It? Another ID Sans Piccie >I have just started my salt water tank and have discovered several little creatures in the live rock that I placed in the tank about 2 days ago. I have two rather large feather duster worms (with the brown bands) as well as one that is white (which I assume to be the dwarf worm??). >>My friend, do quarantine everything that goes into display. It will save you heartache. In any event, live rock is a wondrous thing! Behold, that which cannot be determined, for life is so variable, and we have not enough knowledge. Though, with photos there might be a few people between this site and one or two others who might very well be able to tell you *exactly* what you have. Not to worry, though, it is these surprises for which live rock is valued as well. >However, there is one that I am unable to identify. He appears to be like the other worms, except he has only half of a crown and I can't really see the white body. The crown pieces are purple with a black dot. Is this still a worm? >>Most likely, yes it is. Sounds pretty cool, really. >I can't seem to find a description like this. I have my filter running, and thus am a little concerned about the feather dusters detaching and getting stuck in it. >>Nay, mate. Think about what they do with those feathers (filter-feeding), and what must be happening in order for this to occur - lots of water movement. It's rare that folks at home can duplicate movements on a scale comparable to the mighty seas. I would not worry at all. >My tank is rather small, but I could move the rock with the worms on it to the other end of the tank away from the filter. Should I do this, or will it be okay? >>Like the Beatles sang when I was wee and small, let it be. >I also have a question on the side: >>Sounds unbalanced. >I have a very small area of tiny green hexagonal-type things. I think maybe they are polyps? >>No way to venture an intelligent guess with that description and no photo. Should you decide to send photos, please make sure they're SMALLER than 1MB in size (300 pixels to a side, and resample so it's not so stuffed with data/information). >I really appreciate your help!! >>Ah, if only I were more helpful to you. Marina

Finicky feeding fish and unidentified polyps Hi, We are working with a 20G tank, lots of live rock & live sand. Filtration: Fluval 2+, protein skimmer, & sponge filter. Inhabitants: 2 seahorses (about 8 months), 1 mandarin (about 6 months), 1 sand sifting star (about a month), 2 hermit crabs (forever =), & 3 feather dusters (long time). Good water quality. 1 50/50 or daylight fluorescent tube (can't remember) running about 12 hours/day. There are lots of nice things growing on the live rock: some coral, some macro-algae, some teeny feather dusters. There also seems to be some bristle worms, bad news I think. << Bristle worms are great. But I would definitely remove the sand sifting star. They can deplete and devour micro fauna, and you happen to have chosen fish that need that fauna. >> Lately some little clear things have grown all over the live rock & even on the hermit crabs :-O they are about 1/4", basically clear. They have short stems & waving arms. We thought they might be feather dusters but they have no tube & stay out. << Hmmm, not sure. Probably still a worm. >> We then thought anemones, but think the stem seems too long. We brought a small piece of coral to the LFS with some sticking on it. They brought out a microscope & looked very carefully at one of them that had detached & was at the bottom of the bag. It was pulsing, they came up with the verdict of Cassiopeidae (upside down jellyfish) polyps (baby jellies they think). We looked over your *fab* site to see how to get rid of them, but they look very much like hydroids in some pictures. << Not sure I would get rid of them. But if you do want to, I'd be willing to bet many other common fish would eat them. >> Will you please advise on whether these may be harmful to our occupants and how to get rid of them if so? << I'll say not harmful, so don't worry. The main concern is really feeding those finicky fish. >> Thanks for all the help and for a great site!!! Michael & Patty << Blundell >>

Identification, Please Hi, <How goes it, Michael here today> Was wondering if you could help me figure out what this is? http://www.chepstow.ca/mypics/sw002a.jpg http://www.chepstow.ca/mypics/sw002.jpg I didn't know if it was a type of coral, sponge, or whatever.... It's about 1 inch wide, and dark red. Seems to be a slow grower. It's very pretty whatever it is. :-) Also, I bought a rock anemone a few days ago that appears to be splitting. Do I need to do anything special for it or just let it be? And is there a link where I can get more info and pics on rock anemones as I haven't found one on WetWeb that looks like it. Thanks, Patsy <Links don't seem to be working. Perhaps you could email the pictures to me: [email protected]> Unidentified creature Hello WWM Crew! <Hi Janiece, MacL here with you> I enjoy your sight tremendously and loved The Conscientious M.A. book by Mr. Fenner. <Amazing book isn't it?> I am fairly new to reef aquariums though kept freshwater for years. Anyway, today after doing maintenance on my tank which included cleaning filters, powerheads, doing water change, etc., I was standing back and admiring my work and noticed this critter in my tank that was the funniest thing I have ever seen and was wondering whether I have let this hobby get the best of me or I REALLY did see this thing. It was round and smaller than the tip of my little finger and it moved like an flying saucer, i.e., spinning through the water. It was disc shaped and had little spikes all the way around it. I kept thinking okay, maybe one of my zoanthids broke off and it's caught in the current of the powerheads but I am quite sure it was swimming. I watched it for the longest time and then suddenly my yellow tang spied it and ate it. <Sounds like some type of copepod or other invertebrate. Possibly a hydroid of some kind. I wish I had seen a picture.> I am curious as to what it might have been. I know without a picture, almost impossible to tell but this was so cool, I felt you might know what I was talking about because it was so unusual. I called my oldest son and tried to explain it and he acted like he was ready to take me to the funny farm. LOL. But, I know, well at least I am pretty positive, gee.........I was just sure I did see this cute lil' critter. Thanks for taking the time to indulge a 55 year old who used to be in charge of her faculties. (TeeHee). <Janiece its lovely to see someone with so much enjoyment of your tank.> Janiece

Worm and cirripedian identification: Namibia Attn: Crew <Hello there> Hi I stumbled upon your site whilst looking for information regarding a worm, which was found on a vessel at the Walvis Bay Syncrolift in Namibia. The vessel works in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. <Okay> I have included a picture of the worm, in the hope you might be able to identify it for me. We have placed the two worms in a bottle of formalin. These worms are about 6 - 7 inches long, brown in colour and appear to have bristles underneath. <Not from the pix... even to the family level. Tis an errantiate polychaete> I have also included pictures of a "gooseneck barnacle" and other barnacle found on this vessel. They are both still unidentified. <There are written references for such pest organisms> Any information regarding these worms and barnacles would be appreciated. Regards, MG

Namibian Monster Worm Hi Bob, <Hello again Mela> Thanks for taking the time to respond to my e-mail. Unfortunately we don't have a Zoology department here - come to think of it, we don't have a University either. <!> I looked up "errantiate polychaete" on the net but the only info available is on your website. <Bizarre... as this large group of segmented mobile worms is of great import in marine ecosystems> I could mail you the worm but since it already resembles a rotten smokers lung - I'm not quite sure what it would look like by the time it reaches you. <Hee hee... a good lesson to not smoke!> Do you have any references you could refer me to? A book or possible website? In the meantime we have named the worm "Bob" until such time that we can accurately identify him. Regards, Mela Walvis Bay <There are regional accounts of such worms... but if there is a possibility of securing other specimens, I would preserve (in 30 percent alcohol, methylated ethanol is the best, but isopropyl... will do) them and send them out to polychaete experts at other nations colleges for identification. Otherwise, general reference works by Robert Barnes, Olga Hartmann, Buchsbaum... will likely get you to at least the family level. Sorry I am not more direct help here... at one time I had a job sorting and identifying errantiates for a university... but there are thousands of identified species and many that are as yet unclassified. Yours may well be of the latter group. Bob Fenner>

Just Limpets Good evening, I have a 54-gallon tank, 45 lbs. live rock, good filtration and circulation, water parameters are good. The tank and rock are about a year old - we have snails, hermit crabs, a sand-sifting star, and a few fish, they all seem to be doing well. Lately, I have noticed that a number of small whitish critters on the live rock, the glass, the filter and skimmer parts that are underwater. They are small in size, a sixteenth of an inch or so in size, and resemble barnacles. Can you tell me what these guys are, how they got there, and how I can get rid of them (if indeed I should)? Thanks, Befuddled with Barnacles >>>Greetings! You are seeing a very common and harmless species of limpet, possibly of the family Patellidae. They are gastropods, mollusks similar to snail. They graze on surface film, and most of us have them here and there in our tanks. My sump is full of them. :) Cheers Jim<<<

Creature ID A month ago I got a batch of creatures, mostly pods, for my 10 gallon with a sixline wrasse and pajama cardinals. All creatures are gone now except for one type and just would like to know what it is. They are 1/4 inch or less on the glass and they look like one shell of a clam pressed to the glass and almost no color just light brown. They move too slow to see and most have not moved more than a few inches. Just curious as to what they are. >>Sound like Stomatella, a great algae eating snail.>> Also about six weeks ago my wrasse ended up with a bulging eye (probably and injury) and you suggested Epsom salt. It did seem to help but it is still bulging although the coloring is almost back to normal. Should I continue using Epsom salt? >>Sound like it. If the eye is getting better, you could try taking a break, if it is the same continue treatment!>> >>Rich>>

Re: Creature ID... and guessing I don't think it is Stomatella. They barely move nor can you see any living part of it from the shell side. They are all on my glass as if suctioned on. They do not move more than an inch or two a week. You see nothing on the outside except a shell, like half a clam, but tiny. Most are less than a quarter inch. They are in an area facing a wall so that I can not see under the shell but when light shines through them it looks like there is an S shaped organism in there. I do not clean the glass there so the must like what grows there. Butthey are so slow I do not see much cleaning going on. >>Gotcha! Sounds more like a limpet. A pic would help for a better ID. Rich>> Re: Creature ID Hi Crew, FYI I found out what the creature is. I asked the source of my creatures and they guessed it to be an Atlantic slipper shell. I found the following on the internet and it does match my creature including the picture they had. So I guess they do not do much for my tank neither in looks nor as a food supply, but it is always interesting to have different live creatures. <Yes, thank you for this. Bob Fenner> The Atlantic Slipper Shell (Crepidula fornicata) up to about 1.5 inches Two kinds of slipper shells are common along the Atlantic coast, the Atlantic and the Eastern white slipper shell. The Eastern white slipper shell (Crepidula plana) is white and flattened, sometimes a little convex or concave, while the Atlantic slipper shell (photos) is arched with brown markings and an apex that is bent downward to one side at the back. Both will attach themselves to a hard object in the water and spend their lives in that one place filtering food. The upper photo shows a number of slipper shells that have attached themselves to the rear underside of a horseshoe crab. You'll also find them attached to other shells along the beach, such as whelks, or to each other in stacks. While all start as males, those that begin a stack change to female while those on top will most often be male--unless there is a shortage of females. Unlike a bivalve (two-part shell) such as the clam or oyster, the slippers have a one-part shell with the creature's foot on the underside along with a shelf (lower right photo) that extends about half the length of the shell in the case of the Atlantic slipper (less than half for the Eastern white). Slippers received their names because of the resemblance to household slippers.

Red ruffled thing growing? HMMMM, I just checked your site out for any info on branching sponges and nothing resembled the creature in my tank. I think a picture is in order and I will work on that. It is very flowing and soft like bunched up silk or something like that. Maybe like a rust colored peony or like the back of the lettuce looking sea slug. << Still sounds like sponge. Or algae? >> I'm almost certain its not algae but cant find anything that looks like it. It's pretty cool and since I decided for the better not to try anemones, I still get the benefit of the clownfish/anemone relationship with my clownfish and this thing. Also when I convert to the 100 gal. I want an emperor angel. << Emperor angels are not a good fish to get. I'd wait several years to have a very well established tank before purchasing one. And yes, a picture would help. >> Can I have your blessing? << Blundell >>

Hitchhiker Query/Vermetid Snails Howdy y'all, Butch here perusing the pages again looking for more of your infinite wisdom to be passed on to me. I have a issue going on with my 75 gallon tank that I have not seen in the past. I came home today and noticed what appears to be spider webs or wisps of smoke hanging on some of my live rock and corals. I know the corals will sometimes secrete a mucous as protection but if this is it I cannot think what would have caused that reaction. It does not appear to have come from any distinct source so I can't figure out what may have caused it. The only abnormality I see is a feather duster who's tube got twisted so it could not retract fully. A couple of weeks ago I pulled the tube off past the twist and expected the duster to die but it attached itself to some live rock and appears to be doing okay. I noticed today that the tube was kind of open or eroded next to where he attached himself to the rock and I can see the body inside. The duster still "seems" to be okay. I have had recurring bouts of ICH so I have added a UV sterilizer which has been running since Friday to help battle this. That is the only changes that have been made in the past 2 weeks. In case you need to know here is my list of livestock...which all appears to be doing very well (except for the occasional ich) Yellow Tang Yellow belly blue tang Foxface 2 Rainford's gobies diamond goby mandarin dragonette flame angel 2 black and white clowns lawnmower blenny yellow polyps zoanthids pagoda coral star polyps hammer coral open brain coral arrow crab cleaner shrimp fire shrimp some small hermits green tipped bubble anemone clam the tank is a 75 gallon with a sump and refugium and 6 - 46.5 VHO on for about 9 hours per day...Euroreef skimmer 4 powerheads and a Mag 9 into a SCWD return ammonia-0 nitrites-0 nitrates-5-10 ppm salinity 1.023-1.025 As usual thank you so much for your help. Butch >>>Hello Butch! Sounds to me like the tell tail sign of a VERY common, harmless inhabitant of our reef tanks - the tube dwelling snails of the family Vermetidae. These snails often project strings of mucus into the water to "Fish" out detritus and organic matter on which they feed. You'll notice, that if you disturb the sand bed, you will suddenly have a profuse number of these fishing lines. Cheers Jim<<<

Unidentified orange ball Hey guys, your site is awesome and has seen me through some bad times. I have a 55 gallon FOWLR set up that's been going strong for over a 2 years. My inhabitants are a small Blue Tang, Flame Angel, Clarkii Clownfish, Banggai Cardinal fish, Blue Damsel, Neon Damsel, Fire? Clownfish (all orange-no stripe) and a Scat. I know its crowded but a lot of the fish came from a dismantled tank and I will be moving all into 100 gallon as soon as I mentally prepare for the challenge. Anyway, I recently discovered a small bright reddish orange thing that first looked like a mushroom with a delicate pattern of deeper red spots. It started on a rock that had been in the tank for over a year. I hadn't made any additions other than a few fish. Now, its rather large and is very ruffled and not as bright. Its mass of ruffles is about the size of an apple and it seems to come from a single point on the rock. << Sounds like a sponge. >> It does not shrink with lack of light and the Fire Clown I recently added has taken to it like an anemone. It has faint tiny spots all over it and the edges are defined in areas by white. It feels soft and fleshy when touched but I can't figure out if it is some sort of coral or algae. Maybe you could steer me into a direction to begin research. Its pretty cool and I'd like to keep it. None of the fish nibble at it. << I'd look into branching sponges as that sounds like what it is. >> Valerie A. fritz << Blundell >>

Unidentified small red ball? Hello WWM crew. I just got a frag of clove polyps today from an online vendor, and attached to one "stalk" of the polyps was a bright red ball (about 1/4" in diameter) with hairs or whiskers sticking out of it. << Sounds like a ball sponge to me. >> Some of the hairs were about 1/4" long or even a little longer. It looked very much like a small red strawberry, both in color and texture. It was almost perfectly round, though. I pulled it off of the clove polyp and stuck it in a specimen container. It doesn't seem to be mobile. I don't want to let it loose in my tank, however, until I figure out what it is. << Let it loose. But if it has hit air you probably lost it already and it is doomed. When in doubt just add stuff like that to your tank. Almost always beneficial. >> My first thought was a sponge, but it doesn't look as porous as a sponge. Plus, the whiskers kind of throw me off the sponge trail. Can you help me out? If you have no ideas, I'll try to post a picture. << Bettin' on sponge. >> Thanks. << Blundell >>

Miscellaneous pods and worms Hi all! I have a couple of questions about my 60 gallon fish only system. I accidentally seeded my system (using filter media from another system) with some small invert life that I am trying to identify. 1. Have the appearance of tiny white fleas that "jump" along the glass surfaces of the inside of the tank. << I'm guessing copepods for now. Tough to say, but they are good, don't worry. >> 2. Have the appearance of small (1/8") flat worms that crawl up on the glass during my fish feeding times. << Are they red? Are they grayish? Again, sorry not sure, but they are good. >> 3. LOTS of grey/black specs throughout my substrate... probably related to 1 or 2. << Hmmm, here I have no guess. >> 4. A healthy population of what appear to be "shrimp". They get up to 1/4" long, usually curled in a C shape. Many legs, grey in color, come out in hordes at feeding time, really seem to like living in my w/d filter... very apparent on the drip tray sponges. << Amphipods for sure. Very beneficial. >> I used to have a 6 line wrasse that ate these things until he somehow jumped out of my tank. << Most wrasse will completely devour these guys. That is why you don't want many wrasse in a tank, if you are trying to have natural filtration. >> I don't mind them being there, but I want to have something in my tank to keep their numbers in check. << Completely the opposite. The more of these little inverts you have the better your tank is doing. You want to encourage their growth and production. >> Any suggestions? << I'd look at Bob and Anthony's book Reef Invertebrates, I think it could really help here. >> I currently have: 14" snowflake moray (very well mannered fellow) Foxface flame angel arc eye hawk 4 green Chromis 2 hermits 1 serpent star This is a well established stable system. I have entertained the idea of adding live rock. << Oh please do so. Live rock is the key to marine tanks and I can't imagine having a tank without lots of it. >> Does it require special high intensity lighting? << Absolutely not. I would certainly read more and try to see other aquariums. Live rock is usually the first thing added to a tank (after salt) and should be well established before and fish or invertebrates. >> Thanks, Wendy << Blundell >>

What is it? Hello Crew. attached is a pic of something growing on my live rock. any clues? Its spreading slowly all over. "What is it" is so fun. any help would be appreciated..... Thanks in advance, you guys rock. Bill - <These are Syconoid colony sponges... not dangerous, but indicative of a healthy setting. Bob Fenner>

Mystery Critter, Hello, I hope you are doing well today. I purchased a Tubastrea sp. after doing much research. The coral has been doing fine, however there are two creatures living in the rock the coral is on. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture because the following only happens at night. There are two holes on the rock, each hole has something in it. You can not notice that the holes are filled with anything, because the skin of the animal is the same color as the rock (there is even a new Tubastrea growing on it), all you notice is a line like a closed mouth on the creature. At night the mouth opens. and a (feather duster) comes out.. Any idea what these creatures could be? Thanks! Steven O. Garcia ***Hello Steven, First of all, it's pretty much futile for me or anyone else to ID something like this without a picture. If a "feather duster" is coming out then you simply have a feather duster, which are worms of the phylum Annelida, family Sabellidae usually. However from your description I don't think this is the case. What I think you're really seeing is a species of barnacle. Again, I would need a pic to have a real chance of identifying the thing. I'm no expert on barnacle species, but I think I could identify it as such. Regards Jim<<<

Sessile invert ID. 9/21/04 Hello, I hope you are doing well today. <I'm great! Hope you are too.> I purchased a Tubastraea sp. after doing much research. The coral has been doing fine, however there are two creatures living in the rock the coral is on. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture because the following only happens at night. There are two holes on the rock, each hole has something in it. You can not notice that the holes are filled with anything, because the skin of the animal is the same color as the rock (there is even a new Tubastrea growing on it), all you notice is a line like a closed mouth on the creature. At night the mouth opens. and a (feather duster) comes out.. Any idea what these creatures could be? Thanks! Steven O. Garcia <There are a variety of sessile worms, crustaceans, and snails that fit your description. All are harmless filter feeders or detritivores. Enjoy the amazing diversity of life they represent! Best Regards. AdamC.>

Need an I.D. Hello WWM Crew. <Hi Keith, MacL here with you this evening. Bear with me I have a cold so might not make so much sense.> My new 90-gallon reef tank has been set up for 2 weeks now, and I'm amazed at all the little critters that keep surfacing from the 150 lbs. of live rock I added. By going through your FAQ's, I've been able to identify all but one. I have hundreds of tiny organisms that look like little snowflakes on the glass of the aquarium. <Could be several things, could be flatworms, could be tunicates, could be sponges, and possibly could be a type of jelly> I clean them off everyday with my magnet cleaner, and by the next day they reappear. They're white, and if you look closely at them, there's a tiny center with a number of lines/legs radiating out from the center. They look sort of fuzzy, and I never see them crawling around. Any idea what these might be and whether they are a problem? <Depend on what they are really? I wish I could narrow it down but without a picture and possibly even with a picture it could be hard.> FWIW, the other critters on the glass that I've identified are thousands of tiny copepods (which lately seem to be dwindling in numbers) and a growing population of white "tooth shaped" flat worms which feed off the copepods. Also, I find the occasional tiny cone-shaped snail on the glass, which I usually remove for fear that it is of the coral-eating variety. <I put all the stuff that's questionable in my refugium, has worked for me. I hate loosing anything natural. You might try the faq's with these other suggestions and see if you can identify them in the pictures. Or possibly send me back a picture and I'll give it another shot? MacL> Thanks.

Unidentified thing retracting into a tube Hello, I have a question about tube anemones. My reef tank has been running for about one year and over the last few months I have noticed some strange things popping up. On one rock I have about five critters that look like Aiptasia except that they retract into a tube. << They are good. >> They are brown in color and the tubes are about one cm or less in length and growing. Could these be a species of tube anemone? << Could be, but maybe more likely a type of worm, like a feather duster. >> If not, what could they be? Thank you! << Blundell >>

Human hair looking creature OK, this is an ID question.....A couple of weeks ago, I saw what appeared to be a human hair clinging to some live rock and swaying in the current. Upon closer inspection last week, I saw a few of them, but looking closer, they looked more like 2" long mucous trails or something. This week, there are 12 or so and upon further inspection they are all identical, they all appear to have a sort of fine hair on them getting a little hairier toward the tip like a wheat stalk if you will. Are these some sort of exciting new living creatures I can look forward to enjoying as they grow? <> -Pat << Blundell >>

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