Looks like a mini anemone, isn't as ugly as Aiptasia, what is it?

[snorkeler]

Looks like a mini anemone, isn't as ugly as Aiptasia, what is it?

I have four of these in my tank, one on the rock where I have a zoanthus colony, and another 3 on the rock where I have a palithoa colony....

Does anybody know what it is, and if I should be concerned? Will it sting me if I accidentally touch it?

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad43/flpaoli/2010-04-WhatIsThis/IMG_2597-CutForReefcentral.jpg

snorkeler

[shifty51008]

kinda looks like a curley cue anemone but the tenticals being clear it is hard to say

[muttley000]

I don't know what it is, but that is a great photo!

[Dont Ask Me]

I also have a couple of these, though they havent multiplied or gotten much bigger, i would presume there harmless, unlike majorno's or aptasia, would like to know if some one could id, would be interested to know what they are.

[Outatime97]

Looks alot like a hidden cup coral with the balls on the ends. But the only ones I've ever seen had a red base/disk, not totally clear.

[dalston]

That is a pseudocorynactis, or more commonly known as 'ball anemone'. It's actually not an anemone at all but a member of the mushroom family.

Great picture BTW.

[fstar25]

+1, I have my third that just appeared in the last two months and looked in every forum under the sun. Ball anemone is what I came up with also and looks exactly like yours.

[snorkeler]

Thanks for the ID!

Muttley and Dalston, thanks for the comment about the picture. It took 3 tries to get it in focus....

For those who like photography, some details: it was taken with a Canon Rebel T1i SLR camera, on a tripod, 300mm zoom lens on macro setting, with a strong external flash (on top of the camera), ISO rating 100, exposure 1/12 sec with aperture f/5.7 (2 stops underexposed). Manual focus, using a LED flashlight to help me see it well... and using the LCD display with digital zoom to be sure I had what I wanted in focus.... that was the hardest part, getting it in focus.

I have found that my best pictures have been taken with the camera exposure compensation set to -2 stops. If I'm taking shots of static stuff I try to use a small aperture like 1/22, and let exposure go long. But this guy had a little of movement, so it has to be a quick shot.

[hopple5]

curious about the shiney balls in bottom left of pic. Bubble alge?

[E.intheC]

curious about the shiney balls in bottom left of pic. Bubble alge?

Yes, the green 'bubbles' are bubble algae.