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View Full Version : Torch Coral, Anemone, or Similar??


jport092
03/02/2016, 08:36 AM
I'm fairly new to the hobby so please excuse me if this seems like an obvious question. I recently bought a frag with what seemed like a small torch coral. The attendant at the LFS could not identify it for me but I was pretty sure it was a torch coral since it had long tentacles and green tips. It came attached to a small piece of rock on a frag plug. When I put it in my tank around the middle of the tank with moderate flow and moderate light, it seemed to move on its own under a rock. I left it there for a day or two and this morning I saw it disattached from the plug and in a corner of the tank clearly moving along the glass. I am now thinking this is likely an anemone. Any help in identifying would be greatly appreciated.

(Please excuse the algae on the corner of the tank. I got my scraper replacement blades coming in the mail soon)

JoeBatt
03/02/2016, 08:39 AM
First picture I cant make out but the second looks like an anemone...maybe a rose anemone? Its not a torch if its moving off and around on its own

Keoki18
03/02/2016, 09:08 AM
Its not a coral, and not an anemone. Looks like a nudibranch. Maybe from the family Aeolidioidea? In either case, almost all within this family are coral eaters. It may be best to remove it from your tank, less it eats your new corals. Neat animal though!

Vdubtech25
03/02/2016, 09:33 AM
+1 on it looking like a nudibranch, id move it to fuge or somewhere isolated until you can positively ID it tho.

Sugar Magnolia
03/02/2016, 09:39 AM
It's a species of aeolid nudibranch. Aeolid are coral eaters that generally take on the characteristics of the corals they consume in order to camouflage themselves.

jport092
03/02/2016, 09:43 AM
Thank you for the replies Gentlemen. I considered it being both but I'm still in a bit of doubt. I dont think it is a rose anemone since the "foot" of the anemone is quite long. It could be an nudibranch but when I spot fed it, it ate up the mysis shrimp just like an anemone closing in the tentacles. A mouth is not clearly defined in the middle but then again, I havent gotten a close look. It has neon green tips on the tentacles which I havent seen on any nudibranches but I am not that familiar. I know the pictures are of poor quality so I posted this zoomed image. I will try to take a better picture this evening. Thank you again greatly!

jport092
03/02/2016, 09:44 AM
See attached picture

jport092
03/02/2016, 09:48 AM
I will follow your advice though and quarantine until I can properly identify. Thank you.

CrpReefer
03/02/2016, 09:51 AM
Ya the last pic doesn't look like a nudibranc to me
Looks more like a nem

killinit123
03/02/2016, 11:16 AM
it does look like nem but i don't see a foot on it?? is there nem eating nudi's??

Keoki18
03/02/2016, 11:55 AM
The protrusions on the back are called cerata. I can give you a 99% positive ID that it is a nudibranch. The cerata are a means of gas exchange and possibly nutrient diffusion. They also aid in the camouflage of the nudi like sugar magnolia pointed out. The cerata have the ability to slightly contract when disturbed, which may have looked like a feeding response. Aeolids typically eat anemones ranging from Aiptasia to Zoanthus (which are a colonial anemone). I'm glad you quarantining it. Again, really cool critters, just not in a reef setting.

Sugar Magnolia
03/02/2016, 07:23 PM
More: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/rs/index.htm

jport092
03/03/2016, 07:27 AM
Thank you all for your help. Keoki18 was right. When I got home yesterday, this specimen was embedded in my green star polyps colony. I had to yank it out as it fought back to stay inside of the colony. A few tentacles (cerata) were pulled off of it in the process but I made sure to collect all of them. I did a little further research and determined that this type of nudibranch is called phyllodesmium briareum. A neat looking but dangerous creature.

sde1500
03/03/2016, 07:40 AM
I think I'd go back and have a chat with that LFS.

Bent
03/03/2016, 08:00 AM
Sad that it will die. :(

Such a cool animal.

jport092
03/03/2016, 08:12 AM
I put it in my quarantine tank for now to observe it for a while since it's pretty cool but I'm going to eventually have to eliminate it....and yeah, I'm going back the LFS and talk to them about it.

sde1500
03/03/2016, 08:45 AM
Well, with the way GSP can spread, if it eats that you could possibly just put together a small tank for it, let GSP go wild and it can munch away happily. Instead of letting it die. Just a thought, but I have no idea if the GSP would spread faster than it can eat it.

Bent
03/03/2016, 10:34 AM
Well, with the way GSP can spread, if it eats that you could possibly just put together a small tank for it, let GSP go wild and it can munch away happily. Instead of letting it die. Just a thought, but I have no idea if the GSP would spread faster than it can eat it.

That's a great idea.

Keoki18
03/04/2016, 06:25 PM
Sad that it will die. :(

Such a cool animal.

Agreed. I wish there were easier ways to keep nudibranchs, even the pest species.

Setting up a small system would be pretty neat, Unfortunately damaging those cerata typically means certain death for most nudis.