Pix & ID: Critters that come in your rocks: the good and the bad. - Page 10

FidgetBridget · 01/23/2012, 11:07 PM

SushiGirl...just fixed the pics...thanks for the quick reply...any ideas?

Sugar Magnolia · 01/24/2012, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FidgetBridget

SushiGirl...just fixed the pics...thanks for the quick reply...any ideas?

Tunicates. Harmless.

FidgetBridget · 01/24/2012, 10:47 AM

Thanks Sugar!

SushiGirl · 01/24/2012, 07:30 PM

That's a really cool color for them! Great pics, too.

Jason.Wright · 01/25/2012, 09:29 PM

Are these Vermetid Snails?

Sugar Magnolia · 01/25/2012, 09:52 PM

Yes, vermetids. You can take the coral out and dab a drop of super glue gel on the openings to kill them.

john miller · 01/25/2012, 11:09 PM

How about these guys?
top view

bottom

I'm hoping good guys because I have a lot of them.

Sugar Magnolia · 01/26/2012, 08:00 AM

Limpets. Harmless grazers.

john miller · 01/26/2012, 12:57 PM

Thanks.

tangs_tank · 01/27/2012, 11:10 AM

IMAG0042.jpg

What is this starfish. Good or bad?

Sugar Magnolia · 01/27/2012, 01:38 PM

Asterena starfish. Some say they aren't harmful, others insist they are coral munchers. The ones I've had have only ever eaten coraline algae. I'm stil on the good guys side.

tangs_tank · 01/27/2012, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

Asterena starfish. Some say they aren't harmful, others insist they are coral munchers. The ones I've had have only ever eaten coraline algae. I'm stil on the good guys side.

Will they get any bigger? Thanks

T-dub · 01/27/2012, 04:26 PM

I have a ton in my tank and they rarely get to the size of a dime before the drop arms and split. If you have one, you will soon have many. They are not on my good side as I have had them eat my zoas. Seems to be the only coral they bothered in my tank so I don't keep zoas anymore and let the starfish be. They do eat coraline too. Harmless for the most part.

Kitsune_Gem · 01/28/2012, 08:01 PM

What the heck is this? I found it on some live rock that I was putting in my friends tank, it was in a tube made of sand and rock. Is it safe to add back to the tank?

SushiGirl · 01/28/2012, 08:56 PM

Some kind of polychaete tubeworm, should be perfectly fine.

Vice333 · 01/30/2012, 06:42 PM

I am having sort of an outbreak of Serpulid feather dusters that seemed to happen overnight. I have heard that they are harmless, is that true, and does anything eat them? They are all throughout my sump, and I am noticing some on the back of my display.

SushiGirl · 01/30/2012, 06:45 PM

New tank, eh? heheheheh
They're harmless & that's pretty normal. Some wrasses will eat them, but usually they just die off after the initial outbreak. You can just scrape the tubes off later.

markalot · 01/30/2012, 06:55 PM

A white Xanthid crab? I hope!

sieldan · 01/31/2012, 07:25 AM

Hey y'all,

Had to run away from the tank for a few days to attend to some family affairs. When we got back, my wife noticed a line of cloudy 'stuff' on the tank glass. We both think that it is snail eggs of some sort. Im hoping so since thats all that the tank has in it right now. Here is a pic. Unfortunatly, the camera wanted to focus on the rock and not the stuff on the glass. Can anyone tell me what this is, and do I need to do anything about it? The only livestock in the tank is a 30gal quick crew from ReefCleaners.Org. (Ceriths, Nassarius, and Nerites)

Thanks!

Mike_Noren · 01/31/2012, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

Asterena starfish. Some say they aren't harmful, others insist they are coral munchers. The ones I've had have only ever eaten coraline algae. I'm stil on the good guys side.

Same here, but there's a large number of species of Asterina and it is well documented that some of them do eat coral. So, keep an eye on them.

Mike_Noren · 01/31/2012, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitsune_Gem

What the heck is this? I found it on some live rock that I was putting in my friends tank, it was in a tube made of sand and rock. Is it safe to add back to the tank?

That is what a typical spaghetti worm (Terebellidae sp.) and typical spaghetti worm tube looks like. The tentacles are contracted because you're messing with it, but you can see them as beige spaghetti in the neck region of the worm in the second-to-last picture.

Mike_Noren · 01/31/2012, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sieldan

Hey y'all,

Had to run away from the tank for a few days to attend to some family affairs. When we got back, my wife noticed a line of cloudy 'stuff' on the tank glass. We both think that it is snail eggs of some sort.

Yes, cerith eggs.

sieldan · 01/31/2012, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike_Noren

Yes, cerith eggs.

Cool, thanks. I take it that means Im doing things right with the tank.

Mike_Noren · 01/31/2012, 09:23 AM

ignore. i tried to add that the spaghetti worm looks like it might be of the genus Terebellides and edit time expired. Dear RC, please make it possible to delete posts.

Seagull_3 · 01/31/2012, 08:52 PM

Hi all, sorry - I haven't had a chance to take any photos, but hopefully won't be necessary in this case.

About a month ago when I first set up my tank, I had quite a few crabs hitch-hike into my tank off the live rock. I managed to catch & remove all of them, which was a hassle, but manageable due to the fact that there was no fish and/or coral in the tank at the time. Once I put a few corals in, I noticed one more crab, that buried himself in one of my acros - which I proceeded to pull out of the tank & then subsequently killed in the process of removing the crab.

Since then everything has been fine, and I haven't seen any other crabs... until today

I just bought another two (large sized) acros from my LFS, and placed them in the top of my tank. Very soon afterwards I noticed 2 x smallish crabs crawling around the base of the coral that I did not notice beforehand. I understand that prevention is better than cure, but I don't have a quarantine tank, and was in a bit of a rush when I put them in. I don't know exactly what type of crabs these are (will try to get some shots later), but do I really need to worry about them, as one of the guys down at the LFS told me not to worry about it last time I mentioned it. I could quite easily remove the acro, but am conscious that I killed my last one doing the same thing (poking & prodding it to get the crab out...)

So... should I just leave it, is it worth killing the coral if I have to, or is there a way I can try to safely remove the crabs? (I have tried the home made traps before & they didn't work...)

Thanks (as usual) for any help/advice...

01/23/2012, 11:07 PM	#226
FidgetBridget Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Alabama Posts: 30	SushiGirl...just fixed the pics...thanks for the quick reply...any ideas? Last edited by FidgetBridget; 01/23/2012 at 11:25 PM.

01/24/2012, 07:30 PM	#229
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	That's a really cool color for them! Great pics, too. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

01/25/2012, 09:29 PM	#230
Jason.Wright Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 112	Are these Vermetid Snails? __________________ Current fish: Bluechin Triggerfish (Steve), Foxface (Spike), Clown Wrasse (Sonic), Diamond Watchman Goby (Sifter), Cleaner Wrasse (Batman), Arrow Crab, Snails, and Hermits Past fish: Snowflake Eel (Ace), Bursa Trigger (Joker), and Niger Trigger (No name). Equip: 120 gal All-Glass brick, 40 gal Advanced Acrylics sump, Vertex IN 180, Sicce Return, Full Syphon Drain, 2x250 MH (10K), AutoTopOff.com

01/25/2012, 09:52 PM	#231
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Yes, vermetids. You can take the coral out and dab a drop of super glue gel on the openings to kill them. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

01/26/2012, 08:00 AM	#233
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Limpets. Harmless grazers. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

01/24/2012, 10:47 AM	#228
FidgetBridget Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Alabama Posts: 30	Thanks Sugar!

01/25/2012, 11:09 PM	#232
john miller Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: central KY Posts: 1,053	How about these guys? top view bottom I'm hoping good guys because I have a lot of them.

01/26/2012, 12:57 PM	#234
john miller Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: central KY Posts: 1,053	Thanks.

01/27/2012, 11:10 AM	#235
tangs_tank Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Grayslake, Il Posts: 135	IMAG0042.jpg What is this starfish. Good or bad?

01/27/2012, 01:38 PM	#236
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Asterena starfish. Some say they aren't harmful, others insist they are coral munchers. The ones I've had have only ever eaten coraline algae. I'm stil on the good guys side. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

01/27/2012, 04:26 PM	#238
T-dub Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Marshall, MN Posts: 214	I have a ton in my tank and they rarely get to the size of a dime before the drop arms and split. If you have one, you will soon have many. They are not on my good side as I have had them eat my zoas. Seems to be the only coral they bothered in my tank so I don't keep zoas anymore and let the starfish be. They do eat coraline too. Harmless for the most part.

01/28/2012, 08:01 PM	#239
Kitsune_Gem Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 198	What the heck is this? I found it on some live rock that I was putting in my friends tank, it was in a tube made of sand and rock. Is it safe to add back to the tank?

01/28/2012, 08:56 PM	#240
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Some kind of polychaete tubeworm, should be perfectly fine. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

01/30/2012, 06:42 PM	#241
Vice333 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Lansdale, PA Posts: 128	I am having sort of an outbreak of Serpulid feather dusters that seemed to happen overnight. I have heard that they are harmless, is that true, and does anything eat them? They are all throughout my sump, and I am noticing some on the back of my display.

01/30/2012, 06:45 PM	#242
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	New tank, eh? heheheheh They're harmless & that's pretty normal. Some wrasses will eat them, but usually they just die off after the initial outbreak. You can just scrape the tubes off later. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

01/30/2012, 06:55 PM	#243
markalot ... Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Florence, KY Posts: 3,806 Blog Entries: 3	A white Xanthid crab? I hope!

01/31/2012, 09:23 AM	#249
Mike_Noren Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Stockholm Posts: 712	ignore. i tried to add that the spaghetti worm looks like it might be of the genus Terebellides and edit time expired. Dear RC, please make it possible to delete posts. __________________ Acronyms alienate, abbreviations obfuscate. It's nothing personal, I'm cranky at everyone. Dear Reefcentral, please allow users to delete their posts. Current Tank Info: Experimenting with peroxide and vinegar

01/31/2012, 08:52 PM	#250
Seagull_3 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 12	Hi all, sorry - I haven't had a chance to take any photos, but hopefully won't be necessary in this case. About a month ago when I first set up my tank, I had quite a few crabs hitch-hike into my tank off the live rock. I managed to catch & remove all of them, which was a hassle, but manageable due to the fact that there was no fish and/or coral in the tank at the time. Once I put a few corals in, I noticed one more crab, that buried himself in one of my acros - which I proceeded to pull out of the tank & then subsequently killed in the process of removing the crab. Since then everything has been fine, and I haven't seen any other crabs... until today I just bought another two (large sized) acros from my LFS, and placed them in the top of my tank. Very soon afterwards I noticed 2 x smallish crabs crawling around the base of the coral that I did not notice beforehand. I understand that prevention is better than cure, but I don't have a quarantine tank, and was in a bit of a rush when I put them in. I don't know exactly what type of crabs these are (will try to get some shots later), but do I really need to worry about them, as one of the guys down at the LFS told me not to worry about it last time I mentioned it. I could quite easily remove the acro, but am conscious that I killed my last one doing the same thing (poking & prodding it to get the crab out...) So... should I just leave it, is it worth killing the coral if I have to, or is there a way I can try to safely remove the crabs? (I have tried the home made traps before & they didn't work...) Thanks (as usual) for any help/advice...

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
skimmer: good or bad	Reefingman	Lighting, Filtration & Other Equipment	3	06/09/2010 09:04 AM
Good idea or bad idea?	spamin76	Tridacnid Clams and other Mollusks	6	05/25/2004 07:25 AM
Good News and Bad News	rvitko	Tunze	4	12/05/2003 12:43 PM