Coral ID 9.2.05
Dear Bob and Company,
<Howdy>
First off BIG fan of the site, keep up the great work.
<A tall order with a skeleton crew of volunteers on a ever-growing website... more volunteers, anyone? <G>>
Now to the question.  I can't identify this particular coral I have received.  It was given
to me, so I can't complain but I’m stumped.  It is similar looking to a pipe organ polyp, in that it has
a long stems, but not of the eight tentacle variety.  It can fully retract into its rock, and this
particular piece has about 50-70 individual polyps. Each polyp center is about an eighth of
an inch in size, with a half inch to an inch-plus stem length.  Each polyp has 16-20 small tentacles about 5
mm thick by one-sixteenth inch in length.   The stems and polyps are greenish-brown and the
tentacles, and centers, on the polyps are light green. This is under 2*65w actinic and 2*65w
50/50-10k compact florescent bulbs.  I hope this is descript enough,
<Without a close/clear picture... this is a pot-shot at best. Furthermore, I'm concerned if you are buying
corals and other animals, but don't have a basic photo ID/husbandry book to refer to. Do seek Fabricius and
Alderslade for soft corals (2001) and Borneman's "Aquarium Corals" for general coral keeping>
I don’t have a camera or else I would include a picture.  If you know what it is and have any advice
as to placement, water movement, light requirements, feeding, etc. That would be greatly appreciated.
Rock On, Jonathan
<you mention Tubipora as comparable, and I wonder if you are mistaking that soft coral (organ pipe) as a
hard coral? If so, that would explain the lack of tubes, despite being compared to a Tubiporidae (you
state the tentacles are fully retractile). If that's so... I'm then wondering if the animal is stony? Do
polyps retract into stony calices? I'll take a random guess here and say that you have an encrusted patch of
Goniopora. Do use the google image tool to find examples. Else a picture when you can, mate. Anthony>
 

Hydroids to Flatworms Hi Guys, I have a cluster of little brown pom-pom like things in my reef. Using the google search on your site, I found out that they are "a fairly common nuisance hydroid, Myrionema". My question was answered. <Good> While I was on the Hydrozoans FAQ page I noticed a posting titled "Stranded Hydroid! Yikes! 4/7/05". Your staff answered the question and identified the animal as a hydroid. I had similar things in my tank growing on a finger leather coral. It turned out to be some kind of flatworm. It had the same tentacles in the posted picture. The worm would release the tentacle into the current and pull it back repeatedly. <Strange, interesting... have not heard of, seen this offered re flatworm behavior ever> The worms are very clear, so they almost disappear when they are spread out over the surface of the coral which makes it seem that the tentacle is coming from the coral itself. <Good plan, eh?> I used Salifert Flatworm Exit in a bag of tank water and dipped the coral in it. After approximately 45 minutes the flatworm came off by creating a current in the bag with my finger. It was a clear, slightly cloudy flatworm. Even sitting on the bottom of the bag, it released the tentacle and pulled it back. The tentacle was a long single strand which had smaller lines coming off one side. I actually got a few of them using the dip. Each worm only had one strand - so if you see more than one - chances are that there are several worms. Great Site. <Thank you for this input. Will try to find the bit you reference and couple it with yours here> Dave Here was the full post from the FAQ: Stranded Hydroid! Yikes! 4/7/05 Hello WWM Crew, <howdy> I have a quick question for you regarding a finger leather and a strange set of tentacles coming from it. <yikes! they are not from the leather, but instead are from a stinging hydroid. They can be quite aggressive to other reef creatures and even burn your skin painfully> I have attached a picture of  identical tentacles as what are coming from my leather but am unsure of how to deal with this issue. <manual removal> I have only had the leather for 3 weeks now and it has never extended a single polyp. <Perhaps it's irritated from the hydroid. More importantly... I fear you have added this coral to your tank without a proper quarantine period. Yikes, if so... it's a surefire way to introduce pests and predators to your tank like this hydroid> Every evening these threads come out and they are very intricate which is what led me to believe they were not just mucous. I cannot see anything on the leather itself  by following the threads but there are 6 or 7 coming out. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Scott B. <There are many types of hydroids in the world. Some look like corals... some look like algae... others more like jellyfish. Caution with all :) Anthony>

Hydroids... hydrozoan: what's in a name? 6/21/05 Ah, yes... understood. It really does look like a flatworm. Not so though. Its a ctenophore... benthic sort of "hydroid" or "jelly" (not the same, but kin). In the hobby... we have been calling the thing that I think you are seeing (a unique description... really sounds like it) "a hydroid" for lack of a better understanding/term. Pics of one of my own attached - its being scraped from the underside of a Fungiid. And... a link to a quick mention of the lil buggers here: http://www.seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?id=12274 Anthony :)

What is this? 7/4/05 Hello Everyone, <Hi there> Happy 4th!  Can anyone identify what is growing all over this plastic plant (pic attached)? They look like "pearl onions" or small white sacks tied at the top, attached at their base and the only place I have found them are on this single plastic plant.  They seem to have appeared overnight or within the last day or so as my wife and I take a good look at our tank every day to make sure the fish are doing well, any upside down snails etc. and have not noticed this until today.  Are they O.K. or should they be removed?  Any help would be greatly appreciated. <Leave them... look like some sort of polypoid life... Any chance of a close-up pic?> 150 gal, 175 pounds live rock, 50 gal sump/refugium, spg 1.024, ph 8.2, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10, Ca 385 ppm, Alk 9 dKH <Bob Fenner>