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FAQs on Identification of Stinging-Celled Animals 5

Related Articles: Cnidarians, Water Flow, How Much is Enough,

Related FAQs: Cnidarian IDs 1, Cnidarian IDs 2, Cnidarian IDs 3, Cnidarians ID 4, Cnidarians ID 6, Cnidarian ID 7, Cnidarian ID 8, Cnidarian ID 9, Cnidarian ID 10, Cnidarian ID 11, Cnidarian ID 12, Cnidarian ID 13, Cnidarian ID 14, Cnidarian ID 15, Cnidarian ID 16, Cnidarian ID 17, Cnidarian ID 18, Cnidarian ID 19, Cnidarian ID 20, Cnidarian ID 21, Cnidarian ID 22, Cnidarian ID 23, Cnidarian ID 24, Cnidarian ID 26, Cnidarian ID 27, Cnidarian ID 28, Cnidarian ID 29, Cnidarian ID 30, Cnidarian ID 31, & Anemone ID 1, Aiptasia ID 1, Stony Coral ID 1, Mushroom Identification, Soft Coral ID, Alcyoniid ID, Xeniid ID,

SW cnid. ID    4/9/06 Hi Bob, <Brian> Any idea what this is.  Started off with one on living rock about a year ago, now 4 / 5. About 2 cm across, move slowly across the rock although often stay in one place for ages. Looks like there is a central mouth so guess anemone of some sort. Are they reef safe? <Mmm, looks to be a soft or hard coral... def. a Cnidarian, Anthozoan of sorts. Evidence of your good care. I'd definitely keep this> Regards to you and your team. Hope you are all well. Thanks
Brian
<Yes, thank you. Bob Fenner>

Strange living things on rock, maybe Aiptasia and hydroids? 2 different ones.    3/24/06 Hi! I've read all the Aiptasia FAQ's and ID's, but again, to be sure I wanted to know with some pictures.  The two linked below contain one picture zoomed out of a brown sort of coral that looks like a yellow polyp but brown and small. <Is a small Polypoid animal of some sort. Not an Actinarian/anemone as far as I can make out> It's at the top, not really that in focus.  Then there are these white things sticking out the side of the rock, and the second picture shows a close-up of them. <These are hydroids of some species> Is the brown one up top Aiptasia? <Doubtful> It retracts it's tentacles when I touch it, but the stalk still sits there.  The white ones don't retract or seem to be affected at all.  They also don't seem to be moving or bothering a Zoanthid nearby. picture one: http://i.xkinetic.net/3-06/22nd/plants_id.jpg close-up of the white ones: http://i.xkinetic.net/3-06/22nd/plants_idclose.jpg Thanks again!  I've asked people what these are, but never got a clear concise answer.  I'm hoping you guys can come through! - Art
<Thank you for sending this along. Bob Fenner>

Damaged Leather coral and an unknown sp.   3/16/06 Good day WWM Crew, <John> I find your site to be very helpful and I would much appreciate your opinions regarding two corals in my 72gal reef tank. My inquiry concerns a damaged toadstool leather (seems they are much talked about) and I am hoping you could help identify a red branching coral I have. I purchased my leather coral about 2 months ago and it seems to be doing great with the exception of an injury I must have overlooked while purchasing it.  One of the protruding areas of the coral around the top seems to have been split or cut. <Not uncommon... capitula get nicked, broken in moving...> I am unaware how the damage occurred.  The coral opens up on either side of the wound as you can see in the picture I attached. <Yes> I have looked over the archives you guys have and some other net sources and I am getting the feeling that I should cut the end portion off as it appears mostly cut off and pulling downwards on the coral.  In essence, I'm wondering if I should make a clean cut and let the wound heal, or leave the coral as is, or if I should try to heal the current wound somehow. <I would hold off here (for now)... perhaps increase your weekly Lugol's/Iodine treatments... Likely will self-heal or shed this bit/piece. Cutting might well lead to a host of other troubles> The second part of my inquiry has to do with a red coral that a family member purchased for me.  My biggest concerns with this coral are that I don't know what it is; I can't tell if it is healthy, and off hand I believe it will require more light than my tank can offer.  I have attached a picture of the coral.  It is made up of red branches that are very loose and fragile.  Currently some of the branch tips are white (I'm worried that this is a bad sign).  The coral is by no means flat like the 'gorgonia' species; it is more of a tangled mass.  My best guess would be that it is a 'swifia' or similar type of Sea Fan, <Maybe... but it looks more like a member of the Hydrozoan suborder Stylasterina to me: http://wetwebmedia.com/sylasterina.htm Not easily kept unfortunately> although I don't see any polyps on it.  From what I've read, some sea fans require almost no light while other sea fans require extensive amounts of light. <Yes> Any help in identifying this specific species and giving me an idea of its chances for survival in a tank with two '50% 10,000k / 50% actinic 55W' bulbs would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance, -John <Do look "very close" at the stalks... presence of "fine hairs" are semi-definitive here. Bob Fenner>

Coral/Anemone ID 2/20/05 Bob, Do you have any idea what this coral is?  It appears to be some type of leather (Sarcophyton) with very long tentacles.  Do you know the specific name? <<Actually, those are anemones.  Probably "Bubble Tip" Entacmaea quadricolor.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Hydroid identification... no graphic  - 2/15/2006 Hey pros got a quick question for you.  I was browsing through your array of posts and articles when I stumbled upon the "Hydrozoan" section.  I looked through the photos and found one that is similar to something I have in my tank.  The picture I'm referring to is under a post entitled "Bad boyz hydroids- 12-30-03.  The picture shows small tube-like structures protruding from the live rock with tiny little white heads. <Covers many species...> I have something similar in my aquarium.  There are several small (1/16 to 1/8 on an inch) solid tubes, purple in color (covered in coralline algae) that appear to be growing out form the coralline algae (or maybe the coralline is just growing onto it). On the end is a tiny filamentous structure (looks like a clear bubble but it's very small so hard to tell) but in either case it looks as if it could pull inside the tude. <? Not retractable> These little tubes have been there for at least a few months if not year, I never paid attention to them, and I have never noticed them bother anything.  There are no corals growing near them, but I assuming if I see them in that spot then they are probably growing other places too. All corals (Shrooms, xenias, colt, zoos, and gorgonians) seem to be doing fine.  Can I do a test by placing a small xenia, perhaps, near this "hydroid" to see what happens?  Are these little tubes always "bad" or can they be beneficial/neutral creatures as well? <As long as "stay small", to themselves>   I have seen other similar creatures that live in tubes (some straight some coiled) that have feather duster like heads.  I'm certain these aren't harmful, but how do you visually separate these from hydroids?   <If trouble, best to remove, denude from the rock> One post stated that they can look like corals, algae, or jellyfish.  That describes many small creatures I see in my aquarium, how do I separate the good from the bad? Thank you Jon <... a photo or drawing please. Bob Fenner>

Sea fan approximation 02/12/06 WWM Crew, <<Arnold>> I am requesting your assistance in identifying a particular type of coral I have acquired.  It is yellow in color, resembles a dead tree in shape, and has white polyps protruding out from the entirety of the structure.  Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Arnold <<No way to say without a sharp close-up photo.  But I'm going to venture a guess here and say you have a non-photosynthetic gorgonian...will likely starve to death within months.  You really should research your livestock BEFORE you acquire it my friend.  Regards, EricR >>

Mushrooms invertebrate or soft corals?   2/9/06 I have seen many forums sectionalized mushrooms as soft corals. however, I am incline to believe they are closer in invertebrates. what is confusing is not clear cut. <... Mushrooms (Order Corallimorpharia) are not Soft Corals (Order Alcyonacea)... many stinging-celled animals (and even some non-cnidarians!) are termed "corals" by hobbyists and lay people. Much of their higher taxonomy here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidaria.htm Bob Fenner>

Jellyfish??   1/27/06 Hi.  I have a 45 gallon reef tank with about 60-70 lbs of live rock and live sand.   My tank is in great condition just turning 1 year. :)    I currently have hammer coral, waving xenia (SP?), cabbage coral, candy, mushrooms (diff varieties) brain coral, assorted polyps, and a another coral soft yellow and i cant for the life of me remember the name.   The tank only has 2  clown fish, 2 engineer gobies, 1 black and yellow clown fish (gift from gf... She doesn't know name)  1 tiger pistol shrimp,  1 arrow head crab,  1 fire shrimp,  1 sally light foot (think that's name)   I have a not so standard setup as far as filtration goes.   I converted my sump into a fast water refugium.   In there I have 4 inches of coarse live sand, live rock and assorted live plants and kelp,  A hitchhiker anemone white in color don't know what it is, and a family of copepods all happy and growing.   I have Eheim filter filled with bio balls, and finally I set up a 10gallon tank as a slow water refugium.   the slow water refugium gets water thru 1 air hose via gravity and gets returned to sump via gravity.  The slow water refugium has a large number of copepods and other "buggers"  I don't clean them and pretty much let them be.   Now after all that rambling,  recently only in my slow water refugium I have a large growth of ... only what I can describe as small anemones  they are white and about 1/4 inch long.  The are attached to the glass via a small tube not hard very short 1/16th inch then a disc with tentacles very fine and numerous.   The can sway and retract if disturbed.  there are a lot of them but I leave them be since that is what I put the refugium in for.   But after a while the head of the anemones starts to change turns discus in shape.  then it starts to pulsate,  then it breaks off and what looks like a jelly fish ... kinda like a small slightly opaque mushroom,  swims around.   they are multiplying the swimming parts seem to disappear after a while.   Any Idea as to what this can be?    I can try a picture if that will help more :)    <Likely are some sort of scyphozoan, Hydrozoan... Just as likely to cycle out. Bob Fenner> Thank you
Javier Fernandez  

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