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FAQs about Non-Vertebrate Animal Identification
34 Related Articles:
Marine Invertebrates, Marine
Invertebrate Systems, Marine
Invertebrate Compatibility, Marine
Invertebrate Disease, Marine
Invertebrate Reproduction,
Quarantine of Corals and Invertebrates,
Feeding Reef Invertebrates,
Lighting Marine Invertebrates,
Water Flow, How Much is Enough,
Related FAQs: Non-Vert IDs 1,
Non-Vert IDs 2, Non-Vert IDs 3,
Non-Vert IDs 4, Non-Vert IDs 5,
Non-Vert IDs 6,
Non-Vert IDs 7, Non-Vert
IDs 8,
Non-Vert IDs 9,
Non-Vert IDs 10, Non-Vert IDs 11,
Non-Vert IDs 12, Non-Vert IDs 13,
Non-Vert IDs 14, Non-Vert IDs 15,
Non-Vert IDs 16, Non-Vert IDs 17,
Non-Vert IDs 18, Non-Vert. ID 19,
Non-Vert. ID 20, Non-Vert. ID 21,
Non-Vert. ID 22, Non-Vert. ID 23,
Non-Vert. ID 25, Non-Vert ID 26,
Non-Vert ID 27, Non-Vert ID 28,
Non-Vert ID 29, Non-Vert ID 30,
Non-Vert ID 31, Non-Vert ID 32,
Non-Vert 33, Non-Vert ID 35,
Non-Vert ID 36, Non-Vert ID 37,
Non-Vert ID 38, Non-Vert ID 39,
Non-Vert ID 40, Non-Vert ID 41,
Non-Vert ID 42, & Marine Invertebrates,
Marine Invert.s 2, Marine Invert.s 3,
& FAQs about: Marine Invertebrate
Behavior, Marine Invertebrate
Compatibility, Marine Invertebrate
Selection, Marine Invertebrate
Systems, Feeding Reef Invertebrates,
Marine Invertebrate Disease,
Marine Invertebrate Reproduction, &
& LR Life
Identification, LR Hitchhiker ID 1,
Anemone Identification,
Aiptasia Identification, Aiptasia ID
2, Worm Identification,
Tubeworm ID, Polychaete
Identification, Snail Identification,
Marine Crab Identification, Marine
Invert.s 1, Marine Invert.s 2,
Marine Plankton, | 
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What are
these? (Serpulid Worms) – 04/23/08
Hi!
<<Hello!>>
I have
searched and searched your site for an answer that I know is probably a
"no brainer" for most of you.
<<Oh?>>
What are the hundreds of
tiny white worm-like things in my sump that seem to be calcified?
<<Umm, worms? [grin] >>
They don't move and are "crunchy" but look
just like little white worms that are about an inch long and about a mm
wide.
<<These are very likely a species of Polychaete worm from the
Family Serpulidae…these creatures secrete a calcareous “tube” in which
they live>>
Do they need to be cleaned out or do they serve a
purpose?
<<They are a beneficial detritivore>>
Thank you for your
site. It is great and has helped me tremendously.
<<Glad you like
it>>
I search your website for info often I just have never been able
to answer this puzzle.
<<Well then…hopefully, puzzle solved!>>
Sincerely,
Suzanne
<<Regards, EricR>>
ID Help: Foraminiferan, Likely Marginopora sp. - 4/21/08
<Hi
Paul>
When I first set up this tank, approximately 4 months ago
after adding LS (fine Fiji pink CaribSea Arag-alive) I found a few
hitchhikers (small disk animals) one was green, the rest have been
pinkish.
<Neat>
They attach very securely to LR or glass and
are often in the sand as well. My first guess is sand dollars and I
can't find anything else that closely resembles them.
<I can see
why you’d think sand dollar, it certainly has the same general
shape. However, your specimen lacks the characteristic “petal”
structure on the surface. Then there are the fine lines spiraling
out from the center. I’d love to know the size of the disk. I can’t
tell if what I’m seeing is less than 1/8” or an inch+ in diameter.
From what I can tell though, it looks like a foraminiferan, likely
in the genus Marginopora. Forams are harmless, single-celled
Protists with either calcareous or silicious shells, usually very
small (<1mm) but can range up to about 8”. If what you have is
Marginopora vertebralis, a common tropical species, then they should
top out at about 5/8". Forams feed on dissolved organics, diatoms,
micro-algae, bacteria, copepods, and some are even zooxanthellate
(like many corals). Please see item# 48 at the following link,
showing a photo of Marginopora vertebralis:
http://www.cushmanfoundation.org/resources/slides/forams.html
See
the photo at the bottom of this link for a good close-up shot:
http://www.imagequest3d.com/pages/articles/articleofmonth/foraminifera/foraminifera.htm
http://www.poppe-images.com/images/image_info.php?picid=907142
General information regarding forams:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/rs/index.php >
Thank you
in advance for any help.
Thx. Paul
<You’re very welcome! Take
care, -Lynn> Re: ID
Help: Foraminiferan, Likely Marginopora sp. - 4/21/08
<Hi
Paul>
Yep, that's a positive ID, "Marginopora vertebralis"
<Yay!>
..and the smallest I've seen was approximately 1/8". The
one in the picture measures 5/16" diameter.
Thank you very much
for your help.
<It was a pleasure. Take care, -Lynn> | 
|
Please ID, new reef... cycling 4/20/08
Thank you for responding
so quickly.
I have, of course, rushed the tank for the 5 weeks that
I've had it.
There are so many different opinions and everyone's an
"expert" at the LFS. I have had varying opinions, but I bought 3
different books and am trying to educate myself.
<Good>
My husband
and I watch the tank for hours, trying to find whatever small changes
that occur. I thought the fish would be most interesting, but now I'm at
the point that I could care less if I have any fish or not.
A guy at
one fish shop told me that he thought my tank was cycled since I had an
algae bloom.
<Mmm, not necessarily, though a good indication of
activity in that direction>
I test daily with strips and the Red Max
testing tube kits. All the parameters seem to be ok. pH 8.3, nitrites
almost 0, nitrates almost 0 (they have not been 0, but I think I over
analyze the color scales), temp 76.
I started with Live Rock, Live
Sand, and water from the LFS. My Live Rock has a tiny clear worms. Also
has a tiny flowering worm, not a feature duster, which I looked up on
your site, but I don't think Judi, definitively ID'd. About halfway down
the WWM page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/invertid26.htm
attached
image with email. I have not seen it today.
Over-stocked tank (will
avoid anymore purchases in the future other than a few coral, and will
wait on those)
1 false percula
1 clarkii (again, told they would
get along... and are for now).
I have a slew of snails and hermit
crabs.
2 peppermint shrimp that I absolutely love.
1 big skunk
cleaner that molted, then died a few days later.
A guy at LFS said an
arrow crab would not be aggressive, but after reading your site, I took
him back.
<Good>
The guy at a beautiful reef shop in Jax convinced
me soft coral would do fine, which for 2 weeks it has done great, even
gotten bigger.
1 Small green mat Zoanthid polyp
1 pom pom xenia
1 star zoanthid polyp with green centers (not quite sure of the name.
Both fish / reef stores I've been to have .021-.022sg. All of the
reading in the books I've purchased, along with online articles indicate
the salinity should be at least .024. I am going to go with closer to
.024 salinity, adding salt to the LFS R/0 I'm buying.
<Do see WWM
re... I would keep your specific gravity near full seawater
strength/concentration. 1.025-1.026... and steady>
I read your site
daily. Thanks for all your great advice.
Cynthia Rice
<This pic is
not easy to make out... could be a small anemone (like Anemonia) or a
Corallimorph, even an ascidian colony... Bob Fenner>
Re:
Please ID
I took a look at the pic of Anemonia, it does look like
that. But it retracts with any movement around it, like a feather duster
and there
was only one of them. Sadly, I have not seen him in 2 days.
I did find a bristleworm, 3/8" of an inch kind, white while looking at
the tank with a flashlight last night. We got him out with a net and
flushed it. I haven't seen any other ones.
We are going to Vilano
Beach again this afternoon. I measured the ocean's sg. Lol. I'm sure the
other folks on the beach thought I was a geek.
<A curious,
intelligent individual>
Thanks and have a great day.
Cynthia Rice
<And you. BobF> | 
|
Not a Sea Apple, Likely a Syconoid Sponge - 4/19/08
<Hi Ash>
I
have a 10 gal. tank with 2 seahorses. I also have some plants. On a leaf
there is a very small white thing. I don't know what it is, but it looks
like a very, very small and white sea apple and I would love to know if
you could tell me what it is.
<It’s most likely a harmless Syconoid
sponge. Please see the following link for photos and more information:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf7.htm >
Thanks, Ash
<You're
welcome! Lynn>
Eggs, using WWM -04/11/08
good evening,
<Trying to wake
this morn...>
first off, great site, must say must have saved my
tank from total destruction many a times. I have a quick question. I
was doing a regular water change, when i noticed in the bucket
something that looked like eggs. Im not sure what part of the tank
where they came from because i was cleaning all around the rocks. I
have a 29G SW tank with roughly 25 pounds of LR, 1 blue damsel, 1
yellow tail blue damsel, 2 clowns, 1 domino,
<I'd be watching
this Dascyllus... likely a source of high-stress in time>
1stripe
damsel, and a lemon peel angel.
<Misplaced here... needs much
more room>
2 turbo snail and 7 blue leg hermit crabs. tank
parameters: SG 1.022,
<... too low... see WWM re...>
nitrate
0, ammonia 0, pH 8.1, temp 80, nitrate about 30.
<... too
high...>
lighting 1 blue actinic and 2 white bulbs, pengiun
filter, Fluval 304 and maxijet900 with wave deflector.
<... no
skimmer?>
can you please help me identify if these are some eggs
of the fish, crab, snail .
<The last. Bob Fenner> | 
|
SW Aquarium ID if possible 3/20/08
Hi WWM Crew!
Recently I've
housed all my fish in QT due to Ich and Brooklynellosis outbreaks. But
my question has to do with thousands of tiny things, almost unseen to
the naked eye, in my main tank. At first we though they were part of the
Ich parasite's life cycle, but upon closer inspection they appear to be
baby fish.
<Mmm, nope>
One of my yellowtail blue damsels has had a
bulging belly lately but we never saw her lay any eggs and she's quite
small (not even an inch in length). I've tried searching the web but no
luck. So I've attached a photo...are these guys baby damsels or
something else?
Thanks for your time!
Tracy
<Something else...
larval... shrimp! Neat-o! BobF> | 
|
Polyps of some sort in my sump? (sponge ID) 3/14/08
Crew -
At
some point I hope to have a refugium in my sump. For now there is no
light, just a rock beside a bag of activated charcoal where my refugium
may be one day. However, I have a new development in the past couple of
weeks, and while I like to see new life, I have no idea what's going on
here. Suddenly these little critters are all over my sump. Would you
please identify and tell me if they are a positive or negative life form
to have in the sump?
<They are harmless Syconoid sponges.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf6.htm>
I don't know if I should
clean them out or rejoice that they exist.
<It's your call. There's
no need to clean them out if they're not bothering you.>
Pics are
attached. Thanks for any help, as always.
Regards
<De nada,
Sara M.> Re: Polyps of some
sort in my sump?
Wonderful! Thanks for the ID. Looks like my
nutrient levels have risen to support these. I'll check to see if my
skimmer pump filter is clogged since I have noticed reduced skimmate the
past week - just before these little guys arrived.
<Well, in many
ways, they are little filters themselves. ;-) They usually come in boom
and bust cycles. People seem to get them in droves all of a sudden, but
then they don't last.>
Joel
<Best,
Sara M.> | 
|
Mystery Creature In My Reef? Scutus - 3/11/08
<Hi Aaron>
I
caught this guy in action last night and I've seen him from time to
time. One time I observed him on the glass and his mouth parts look just
like a snail's.
<Heeee – and for good reason! It *is* a
snail/Gastropod!>
What is he?
<It appears to be a species of
Scutus, aka a ”Shield Limpet”, in the family Fissurellidae. This family
also includes Keyhole and Slit Limpets. It also looks a bit like a
Chiton, but the two antennae rule out that possibility.>
Is he some
type of Nudibranch?
<No, although they’re often mistaken as such.>
Would he eat coral polyps?
<It’s possible. Scutus spp. are primarily
herbivores, but reportedly may also feed on coral tissue.>
Should I
take him out of my reef?
<It's up to you. I don’t have any personal
experience with these, but most people seem to love them. Apparently
they can be very beneficial when it comes to grazing/removing algae.>
I have a 75 gallon reef tank with tons of live rock, zoas, mushrooms,
leathers, and LPSs
corals.
<Heeeee! You can add Scutus to the list
now as well!>
I've tried some of the more fleshy LPSs corals like
open brains and candy canes and they seemed to have their flesh
devoured.
<Yikes! Although I’ve read cautionary statements regarding
Scutus and corals, I’ve yet to read any actual accounts of coral
predation within home aquaria.>
Other LPSs corals like frog spawns,
torches, bubbles, and galaxia do fine. Could this guy be the problem or
is it more likely my flame angel?
<Hmmmm. While I can't rule out the
Scutus, based on their popularity with aquarists, it wouldn’t be my
first choice of suspects. I’d be more inclined to suspect the Flame
Angel, possibly even a Tang, or one/several of the other usual “picker”
suspects (various crabs, shrimps, etc.)>
The picture isn't the
greatest, but it's the best I could get at night.
<Understandable!
The good news is that I think we’re good to go. For more
information/photos, please see the following links:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=scutus
http://www.poppe-images.com/images/search_results.php?category=Shells&family=FISSURELLIDAE
>
Thanks for your help!
<You’re very welcome! Take care, -Lynn>
Aaron Chandler | 
|
Hello wonderful people! Lotsa pix, disparate organisms, reading to do
03/11/2008
HI! I want to start by saying that I have read a large
amount of your site content - about worms & feather dusters & live rock
& coral & algae - I'm sure the questions I am asking are somewhere on
your site, but I cant find the answers.. (and I have been saving my
questions for about 3 weeks - to ask them all at once!) I put the
pictures on a webpage - thinking perhaps it would be easier to see them
in a separate browser, instead of downloading an email attachment? IF BY
SOME CHANCE there are any pictures that you want to keep or use, feel
free.. and if you would rather me send the pictures in email, i will..
http://www.nunyasworld.com/wetwebmedia.html
<Ahh, very nice!>
OK,
picture #1 shows 2 things i am concerned about. On the left is a rock
with what looks like a rust spot?
<I agree... this does look
ferrous... I would not be overly concerned if this is the only such
rusty area... not likely very toxic here>
This along with a couple of
other things has me concerned that some of the rock (bought at LFS) is
straight out of the ocean..
<?>
On the right is something that
resembles (to me) things i read about worms - or maybe coral? The pink
growths on the rock..
<Sponge material... no worries...>
#2 shows
this odd crevice in a rock - it looks very flat & smooth - and has white
spots/deposits on it.. my overactive imagination feels like maybe divers
salvaged "something" out of the rock.. or that maybe there still is
metal in there?
<Looks like a bivalve to me... see the Net, pix with
the name "Arca">
#3 this is from a small(10g) tank that i originally
set up for a refugium, but there is no shared water source between them,
so for now it is just a separate tank, that i put water from the bigger
one into when i do water changes. All that is in it are 3 snails, 1
crab, and some small pieces of macro algae & live rock... up until a
week ago I had a powerhead with sponge filter in there - and have taken
that out and put just bubbles in.. trying to raise copepods and
amphipods in there.. It is being overrun with this stuff that starts as
3a, and then ends up like 3b.. is this OK stuff? I cant even tell if it
is algae or another type of aiptasia??(and my big tank is getting
infested already with this pest)???
<Mmm, maybe a Hydroid, perhaps
algal...>
#4 shows something - perhaps a barnacle? there are some
others i see in a hole on just this one rock, but i never see them stick
out?
<I see some algae...>
#5 I'm concerned with my feather
duster, his "feathers" have gotten thin as they are sticking out further
than ever from the tube. I think it looks like he has a double head.
Purchased him 6 weeks ago & for the first week he only stuck out of the
tube about 1/2 -3/4 inch. THEN for the next 5 weeks he was normal -
beautiful, and the heads were alternating this green color from one head
to another. Kinda looked like pulsing-one head would be green - ten 2
seconds later the other one was green.. Now - for the last 2 days he has
been stuck out a lot (still retracts though) - and I am hoping you tell
me this is normal - or that maybe he is getting ready to lose a head?
<Looks starved to me>
The only 2 possible problems i need to mention
are a) Seahorses have moved in and like to wrap their tails around the
feather dusters base, but it doesn't look like they are squeezing..
<Still likely bothering it excessively... I'd move it>
b) my water
parameters are good -except for one thing the LFS told me i didn't need
to worry about - the calcium is high, according to the testing kit -
600-700 ppm,
<Way too high>
could this affect the feather duster?
<Yes>
I have been mixing phytoplankton with brine shrimp and target
feeding him, the coral, and the xenia..
Thank you for any info you
can provide. and sorry for too many questions...
for now i am leaving
a link to the website, if that's OK, and then going to put a link on the
main page - under my "donate" section.. and HOPEFULLY - if i ever get
done dumping $$ into the tank, i will be sending a donation myself!
--
Have a GREAT day!
<Mmm, read on WWM re the above organisms...
Their IDs, Systems... esp. Featherdusters. Bob Fenner>
Re: Hello wonderful people! Lotsa pix, disparate organisms, reading
to do 3/12/08
I am writing again because either I am
thick-headed, or something - but I don't understand one of my
questions/ answers, pertaining to this picture
here...
<http://www.nunyasworld.com/num4.jpg>
""""#4 shows something -
perhaps a barnacle? there are some others i see in a hole on just
this one rock, but i never see them stick out?
<I see some
algae...>"""
do you see the 2 brown growths that look like bits
of brown human hair, or just the ends of a feather duster? is that
the algae you mentioned?
<Yes. There is some, but not much
likelihood that Cirripedians survived on/in such denuded rock>
sorry for just not "getting it" - and hope you have a nice day...
<You as well... Do you consider that the reddish-brown material may
be byssus or such? Would you send along a better resolved pic of
size? BobF>
Re: Hello wonderful people! Algae and a
Hydroid 3/12/08
You know I saw a picture of "byssus", and
it looked similar.. Hopefully the picture attached is better? I
stitched 4 pictures together, and on the far
right shows how it
looks as if every strand is attached with "goo".. remind me of the
remnants of a human hair, if beaten with the rock... The larger
one sticks out about 1/2 inch from the rock, the smaller about 1/4
inch.
<Am sticking with my guess re the left hand pix being an
algae... the right is almost assuredly a hydropolyp. BobF> | 
|
|
Lots to i.d.... Syconoid Sponges, Foraminiferan, and Sargassum 3/6/08
Hello!
<Hi Pavlo, Mich here.>
Let me just say that you guys are
invaluable.
<Wow! Thank you for the nice compliment.>
I have
spent a year researching & putting together my 125 gal "FOWLR to be reef
someday" tank & I owe all that is good about it to you!
<Well you
had much to do with this success, you did the research, had the
foresight to plan ahead.>
It finally came to be in January. It has
cycled, went through an algae bloom, and now has stabilized. No fish
yet...starting that in a week or two.
<OK.>
I do have about 40
assorted snails (Cerith, Margarita, Astraea & Nassarius and 40 blue &
red-legged hermits.
<I personally am not a fan of hermits.>
The
150lb of live rock is showing nice coralline growth
<Good!>
as
well as aiptasia & Valonia.
<Not so good!>
I purchased 2 small
emerald crabs for the Valonia (limited success)
<Better to remove by
hand.>
and 2 Berghia Nudibranchs for the aiptasia.
<Would not be
my first choice.>
They disappeared into the rockwork 5 min after I
put them in the tank and are nowhere to be seen.
<Happens.>
Oh
well.
Water parameters: Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0,
Phosphates 0, pH 8.4. Temp fluctuates between 79 & 81 with the halides,
salinity is
1.026. There is a huge ball of Chaeto in the 30 gal DSB
refugium/sump.
<All sounds good.>
Which leads me to my id
questions. Out of nowhere, literally overnight, I found many, many of
these things on my refugium baffles. Not on the fuge side of the baffle,
but on the channel side. ((pic 3) if you can make them out). Pic 2 is an
attempt at a close up of one. It’s clear and stubby. Almost looks like a
pod of some sort.
<Is a Syconoid sponge, a harmless filter feeder
that adds to the biodiversity of the system.
More images here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spongeidfaq3.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf5.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf7.htm >
The last thing I put in my
tank was the Berghia 5 days ago. Could it be related?
<No, is not
related.>
As if that's not enough to take up your time,
<Heehee!
No worries!>
what is the white branching thing next to the unknown
algae on the live rock in pic 1.
<Is a foraminiferan, be careful,
these creatures sure can hurt your fingers, but are otherwise harmless.>
The hermits & emerald crabs like to chew on the algae, so I
suspect
it’s not bad, but I could be wrong.
<The algae look like a Sargassum
to me, just watch that it doesn't get out of control.>
Any help with
identification would be greatly appreciated as well as any advice on how
to get rid of it (if that is what should be done)
<Manual removal if
it gets too bad.>
Thanks again for your help & hard work!
<Welcome! Happy to help! Mich>
Pavlo |
  |
Please Help! (Live Rock Hitchhiker Paranoia) – 03/04/08
So I
got a piece of live rock from a guy on my local board (San Diego)
and I immediately identified some Asterina anomala.
<<Mmm, yes…a
controversial genus/species. Some folks swear they consume their
corals…others swear they have no problems at all with them>>
And
tonight I saw this guy near a piece of encrusting Montipora that
appears to be receding. I was bummed before that I didn't dip and
quarantine the rock and now I am even more scared.
<<Dip? As in
“freshwater dip?” Quarantine, sure… Cure if necessary, you bet… But
“dip” as a prophylactic treatment for live rock? Not how I would
treat “my” rock. Seems such a waste to spend the money on live rock
only to destroy so much of the emergent life on/in with a freshwater
or medicated dip>>
I am picking out everything I see.
<<Really? Everything? Just because you found an Asterina spp
starfish? Don’t you think you might be overreacting? If you are
certain an organism is harmful is one thing, but otherwise, you are
defeating much of the purpose of introducing the rock in the first
place (bio-diversity)>>
Can I get an ID on this guy please? I
think the red dot on him is a result of the tweezers but he is flat
(so I thought flat worm) and has an obvious spine looking thing
running down its back. The worm or whatever it is hard and curls up
like a roly-poly out of the water.
<<The pictures are not good at
all… But from what I can discern, and from your description, I’m
fairly certain this is a Chiton (do a keyword search and see what
you think), a beneficial algae/diatom scavenger…and certainly
nothing to be fearful of re your livestock>>
What are the odds
that there are more of these, this guy is 4mm in length?
<<The
odds are very good there are more…if you are lucky [grin]>>
Thank
you!
Mike
<<Happy to share, Mike. Relax and enjoy/study the
emergent life in/on your rock…most does turn out to be a “good”
thing. Regards, EricR>> |  
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