Anemone hitchhiker - friend or foe?

navigator

navigator

Member
Hi,
I've spent a few hours enjoying these forums this evening, and thought I might jump right in and participate.
Short story: Rookie. 60g tank, 4 weeks of cycling with about 60lbs of live rock and plenty of live sand. Good chemistry. No livestock. All by the book, so far. Today I brought home two new 'showy' pieces of cured live rock from the LFS to top-off my arrangement. A few hours after the rocks had been set, I notice this fellow sticking his tentacles out. I was thrilled! So I came here to figure out what he might be, and now the 'thrilled' has become 'worried.' What do you think? Also, what are the little closed polyps called?
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J

jstdv8

Guest
its hard to tell with it out of the water, but it looks like a zoa in the first picture. but in the last pic it looks like it has a mouth.
can you get a pic of it under the water with lights on it?
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
on second look maybe it doesnt look so much like a zoa, If it's a nem I don't think its the bad kind. doesnt look aiptasia ish to me
 
navigator

navigator

Member
It's in the water in these photos, but the flash on my SLR is pretty harsh from that distance. I'll reshoot in ambient light tonight.
He is mostly brown in the disc area, but the tendrils are a luminous shade of green under the tank lights.
 
forcrz6

forcrz6

Member
Originally Posted by Navigator
http:///forum/post/3289087
It's in the water in these photos, but the flash on my SLR is pretty harsh from that distance. I'll reshoot in ambient light tonight.
He is mostly brown in the disc area, but the tendrils are a luminous shade of green under the tank lights.
Red or Pinkish tips?
 
navigator

navigator

Member
I'd really like it to be something innocuous. Since I'm being careful to stabilize the tank, I don't have any critters to enjoy yet. This guy is a celebrity in an otherwise empty tank :p The polyps are fun, too. Anyone know offhand what they are?
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
I have a feeling its going to end up being a majano which is not good. hard to tell right now because it seems to be kinda stressed. maybe once it fills out with good lighting and all we can identify it more easily
 
forcrz6

forcrz6

Member
Does it have Red or Pinkish tips?
If yes then it is a majano. Then you just need some joes juice. Or burn them with Kalk+hot water in a syringe
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Due to the lack of tentacles nearer the mouth and their arrangement around the periphery this could be Zoanthid or Palythoa.
If you get close to it with something does it retract down into the rock almost invisible?
 
navigator

navigator

Member

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3289425
Due to the lack of tentacles nearer the mouth and their arrangement around the periphery this could be Zoanthid or Palythoa.
If you get close to it with something does it retract down into the rock almost invisible?
Yes, it pulls itself down into a tight little ball at the slightest disturbance (I assume this is why I didn't notice it at the LFS). What do you think this means? <off to Google Zoanthid & Palythoa>
Originally Posted by forcrz6
http:///forum/post/3289421
Does it have Red or Pinkish tips?
I can't see any color difference at the tips. The tentacles were well extended this morning, and they are uniform throughout as far as I can tell.
Thanks to all for the effort! I appreciate it!
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Good. Now see the red circles below?

Does it look like that when retracted, or is it gone pretty much completely from view?
 
navigator

navigator

Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3289487
Does it look like that when retracted, or is it gone pretty much completely from view?
Its difficult due to the shape of the rock, but when retracted, the anemone is very hard to see. It pulls itself well down into the crevice and gets very small. So I'd say gone pretty much completely from view.
 
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