growth out of sand... any thoughts?

[joeram]

in my tank I have a plant like growth coming out of the sand... so decided by my wife and I... tank has ben running for a couple of months. we use good water from walmart. 50/50 light. have some live rock, two peppers and some crabs.. any ways bla bla bla ... to the point this growth looks like it has four branchs. it moves in the current. it just appeared out of the sand. no corals or any other plants. one day there was no plant like growth and now there is.
new thing.. one red hermitt crab only has one leg and the other half of his legs are detached and in front of him. will he catch up or will they grow back. or is he good as dead? this is a not a joke just funny to ask.
sorry no pick

 

[joeram]

its not hair algae. it looks like a coral but highly unlikely thats why we are calling it a "plant"

 

[marine fanatic]

What color is this plant looking critter? It might be a small feather duster and the "branches" you see are the feathers. Main reason I thought of a duster is that they can retract their feathers in a blink of an eye and reappear later making it look like a mysterious new critter is in there. I wonder if it could be majano or aiptasia....do a search for them on here and see if it looks similar. Also, see if you can take a picture of it and post it to make it much easier to ID.
As far as your crab, I have had plenty that have lost legs and found out that they had molted and were protecting their new legs until they hardened up. Give him a couple of days and see what happens.

 

[joeram]

definately not a majono and not a feather duster. i can't find any pics of one and it is green and about 1/8 tall of the sand

 

[marine fanatic]

https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/163703/hitchhiker-identifications
See if a picture matches up. If you have a camera, take a close-up and post it.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Marine Fanatic
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/163703/hitchhiker-identifications
See if a picture matches up. If you have a camera, take a close-up and post it.
A pic would realy be helpfull here.

 

[joeram]

ok give me a couple of days to get a camera to take a photo.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by joeram
ok give me a couple of days to get a camera to take a photo.
Ok. Hey, Welcome to the boards BTW!!!!!! We are happy to have you here!! Without a pic it is realy hard to tell what has sprung up in your tank.

 

[marine fanatic]

Opps....<slaps self> Sorry...YES, welcome to the board too

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Marine Fanatic
Opps....<slaps self> Sorry...YES, welcome to the board too
LOL don't worry, we all forget to put out the WELCOME mat sometimes! :joy:

 

[marine fanatic]

Do a search on "shaving brush".....I remember when they are first sprouting they resemble what you are describing.
Just a thought

 

[joeram]

i found some pics of what it resembles and that was turf algae. some time in the night a hermit crab must have at it. there is still a couple of other small spots i can watch . thanks for the time and sorry for the let down.