Hitchhiker Identifications
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cain420
Active Member
i kept finding scrape marks in the coralline in my tank.. so of course i investigated and found a crab.. well i finally ridded him of the display and am about to setup a fuge for him.. here are some photos.. the tips of his claws are hollow, and he scrapes the rocks and collects the scrapings in the hollow tip.
T
tizzo
Guest
The fact that you caught him is amazing!! My crab is a coralline eater too, but it looks identicle to milomlos. Thus far, harmless. Had him goin on 2 years...
ifusayso
Member
1. Description: I have two of these that I have seen, they appear to have a "conch" like shell, but a red-colored foot. It is quite small about the size of a q-tip end. Here's a bad(due to magnified) pic of it:
2. No pic, but from looking at the HH thread could be a sundial, BUT it travels with the shell upright. It is hard to tell the details as it the size a pin head. I could not get a pic that showed more than a white dot...but to the eye there is a sort of checkered pattern of white and tan/brown.
3. On the glass are even smaller snails(?), are these perhaps babies of some type of snail I have including (turbo, astria, or nassirus)?
2. No pic, but from looking at the HH thread could be a sundial, BUT it travels with the shell upright. It is hard to tell the details as it the size a pin head. I could not get a pic that showed more than a white dot...but to the eye there is a sort of checkered pattern of white and tan/brown.
3. On the glass are even smaller snails(?), are these perhaps babies of some type of snail I have including (turbo, astria, or nassirus)?
bang guy
Moderator
Originally Posted by ifusayso
1. Description: I have two of these that I have seen, they appear to have a "conch" like shell, but a red-colored foot. It is quite small about the size of a q-tip end. Here's a bad(due to magnified) pic of it:
2. No pic, but from looking at the HH thread could be a sundial, BUT it travels with the shell upright. It is hard to tell the details as it the size a pin head. I could not get a pic that showed more than a white dot...but to the eye there is a sort of checkered pattern of white and tan/brown.
3. On the glass are even smaller snails(?), are these perhaps babies of some type of snail I have including (turbo, astria, or nassirus)?
1 - Horse Conch. This animal is a predator. It will eat anything it can catch. Snails, Clams, etc.
2 - The distinction between Collonista & Sundial is a pyramid shaped covering over the shell opening that the Sundial has.
3 - Could be anything. My guess would be Ilyanassa obsoleta (not really Nassarius sp.).
1. Description: I have two of these that I have seen, they appear to have a "conch" like shell, but a red-colored foot. It is quite small about the size of a q-tip end. Here's a bad(due to magnified) pic of it:
2. No pic, but from looking at the HH thread could be a sundial, BUT it travels with the shell upright. It is hard to tell the details as it the size a pin head. I could not get a pic that showed more than a white dot...but to the eye there is a sort of checkered pattern of white and tan/brown.
3. On the glass are even smaller snails(?), are these perhaps babies of some type of snail I have including (turbo, astria, or nassirus)?
1 - Horse Conch. This animal is a predator. It will eat anything it can catch. Snails, Clams, etc.
2 - The distinction between Collonista & Sundial is a pyramid shaped covering over the shell opening that the Sundial has.
3 - Could be anything. My guess would be Ilyanassa obsoleta (not really Nassarius sp.).
ifusayso
Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
1 - Horse Conch. This animal is a predator. It will eat anything it can catch. Snails, Clams, etc.
2 - The distinction between Collonista & Sundial is a pyramid shaped covering over the shell opening that the Sundial has.
3 - Could be anything. My guess would be Ilyanassa obsoleta (not really Nassarius sp.).
Thanks Bang Guy. For the Horse conch, since I have only seen two I can pretty easily get rid of them. The second one is so small I just can't tell for sure...but I will probably just pull them out as I see them. Do I want the third ones to stay? There are probably a hundred of them on my glass each day. Not sure how to get rid of them.
1 - Horse Conch. This animal is a predator. It will eat anything it can catch. Snails, Clams, etc.
2 - The distinction between Collonista & Sundial is a pyramid shaped covering over the shell opening that the Sundial has.
3 - Could be anything. My guess would be Ilyanassa obsoleta (not really Nassarius sp.).
Thanks Bang Guy. For the Horse conch, since I have only seen two I can pretty easily get rid of them. The second one is so small I just can't tell for sure...but I will probably just pull them out as I see them. Do I want the third ones to stay? There are probably a hundred of them on my glass each day. Not sure how to get rid of them.
rabid frog
Active Member
Not a positive id but most directions point to Homotrema
T
tizzo
Guest
Originally Posted by bsktmom
Tizzo what kind of a snail is that? Thanks!
The small one is a parasite pyramid snail on the larger collinista (common beneficial hitch-hiker) snail.
The collinistas, you will see all over your glass at night if you have them. They look about the size of a pea or so...
Tizzo what kind of a snail is that? Thanks!
The small one is a parasite pyramid snail on the larger collinista (common beneficial hitch-hiker) snail.
The collinistas, you will see all over your glass at night if you have them. They look about the size of a pea or so...
ifusayso
Member
Last night on a rock with yellow polyps I found a clear "polyp" exactly like the yellow ones. Any ideas what this could be? I can get pics later today maybe.
Also noticed a worm(?) that has a flat end that reaches out from a rock crevice or hole and seems to be eating something from the substrate. It is a grey/brown color and about a half inch long very thin. Reminds me of an elephant trunk sort of. Is this a peanut worm maybe?
Thanks,
Heather
Also noticed a worm(?) that has a flat end that reaches out from a rock crevice or hole and seems to be eating something from the substrate. It is a grey/brown color and about a half inch long very thin. Reminds me of an elephant trunk sort of. Is this a peanut worm maybe?
Thanks,
Heather
ifusayso
Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
I would keep the third ones until positively identified. If they are on the glass then it's a good indication that they eat Diatoms.
I was able to remove actually three of the pictured pretty sure that was all of them. The sundial or collonista...I cannot seem to find now, but will remove when I find it. I do see the third things eating stuff from the substrate when I knock them down cleaning with the magnet.
I would keep the third ones until positively identified. If they are on the glass then it's a good indication that they eat Diatoms.
I was able to remove actually three of the pictured pretty sure that was all of them. The sundial or collonista...I cannot seem to find now, but will remove when I find it. I do see the third things eating stuff from the substrate when I knock them down cleaning with the magnet.
T
tizzo
Guest
Originally Posted by ifusayso
Last night on a rock with yellow polyps I found a clear "polyp" exactly like the yellow ones. Any ideas what this could be? I can get pics later today maybe.
Also noticed a worm(?) that has a flat end that reaches out from a rock crevice or hole and seems to be eating something from the substrate. It is a grey/brown color and about a half inch long very thin. Reminds me of an elephant trunk sort of. Is this a peanut worm maybe?
Thanks,
Heather
Yes, your description sounds like a peanut worm.
Here is a pic for reference on a clear polyped aiptasia.
Last night on a rock with yellow polyps I found a clear "polyp" exactly like the yellow ones. Any ideas what this could be? I can get pics later today maybe.
Also noticed a worm(?) that has a flat end that reaches out from a rock crevice or hole and seems to be eating something from the substrate. It is a grey/brown color and about a half inch long very thin. Reminds me of an elephant trunk sort of. Is this a peanut worm maybe?
Thanks,
Heather
Yes, your description sounds like a peanut worm.
Here is a pic for reference on a clear polyped aiptasia.
teakwood12
New Member
does anyone know what he is?
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