i think i have a miniature elephant ninja

[whysohigh]

ive been monotioring this thing for a few weeks and it always does the same thing. all i can see is what looks like a tiny elephant trunk type of tentacle or something, i say elephant because of the manner in which the end of this tentacle seems to be feeling around, and grabbing on to the rock or snails that venture near by. it just extends out from a tiny hole the rock about an inch to an inch and a half in length at most, its only out for brief periods of time, usually at night. it doesnt seem to be bothering anything but i still want to know what it is just incase its something bad.

 

[meowzer]

Look up peanut worm.....maybe it could be that

 

[katsafados]

+1 didnt I say the same thing to you Lois when I first saw one poking around lol? Mine was a zebra trunk lol

 

[meowzer]

LOL....Maybe haha

 

[btldreef]

I agree, peanut worm.

 

[whysohigh]

i actually just got schooled on peanut worms last week when i pulled one out of my buddys tank, def not one of those guys, unless its another species. its much, much thinner and its behavior is much different. im about to move into my new house next week so you guys wont get a reply from me for about a week, but i will do what i can to get a shot of this guy. im almost positive its not a peanut worm, but ive been wrong before so we will leave it up to the camera.

 

[whysohigh]

today i noticed there are actually two of these, they come from different holes, but the angles they are on looks like they originate from the same area.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by whysohigh http:///forum/thread/382534/i-think-i-have-a-miniature-elephant-ninja#post_3339344
today i noticed there are actually two of these, they come from different holes, but the angles they are on looks like they originate from the same area.

It sounds to me like you have a serpent starfish. They are very good at hiding an all you see are the arms, which are very long and striped and feel for food and they come out at night. To find out for sure take a small chunk of raw shrimp near the rock under moonlights...it will come out to get it...

 

[whysohigh]

oh yeah i know all about thoes guys, i have handfulls, its def not a star fish of any kinda at all. like i said ive been monitoring this for weeks, i have moonlights on my tank and i have a sleeping disorder so im up every hour looking. it has never left that spot.it only pops out for moments and retracts. some times all my star fish come out to feed and spawn when i do water changes, not this guy, never moves from that little hole it comes from. and when i describe the thing as an elephant trunk, i mean it literally looks and feels around like one, i can tell theres a mouth at the end.

 

[katsafados]

Spaghetti worm?

 

[whysohigh]

man i feel like a real d*ck shooting everyones ideas down, but no im 100% sure its not a spaghetti.

 

[ibanez]

Could it be a Polychaete - Cirratulid? Check this page.
http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhikerswf.shtml

 

[whysohigh]

nope not that. i have that site bookmarked, great info he put together there. today is the day i am moving my tank to my new house, if i have to bust a rock apart to figure out what the heck it is, I just might. wish me luck.

 

[flower]

Alright..I'm tired of I see somthing you don't see...We need pictures.

So have a camera ready when you crack that rock.

 

[fretfreak13]

+a bazillion. Been following, I really want to know!!!

 

[whysohigh]

i had such bad luck trying to move my tank i didnt have time to crack the rock open. my new house has a thermostat that you need an engineering degree to figure out, 3 temp settings for every day of the week and no over ride. long story short, my tank was the first thing i moved, brang everything over, set it up best i could, came back the next morning to find the house at 54.5* F the tanks heater kept the tank at about 58*F. i thought everything was dead, sure looked like it. but once it warmed up, to my surprise, everyone made it alive, even my mini elephant ninja, the quest continues. sorry for the dissapointment, but i made sure to put that rock in an accessable area, when i get more unpacked i will take another try at it.

 

[matirvine]

Is that what your talking about?? Not the best pic, bowfront makes focusing hard if not impossible. Its come out about 2-3 inches and whips around looking for things, Ive seen 2-3 of them at a time in that area comming from different holes. I dont know what it is though

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matirvine http:///forum/thread/382534/i-think-i-have-a-miniature-elephant-ninja#post_3346708

Is that what your talking about?? Not the best pic, bowfront makes focusing hard if not impossible. Its come out about 2-3 inches and whips around looking for things, Ive seen 2-3 of them at a time in that area comming from different holes. I dont know what it is though
That looks like the leg of a baby brittle starfish.

 

[matirvine]

Maybe, it doesnt have the "spines" on the side of it like a brittle, its perfectly smooth.

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matirvine http:///forum/thread/382534/i-think-i-have-a-miniature-elephant-ninja#post_3346859
Maybe, it doesnt have the "spines" on the side of it like a brittle, its perfectly smooth.
Many baby brittles don't have the spines that you can see as well as you can on larger specimens. It could also be a peanut worm, it's one of the two.