please ID these things

[aaronw78]

I have 3 of these that hitch hiked with my star polyps. They blended in real well with the polyps b4 they started moving. They look like a worm with long white green tipped tenticles and they are about 1 in long. The move pretty fast. I moved them into QT from the main tank to be on the safe side.

 

[aaronw78]

"

 

[ekclark]

Yikes, I think I saw those guys in Men in Black

 

[sammystingray]

Just looking at it.....it obviously seems to live and hide in the star polyps. As far as I know, if they are predators, the starpolyps will show damage VERY quickly....if not, it's just camo. Try searching on the name Flabellina......nudibranch........I hope it is something good for you.....

 

[scottk]

That pic scared the &^%$#@ out of me. I've had nightmares about things like that...........

 

[bdhough]

Wow.... Thats not something you see every day.....
Looks like a Berghia nudi/seaslug. Says here in my jullian sprung inverts book they eat colonial anemones and are useful in controlling aiptasia.... Reef safe, must have sufficient light(probably pc's) and aiptasia to thrive.
The only thing is in this picture hes tentacles are not so elongated as yours. They look retracted some. Does he slither like a slug and the tentacles im seeing wave in the air on his "back"?
If so then thats my guess as to what it is....

 

[aaronw78]

Another thing I noticed about these guy since I moved them to qt is that they curl up into a ring like this when they are not on the move. Also the star polyps have started opening up better since I removed these things.

 

[aaronw78]

Their tentacles stay completely extended all the time, even when they are disturbed. They do move allot like a slug.

 

[bdhough]

Search what sammy said. It's some sort of nudibranch. Good or bad your search will resolve. I don't think its what i said btw.... but you can try and see.

 

[slofish]

Originally posted by ekclark
Yikes, I think I saw those guys in Men in Black
I guess not, I called J and K over at MIB HQ, they thought it was a minioperamp, but they thought again and said they werent sure.

 

[sammystingray]

Here's a VERY good candidate..... Phyllodesmium briareum ......he eats clavularia, and hides in them. From what I've read, divers must actually cause the polyps to retract to even see them. Look him up, I bet it atleast a close relative.

 

[sammystingray]

Pretty close?? Not exact, but on the right track.. There's so many nudibranchs, it takes awhile.

 

[sammystingray]

Another Phyllodesmium briareum..........try searching on species of Phyllodesmium ....they aree well hidden soft coral eaters.....so that wouldn't be good.

 

[jonthefb]

good thing you pulled them out!
nice detective work sammy!
good luck
jon

 

[bdhough]

Now to find somebody he hates and dump it in their tanks

 

[aaronw78]

Sammy's pics and descriptions looks exactly like them. The star polyps look better today but some do look like they are damaged. I found another one in the tank today. I am going to flush them unless someone wants these things. Thanks for the great info!

 

[bdhough]

You could try a 1 gallon species tank. But my guess is they may not do well since they do eat corals.....