Question from a Beginner, Please help!

[fishdentist]

I am a beginner in the marine hobby, having converted from about 6 years of freshwater aquarium-keeping. I have a 30 gallon tank with a few damsels and one small piece of live rock that's been in the tank for 10 days. My question is this: on the live rock have grown a group (probably 50) of small (1/4 to 1/2") pure white tube-like creatures with small tentacles (about 8-10 per structure). They disappear when I turn off the light at night, only to reappear after the lights have been turned on for a half hour or so. What do I have on this live rock, and is it beneficial or harmful? If anyone can offer a newbie any advice it would be much appreciated!!

 

[richard rendos]

Sounds like tube worms(i.e. feather dusters). Not like the big Hawaiian feather dusters you buy in the store, but ones that hitchhike in on live rock. Just filter feeders. Not at all harmful.

 

[striker]

Great little guys that will liven up your sand(if you have any). They are benificial to your tank. P.S. try to get some more lr in the future. It really helps with the biological filtration.

 

[ren]

well IME feather dusters come out in darkness also - but the dreaded aiptasia now, discription kinda leans towards them.

 

[opazen]

I say that those things are fine. Are they coiled up? Get lots more live rock cause you get all sorts of interesting things with it!

 

[fishdentist]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys! Ren, I agree with you that my first thought was Aiptasia also, but I've done some research on a few different websites and the pictures I've seen of Aiptasia don't really look anything like what I have in my tank. So for now, I believe I'll just keep them and see what happens. And I'll definitely be getting more live rock as my tank matures. By the way, is there a guideline as to when you should start with a few small inverts in the mixed (fish and reef) aquarium??

 

[jakob4001]

go to <a href="http://www.reefs.org" target="_blank">www.reefs.org</a> they have a lot of hitch hiker stuff & pics...those have been listed many times on this BB, but I cannot remember what they are called...some consider the mto be nuisances soemtimes because they obscure the view of the tank by appearing on front & side of the tank...they have short lives & quickly die off at some point; they are harmless filter feeders though...getting mroe LR is up to you though...the more you have in a reef tank usually makes for a healthier tank unless you have dead spots where waste accumalates or at some point you need to remove something that hides in the LR