What is this?

drluigi

drluigi

New Member
This very small creature attached to the front of my aquarium recently. I know it's alive because it has (very, very slowly) moved along the front of the aquarium. I think it came from the live rock I got at the LFS. On the back it looks like it has a light brown color with white along the edges. Can somebody tell me what it is please and if it's dangerous or not?
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
I thought there were two different kinds. One was okay while the other cause coral damage. Is that wrong?
 
bender77

bender77

Member
Originally Posted by gypsana
http:///forum/post/3115045
I thought there were two different kinds. One was okay while the other cause coral damage. Is that wrong?

I thought the same thing and that they were difficult/impossible to tell apart
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
I did some research on past post and ophiura stated that some can do damage to coral but it is very rare. I guess if the multiply too fast there can be an issue.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by gypsana
http:///forum/post/3115140
I did some research on past post and ophiura stated that some can do damage to coral but it is very rare. I guess if the multiply too fast there can be an issue.
Now I have heard that before..lol...But I pick them out and throw them in my other tanks..LOL
 
metal7fold22

metal7fold22

New Member
yea they are harmless...sometimes you get them with all there arms and sometimes you get them with no arms..there everywhere in my tank and i have no problems at all with them
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Originally Posted by metal7fold22
http:///forum/post/3118209
yea they are harmless...sometimes you get them with all there arms and sometimes you get them with no arms..there everywhere in my tank and i have no problems at all with them
Hee hee, this is how they propagate. They drop arms and a whole new one will grow from just an arm.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by bender77
http:///forum/post/3115060
I thought the same thing and that they were difficult/impossible to tell apart
Correct.
The overwhelming majority are harmless. I would truly not be concerned to be honest. It is fairly rare - not unheard of - but quite rare.
They do not "become" bad. There are different species but virtually impossible to tell apart. I've seen people accuse them when they had other problems...and there is no doubt they may be attracted to a dying coral before we consider that. Most people who have issues report that it is coralline that they damage first. Fewer report issues with them eating soft corals and the relatively most uncommon, IME, are SPS eaters.
 
nuro

nuro

Member
just wanna chime in, i have a species that 100% ate my GSP, not sying, not sick, but ate the coral. they were all over it and the peices i salvaged and moved out of thier range have thrived. just fyi
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
How do you mean "out of their range?" In another tank?
I do not deny they exist, BTW, I think that is clear. I know there are problems. But they are also not all bad. What other corals do you have? Have they eaten them? How many did you see eating the GSP? Was it one or several? How long did it take? How long had you had the GSP? How big of a colony was it?
I am not trying to challenge you, BTW, I am interested in understanding what you saw.
 
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