On the hunt! We want your hitchiker pictures!

A forum where you may post your pictures and descriptions about flora and fauna you find in your tank. Find answers to the eternal questions of "What the heck was THAT?" and "What just bit me?"

Moderator: Admins

Postby wade » April 3rd, 2007, 9:32 pm

If you wish to post pictures for us all to gawk at, use the photography forum. If you want help in identifying critters or will allow us to use them (with credits given) then feel free to post here!

1- Size is ~640 pixels max for the forums, that helps alot.

2- You can post them as links from another site (many free hosting services won't allow it) or you can upload it with your message.

3- The property remains yours, we're not here for profiteering or commandeering anyones intellectual property.
wade
Site Admin
 
Posts: 1924
Joined: January 13th, 2000, 2:01 am
Location: Washington DC

Postby OddFish » April 4th, 2007, 12:22 pm

Already posted apologies, but can't see them yet. Didn't mean to offend, sorry :oops:

Colonial turnicates, could be Botryllus or similar species. Link:
http://www.edge-of-reef.com/tunicati/htmen/TUNbotryllusen.htm.

Another colonial turnicates, same, different views:

Will continue.
Attachments
colonial_turnicate_sm2.jpg
Another small colonial turnicates, no ID.
colonial_turnicate_sm2.jpg (21.68 KiB) Viewed 13083 times
colonial_turnicate_sm.jpg
Another small colonial turnicates, no ID, closeup view.
colonial_turnicate_sm.jpg (25.43 KiB) Viewed 13079 times
colonial_turnicate.jpg
Colonial turnicates, may be Botryllus sp.
colonial_turnicate.jpg (31.34 KiB) Viewed 13082 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 4th, 2007, 12:33 pm

Orange sea squirt, could be Ascidia sp., solitary turnicate.

Small red sea squirt, could be Ascidia sp., solitary turnicate.

Different kind of Valonia, bubble algae, less invasive, than a small round kind.
Attachments
valonia.jpg
Different kind of Valonia, bubble algae, less invasive, than the small round kind.
valonia.jpg (47.9 KiB) Viewed 13080 times
red_sea_squirt_sm.jpg
Small red sea squirt, could be Ascidia sp., solitary turnicate.
red_sea_squirt_sm.jpg (39.89 KiB) Viewed 13079 times
seasquirt.jpg
Orange sea squirt, could be Ascidia sp., solitary turnicate.
seasquirt.jpg (30.96 KiB) Viewed 13072 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 4th, 2007, 12:41 pm

Welk, predatory snail, face and side view.
Sea squirt, between two colonies of sun coral.
Attachments
sea_squrt_on_tubastrea.jpg
Sea squirt, between two colonies of sun coral.
sea_squrt_on_tubastrea.jpg (39.56 KiB) Viewed 13071 times
welk_faceview.jpg
Welk, predatory snail, face view.
welk_faceview.jpg (13.81 KiB) Viewed 13060 times
welk_sideview.jpg
Welk, predatory snail, side view.
welk_sideview.jpg (31.5 KiB) Viewed 13063 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 4th, 2007, 12:56 pm

White sea slug, or nudibranch, Tritoniopsis elegans, feeds on soft corals. Link: http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=triteleg

Smallest snail, attached to a coral, possibly Coralliophila Parva, feeds on variety of corals. Links: shell ID http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/TN_Family_MURICIDAE_CORALLIOPHILINAE.html, description http://striweb.si.edu/bocas_database/details.php?id=2746
Close-up in the next post.
Attachments
microsnail_on_chili.jpg
Possibly Coralliophila Parva, feeds on variety of corals.
microsnail_on_chili.jpg (17.82 KiB) Viewed 13056 times
white_seaslug2.jpg
White sea slug, or nudibranch, Tritoniopsis elegans, feeds on soft corals. Closeup.
white_seaslug2.jpg (13.74 KiB) Viewed 13058 times
white_seaslug_sideview.jpg
White sea slug, or nudibranch, Tritoniopsis elegans, feeds on soft corals. In 6g tank view.
white_seaslug_sideview.jpg (14.01 KiB) Viewed 13058 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 4th, 2007, 1:11 pm

Closeup of described snail.
Peanut worm, or Sipunculid. Detrivore. Link: http://www.mesa.edu.au/friends/seashores/worms.html.
Spirorbid tubeworms (tiniest feather dusters).
Attachments
spirorbid.jpg
Spirorbid tubeworms (tiniest feather dusters).
spirorbid.jpg (30.88 KiB) Viewed 13058 times
peanut_worm.jpg
Peanut worm, or Sipunculid. Detrivore.
peanut_worm.jpg (20.17 KiB) Viewed 13060 times
microsnail.jpg
Possibly Coralliophila Parva, feeds on variety of corals. Closeup.
microsnail.jpg (32.21 KiB) Viewed 13057 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 5th, 2007, 8:22 am

Yellow sponge, starts to grow as tank ages, prefers shaded surfaces.
White fuzzy sponge. Helps with water filtration.
Lilac fuzzy sponge. Sensitive to the water quality, as Haliclona blue sponge, but regenerates well with time.
Attachments
sponge_lilac_fuzzy.jpg
Lilac fuzzy sponge. Sensitive to the water quality, as Haliclona blue sponge, but regenerates well with time.
sponge_lilac_fuzzy.jpg (59.76 KiB) Viewed 13033 times
white_fuzzy_sponge.jpg
White fuzzy sponge. Helps with water filtration.
white_fuzzy_sponge.jpg (39.71 KiB) Viewed 13034 times
yellow_sponge.jpg
Yellow sponge, starts to grow as tank ages, prefers shaded surfaces.
yellow_sponge.jpg (25.75 KiB) Viewed 13030 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 5th, 2007, 8:34 am

Same white sponge in progress. The last shot - as conditions worsened, the the thank has a lot of detritus.
Attachments
whitesponge.jpg
Multiplied white sponge declines - a lot of particulate matter in the tank.
whitesponge.jpg (30.7 KiB) Viewed 13033 times
whitespongeNC2.jpg
White sponge multiplies. Helps with filtering water. Prefers shaded places.
whitespongeNC2.jpg (32.82 KiB) Viewed 13031 times
whitespongeNC.jpg
White sponge. Helps with filtering water. Prefers shaded places.
whitespongeNC.jpg (37.52 KiB) Viewed 13032 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 5th, 2007, 9:59 am

The same small snail, as in the posts before, this time feeding on purple lemnalia.
Q-tip sponge, Scypha sp. Harmless.
Another small sea squirt.
Attachments
red_sea_squirt_other.jpg
Another small sea squirt.
red_sea_squirt_other.jpg (52.61 KiB) Viewed 13023 times
Qtip_sponge.jpg
Q-tip sponge, Scypha sp. Harmless.
Qtip_sponge.jpg (19.02 KiB) Viewed 13026 times
microsnail_on_lemnalia.jpg
Possibly Coralliophila Parva, feeds on variety of corals. Here - on purple lemnalia.
microsnail_on_lemnalia.jpg (28.37 KiB) Viewed 13023 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby wade » April 5th, 2007, 10:05 am

Awesome! Thanks for posting.

Do you mind if I drop them into our hitchiker gallery on the main page? (If not, msg me how you want the credits shown.)

Wade
wade
Site Admin
 
Posts: 1924
Joined: January 13th, 2000, 2:01 am
Location: Washington DC

Postby OddFish » April 5th, 2007, 10:15 am

Flatworm, could be the red planaria.
Foraminiferans, the red could be Homotrema rubrum. Links: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/rs/index.php, http://www.recif-france.com/Database/119.htm
Majano anemone. Multiplies too fast.
Attachments
majano_anemone.jpg
Majano anemone. Multiplies too fast.
majano_anemone.jpg (42.43 KiB) Viewed 13019 times
foraminiferans.jpg
Foraminiferans, the red could be Homotrema rubrum.
foraminiferans.jpg (41.2 KiB) Viewed 13017 times
flat_worm.jpg
Flatworm, could be the red planaria.
flat_worm.jpg (12.53 KiB) Viewed 13021 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 5th, 2007, 11:20 am

Chaetomorpha, in short - Chaeto. One of the best algae for refugium. Non-invasive.
Iridescent blue-green staghorn algae - Dictiota, possibly Dictyota friabilis. Links: http://biodiv.upf.pf/base/taxon.php?id=1066, different dictiotas http://www.marinelifephotography.com/marine/seaweeds/brown-seaweeds.htm
Attachments
algae_Dictyota2.jpg
Iridescent blue-green staghorn algae - Dictiota, possibly Dictyota friabilis.
algae_Dictyota2.jpg (49.22 KiB) Viewed 13019 times
algae_Dictyota.jpg
Iridescent blue-green staghorn algae - Dictiota, possibly Dictyota friabilis.
algae_Dictyota.jpg (46.14 KiB) Viewed 13020 times
algae_chaetomorpha.jpg
Chaetomorpha, in short - Chaeto. One of the best algae for refugium. Non-invasive.
algae_chaetomorpha.jpg (76.43 KiB) Viewed 13016 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby OddFish » April 5th, 2007, 11:32 am

Small vermetids, with and without strands of mucus.
Spirobranchus, or Christmas tree worm, under hairy mushroom.
Attachments
Spirobranchus_onhairymushroom.jpg
Spirobranchus, or Christmas tree worm, under hairy mushroom.
Spirobranchus_onhairymushroom.jpg (26.78 KiB) Viewed 13017 times
vermetid_sm2.jpg
Small vermetids, without strands of mucus.
vermetid_sm2.jpg (9.93 KiB) Viewed 13012 times
vermetid_sm.jpg
Small vermetid, with strands of mucus.
vermetid_sm.jpg (25.25 KiB) Viewed 13010 times
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Postby wade » April 13th, 2007, 1:49 pm

Great shots on some of those critters! I'll try to get to adding them to our hhfaq in the very near future.

Thanks for posting everything!
wade
Site Admin
 
Posts: 1924
Joined: January 13th, 2000, 2:01 am
Location: Washington DC

Check this hitchhiker out

Postby ~reefchik~ » April 13th, 2007, 9:13 pm

Cool thread. Hello all, this is my first post back here in about 4 years (took a long hiatus from the hobby).

This little monster came hiding in my brown star polyps. As you can see it's easy to miss (see second photo).

There were 3 of them and they EAT the polyps. I sucked them out with a turkey baster and flushed them.

Image

Image
~reefchik~
Junior Member
 
Posts: 15
Joined: April 13th, 2007, 4:28 pm

Postby herpencounter » April 13th, 2007, 9:29 pm

Dang how did you see that.

And :welcome:
Cant you find something better to do...

My tank!!! http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=102695
User avatar
herpencounter
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 471
Joined: March 23rd, 2007, 4:41 pm
Location: earth

Postby OddFish » April 14th, 2007, 7:08 am

wade wrote:Great shots on some of those critters! I'll try to get to adding them to our hhfaq in the very near future.

May I add more images, only not all are identified?
Another group of pictures for the FAQ is waiting for identification in the Multiple ID for HitchFAQ thread.
User avatar
OddFish
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 51
Joined: January 5th, 2007, 5:56 pm
Location: Canada

Re: white threads id?

Postby Paintbug » April 14th, 2007, 11:24 pm

wendyzim wrote:These white threads appear when my substrate gets stirred up. Are they coming out of the strange tubes coming off my live rock in the second pic? What are the threads? What are the crusty tubes?


those are vermetid snails.
Paintbug
Junior Member
 
Posts: 10
Joined: April 13th, 2006, 3:11 pm
Location: Stoneville NC

Postby ~reefchik~ » April 15th, 2007, 3:01 pm

Thanks for the welcome, herpencounter.

I only saw them when they came out of the polyps onto the rock. I watched them for a few days thinking "how cool, some neat slugs". Til I noticed my polyps were disappearing 8O
~reefchik~
Junior Member
 
Posts: 15
Joined: April 13th, 2007, 4:28 pm

Postby herpencounter » April 15th, 2007, 4:58 pm

Oh that’s to bad... They would be a cool thing to have in there.
Cant you find something better to do...

My tank!!! http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=102695
User avatar
herpencounter
Reefkeeper
 
Posts: 471
Joined: March 23rd, 2007, 4:41 pm
Location: earth

PreviousNext

Return to Coral, Rock and Sand Hitchhikers

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest