Anemones? Something else?

[kkgaskin90]

These lay their (tentacles?) completely flat on the sand. Mostly out at night but some during the day. Very hard to see. I swept the sand away from the base of 1... thoughts?

I'll try to figure out how to add a video

 

[Highgrade]

Spaghetti worm maybe?

 

[kkgaskin90]

 

[ahiggins]

oh god thats so creepy!!!!

 

[kkgaskin90]

Spaghetti worm maybe?

Not enough tentacles for any pic I've ever seen... and they aren't like a bunch of stray strands... there's only a few and they are oriented straight out from the center almost ALL the time. The one is curled up because I disturbed the sand... I'll have to see if I can get a better pic of one that's flat. They are SO hard to see!

 

[Highgrade]

Not enough tentacles for any pic I've ever seen... and they aren't like a bunch of stray strands... there's only a few and they are oriented straight out from the center almost ALL the time. The one is curled up because I disturbed the sand... I'll have to see if I can get a better pic of one that's flat. They are SO hard to see!

Have you tried to turn off you pumps and spot feed it?

 

[Bradley Crocker]

They look like a type of burrowing sea cucumber.

 

[tangerine3486]

I have a dozen in my tank that only hang out in same under ledges. I think they look like some time of anemone like aptasia , just not aptasia

 

[Bradley Crocker]

@kkgaskin90, where you able to positively id these things?

If not, try searching for Dendrochirotida or Neothyonidium. The sea cucumbers are in an extremely diverse group, so it may take some in depth Googling on your part, but I'm 99% sure this is what it is, or at least very closely related.

I don't mean any disrespect to oh so many reefers out there, but just because it has tentacles, does not make it an aptasia or mojano. It makes me sick to think of all the cucumbers, cup corals, juvenile rock and bubble tip anemones, etc that get destroyed because of false ID's or stereotypes (bristle worms are included here as well, but that's for another thread).

The branching cucumbers are suspension feeders, and are harmless. I would however suggest removing them if they are large. We all know what a sea apple can do to a tank when it dies, right?

 

[kkgaskin90]

Have you tried to turn off you pumps and spot feed it?

I have not, but have watched them catch small food particles and put them in their "mouth". I also dug one up and it does not appear like an anemone foot, more like a short worm.

@kkgaskin90, where you able to positively id these things?

If not, try searching for Dendrochirotida or Neothyonidium. The sea cucumbers are in an extremely diverse group, so it may take some in depth Googling on your part, but I'm 99% sure this is what it is, or at least very closely related.

I don't mean any disrespect to oh so many reefers out there, but just because it has tentacles, does not make it an aptasia or mojano. It makes me sick to think of all the cucumbers, cup corals, juvenile rock and bubble tip anemones, etc that get destroyed because of false ID's or stereotypes (bristle worms are included here as well, but that's for another thread).

The branching cucumbers are suspension feeders, and are harmless. I would however suggest removing them if they are large. We all know what a sea apple can do to a tank when it dies, right?

I have not. I searched deep into google a few nights ago before giving up. I will look specifically searching what you've suggested, thank you. They've been in my tank several years with no losses that I'm aware of. As long as it stays that way and I don't discover they are vicious killing machines they are welcome

 

[Bradley Crocker]

How big are they? They're definitely cool creatures. I have a few in my rocks, but the tentacles are only about 3/4" long, and almost clear.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Those are probably burrowing anemones like a Halcampa.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

Those are probably burrowing Halcampa anemones.

You never fail to help people insert their foot into their mouth...

Speaking of which, the mouth looks very different than any anemone I've seen, which led me to think cucumbers. There are halcampa species that look very similar, but the ones I saw are from colder waters.

And I don't know if anemones can articulate their tentacles enough to bring them directly into their mouths (honest, I don't know if they can or not).

You can just reply with "just because it's not easily identified and has tentacles doesn't mean that it's not an anemone!" and it won't hurt my feelings. Or indulge me, whichever.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I'm having a heck of a time posting, so if my sentences don't make a lot fo sense, just wait a moment until I see it and I'll edit it. It's like I'm deleting stuff and rearrange stuff... odd.

Just know it is never my intention to help people become more familiar with the taste of their feet.

Have you seen the burrowing anemone, the Nematostella?

This is a great depiction of what it looks like under there.

Here's a little something about one type.

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nematostella_vectensis/

Cucumbers traditionally have branched tentacles. You can see the guy in this thread has smooth tentacles. The mouth may be different than your average anemone, but that's because this isn't an average anemone. These anemones do bring things to their mouth.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

 

[ahiggins]

....yet again....eww

 

[Bradley Crocker]

I'm having a heck of a time posting, so if my sentences don't make a lot fo sense, just wait a moment until I see it and I'll edit it. It's like I'm deleting stuff and rearrange stuff... odd.

Just know it is never my intention to help people become more familiar with the last of their feet.

Have you seen the burrowing anemone, the Nematostella?

This is a great depiction of what it looks like under there.

Here's a little something about one type.

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nematostella_vectensis/

Cucumbers traditionally have branched tentacles. You can see the guy in this thread has smooth tentacles. The mouth may be different than your average anemone, but that's because this isn't an average anemone. These anemones do bring things to their mouth.

Very cool! I didn't think any anemones, or any cnidarian really, was capable of that level of dexterity.

I was thinking it looked similar to a cucumber, possibly a Neopentadactyla sp., like one of these

but on closer inspection the tentacles do appear to be smooth. They're obviously not as "bushy" as the second one, but the coloration is closer.

Between this and the mysterious Xanthid next door, I'm all Googled out. So if you do come across a tropical species of halcampa like this, I'd love to see it (Nematostella vectensis is a cold, brackish species).

As before, and again soon I'm sure....thanks for indulging me, you're the best! TTFN!

 

[kkgaskin90]

I'm having a heck of a time posting, so if my sentences don't make a lot fo sense, just wait a moment until I see it and I'll edit it. It's like I'm deleting stuff and rearrange stuff... odd.

Just know it is never my intention to help people become more familiar with the last of their feet.

Have you seen the burrowing anemone, the Nematostella?

This is a great depiction of what it looks like under there.

Here's a little something about one type.

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nematostella_vectensis/

Cucumbers traditionally have branched tentacles. You can see the guy in this thread has smooth tentacles. The mouth may be different than your average anemone, but that's because this isn't an average anemone. These anemones do bring things to their mouth.

Very interesting! I'll see if I can figure out how to get a better video of one. There's quite a few. The tentacles definitely are not branched, but smooth and transparent. The base however appears opaque, unlike the one in the video. The first picture of the Nematostella looks exactly like it, particularly the raised portion of the mouth.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

One thing to be careful of when trying to match up critters is confusing the "where something is naturally found" with "where something can survive and adapt". They are traditionally found in the wild in colder water, but they can live in warmer water. Remember that we're talking about anemones as well. They pop up in our tanks on rock that has been dry for a century, drowned in bleach and dragged through the flames of hell. Even though they are traditionally brackish water, you'll note they are found around Nova Scotia, the East coast and even California. Critters that live in brackish waters can traditionally tolerate full salt quite well.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Very interesting! I'll see if I can figure out how to get a better video of one. There's quite a few. The tentacles definitely are not branched, but smooth and transparent. The base however appears opaque, unlike the one in the video. The first picture of the Nematostella looks exactly like it, particularly the raised portion of the mouth.

Don't be concerned about things matching exactly. This is just a loose ID for a group of critters called "Burrowing Anemones". There are sooooooo many different types. There could also be influences that create subtle differences in the same species. The family of these I think is Edwardsiidae.