Aptasia?

[Beachmom]

Can aptasia hitch hike on a feather duster worm

 

[WV Reefer]

Can aptasia hitch hike on a feather duster worm

They can hitchhike on anything.

 

[Beachmom]

I got the little guy a couple of weeks ago. He has done well. Put him in main tank yesterday and today I noticed the shaft is covered with what looks like small aptasia. Pulled him out immediately.

 

[Beachmom]

 

[Beachmom]

Any comments on what is growing on the shift of this feather duster

 

[JCOLE]

Any comments on what is growing on the shift of this feather duster

Yes it looks like aiptasia to me and a bunch of them. I would remove it and either remove them outside the tank or do not put it back into the tank. It will not be worth the headache down the road.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Yes it looks like aiptasia to me and a bunch of them. I would remove it and either remove them outside the tank or do not put it back into the tank. It will not be worth the headache down the road.

I think this is the best option

 

[John08007]

Sure looks like aiptasia to me, never seen a farm of them before

 

[Beachmom]

This has been moved into a quarantine tank. If you startle the worm the ? ??? Whatever it is retract back into the shell of the worm. That no makes me question aptasia.

 

[John08007]

Yea, that doesn't look like aiptasia now

 

[Beachmom]

So is it possible that since they retract like the actual duster head does that this could be little babies on its trunk ?

 

[BeejReef]

That would be an incredible density of aptasia in one small spot. Your duster would have had to come out of a tank that was INFESTED... like, no way you'd put a hand in without a rubber glove. The few I've seen typically appear more translucent than what your picture shows.

Cool feather duster!

 

[Mark3]

I don't think that looks like aiptasia....aiptasia tentacles are smooth, and those have a texture on tentacles .... BUT, that is an unknown that I wouldn't put in my tank, keep it in isolation for a while until they show what they are.

 

[WV Reefer]

So is it possible that since they retract like the actual duster head does that this could be little babies on its trunk ?

What color are the heads and what color is the “tube”? From your pics it all looks the same color.

 

[icomplii]

Its hard to say, It looks like aiptasia from what I can see (viewing on my phone so can't see small details) but I've never seen aiptasia so densely packed. Like others have said, if it was aiptasia then it would have had to come out of a tank that was completely covered in aiptasia. But if that was the case, then there should be aiptasia of different sizes but the ones in the pictures seems to all be around the same size which is weird

 

[foxt]

It's kind of weird how they are so evenly spaced. I agree with others that it does look like aiptasia, but you say that you got it a couple of weeks ago. These weren't on it then? You just noticed them today?

 

[BranchingHammer]

Definitely not aptasia. Whatever it is, it is growing in a colonial mat, so it could possibly be an encrusting gorgonian or something similar. The tentacles are branched and textured just like a gorgonian or other filter feeder. Maybe even green star polyps that are faded brown?

 

[Katrina71]

Never seen anything like it. @KJ any ideas?

 

[TinyTinCans]

Have you considered.....This?

 

[foxt]

Definitely not aptasia. Whatever it is, it is growing in a colonial mat, so it could possibly be an encrusting gorgonian or something similar. The tentacles are branched and textured just like a gorgonian or other filter feeder. Maybe even green star polyps that are faded brown?

That's an interesting idea. Might explain why they suddenly appeared - took a while for whatever it is to decide to show some PE.