Hitchhiker Anemone ID

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Dug this little guy out of the overflow chamber of my tank today. My gut says it has to be an aiptasia but it looks a little different from the ones I've seen in the past. It's still not quite as open as it was but when fully open it has a relatively large and well-defined circular center with even and fine tentacles around the outside. It looks more like a tidy polyp, not wild and raggedy like some aiptasias. Redish colored rather than brown. It was living pretty much in complete darkness. Confirm pest?

 

[encrustingacro]

Looks very cool. I wouldn’t say it’s an aiptasia because it doesn’t look like one. The tentacles have orange tips and the center is brown while the rest of the anemone is clear. I would keep it in a separate tank and see what it does.

 

[Goaway]

Doesn't look like aips or ball anemone. I doubt majano as they love light. No sure on this one.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Dug this little guy out of the overflow chamber of my tank today. My gut says it has to be an aiptasia but it looks a little different from the ones I've seen in the past. It's still not quite as open as it was but when fully open it has a relatively large and well-defined circular center with even and fine tentacles around the outside. It looks more like a tidy polyp, not wild and raggedy like some aiptasias. Redish colored rather than brown. It was living pretty much in complete darkness. Confirm pest?

Did them anemone come on live rock from the Gulf of Mexico or live rock from some where else?

If so, there are a few possibilities, as it looks similar to a Warty sea anemone, but there are so many variations classified as a warty, but not really a warty, knowing where it came from (if possible) would assist a ton in ID'ing it.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Did them anemone come on live rock from the Gulf of Mexico or live rock from some where else?

If so, there are a few possibilities, as it looks similar to a Warty sea anemone, but there are so many variations classified as a warty, but not really a warty, knowing where it came from (if possible) would assist a ton in ID'ing it.

The only time I can think that it might have been introduced would have been on a coral frag, with the most recent additions being from WWC back in January.

I first spotted it two weeks ago while I was changing out my carbon and GFO. The darn thing was right in the bottom of the chamber partially under the media caddy, open and happy as could be in spite of being truly in the dark back there.

It sure is a neat looking little 'nem, I'm just trying to figure out how to keep it safe and alive without risking my system if it turns out to be a bad guy. Heck, if it is a bad guy it's still fascinating, so I might just have to make a jar tank for it and keep it anyway!

 

[Eagle_Steve]

The only time I can think that it might have been introduced would have been on a coral frag, with the most recent additions being from WWC back in January.

I first spotted it two weeks ago while I was changing out my carbon and GFO. The darn thing was right in the bottom of the chamber partially under the media caddy, open and happy as could be in spite of being truly in the dark back there.

It sure is a neat looking little 'nem, I'm just trying to figure out how to keep it safe and alive without risking my system if it turns out to be a bad guy. Heck, if it is a bad guy it's still fascinating, so I might just have to make a jar tank for it and keep it anyway!

Being as it was in the overflow, under a caddy, and doing fine, I am leaning towards some from of Bunodosoma sp.

These nems are NPS, called warty nems even though not all nems classified as them fit into the actual specifics of that type of nem. I have numerous ones classified as wartys, that have none of the warts, but for whatever reason still fall under them. Sadly, there is not as much research into the 100s of varieties that live in/around our atlantic/gulf coast.

Being as it appears to be an NPS nem, it will need supplemental feeding. This is more than likely why it went to the overlfow area. Missed food was caught by it. I feed mine 3 times a week and it is small mysis they get fed. If regularly fed, they will stay put, even in the light.

here are a few of mine for reference. All classified as warty, but only one really fits the bill for being a warty. (classification was verfied by working with a few FWC marine biologist that I know and they agree there is not enough work being performed on them. As they are not threatened and are everywhere you look under a rock, not really a point, in terms of conservation)

Anohter giveaway that they are very cvlose to some of mine is the arrangement of the tentacles. yours does not have the stacked tents of a majaono, the multi-row, stacked and staggered of an aiptasia, but have the 2 rows of tentacles with a slight offset between each row

The one on the hermit is not a hermit nem, it is a warty that decided to live on the hermit lol. It is now wedged under a rock at sand level.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Being as it was in the overflow, under a caddy, and doing fine, I am leaning towards some from of Bunodosoma sp.

These nems are NPS, called warty nems even though not all nems classified as them fit into the actual specifics of that type of nem. I have numerous ones classified as wartys, that have none of the warts, but for whatever reason still fall under them. Sadly, there is not as much research into the 100s of varieties that live in/around our atlantic/gulf coast.

Being as it appears to be an NPS nem, it will need supplemental feeding. This is more than likely why it went to the overlfow area. Missed food was caught by it. I feed mine 3 times a week and it is small mysis they get fed. If regularly fed, they will stay put, even in the light.

here are a few of mine for reference. All classified as warty, but only one really fits the bill for being a warty. (classification was verfied by working with a few FWC marine biologist that I know and they agree there is not enough work being performed on them. As they are not threatened and are everywhere you look under a rock, not really a point, in terms of conservation)

Anohter giveaway that they are very cvlose to some of mine is the arrangement of the tentacles. yours does not have the stacked tents of a majaono, the multi-row, stacked and staggered of an aiptasia, but have the 2 rows of tentacles with a slight offset between each row

The one on the hermit is not a hermit nem, it is a warty that decided to live on the hermit lol. It is now wedged under a rock at sand level.

Those are beautiful anemones, thank you for all the information! I'm so glad that I asked rather than just take the old "when in doubt, throw it out". The only other anemones that I have any experience with (other than the odd aiptasia) are the pom poms on my pom pom crab so this would definitely be a new adventure. It would be awesome to have a hitchhiker that's actually fun! Maybe I'll give it a home in the overflow of my nano.