Hitchhiker ID

coriii · Sep 25, 2019

Hello!

I'm completely new to reef and saltwater and today I bought my first corals. I got a duncan and a candy cane, and a few hours after I put them in my tank I noticed an animal i didn't purchase and I can't ID it.

Is anyone able to help ID it?

Thank you!

ndrwater · Sep 25, 2019

Hard to tell with the heavy blue, but looks to be a type of Palythoa.
Possibly Aptasia, but I seriously doubt it

coriii · Sep 25, 2019

Thank you! Should I remove it?

ndrwater · Sep 25, 2019

Depending on the type of Paly, it COULD be invasive, or something cool.
Honestly, my gut reaction is that it is Palythoa Toxica. Nasty slime and potentially dangerous. If you decide to remove it, wear gloves, double wrap it in plastic and dispose of outside.
This might be a bit of an overreaction, but I have P. Toxica in my tank and it is a real bear to get rid of once established

coriii · Sep 25, 2019

ndrwater said:
Depending on the type of Paly, it COULD be invasive, or something cool.
Honestly, my gut reaction is that it is Palythoa Toxica. Nasty slime and potentially dangerous. If you decide to remove it, wear gloves, double wrap it in plastic and dispose of outside.
This might be a bit of an overreaction, but I have P. Toxica in my tank and it is a real bear to get rid of once established

Thank you so much for the reply! I will definitely remove it taking the suggested precautions. Again, thank you so much!

DEWreefing · Sep 26, 2019

Could also be a baby Duncan does it suck completely in with no skeleton? You could also get it to close up and put a wade of superglue over the whole thing.

ScottR · Sep 26, 2019

coriii said:
Hello!

I'm completely new to reef and saltwater and today I bought my first corals. I got a duncan and a candy cane, and a few hours after I put them in my tank I noticed an animal i didn't purchase and I can't ID it.

Is anyone able to help ID it?

Thank you!

Looks like a majano anemone. Not as invasive as aiptasia but most consider it a pest.