Is that an anemone?

Soeren · Feb 1, 2019

Dear Reef2Reef community,

I am a 18 years old student from germany so please bear with me if I gave got some misspellings.
Just recently I started my first coral only Reef tank with mostly softys an now some birdsnest.

A couple Days agi I noticed my neon green Kenya Tree bending to the side never fully extendet or retracted. This morning just after getting up for work I noticed something in the rockwork besides the Kenya. It looked Anemone or torch like but contracted immediately upon moving the rock the Kenya was on. But I managed to take a few pictures.
It would be nice if someone could tell me what this is maybe a manjano or Aptasia or even samething completly different?

I hope you can make something out on that picture otherwise I will try to catch this specimen again on pictures.

Hope I got everything right. Enjoy jour day
Soeren

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 1, 2019

It looks to me like a ball anemone, not really great for the aquarium because they will split and multiply quickly, so I would try to get it out or kill it off somehow.

reef lover · Feb 1, 2019

I think i see feather dusters.

KJ · Feb 1, 2019

Corynactis sp.

reef lover · Feb 1, 2019

I had to look real hard!! But i see a ball nem now!

Justin Cook · Feb 2, 2019

Ball. But I always let them ride. I've never had them become and issue and it seems like they always colonize the worst possible place for them to survive. For example, they always seem to stick to hardware items that I do maintenance on by removing and soaking in vinegar once a year. That puts a dent in the population for sure.

VR28man · Feb 2, 2019

@Soeren

First, welcome and thank you for posting. Your English is excellent. (typical from my experience of many north Europeans. If only we Americans could master a second language so commonly...)

I would also try to "ride it out" - colloquial English for "let them grow for a bit, don't do anything, their population will probably decrease down on its own after a month or so".

Soeren · Feb 6, 2019

First of all thank you for all the great responses this really is the most friendly reefing forum!

So far I just "rode it out" and I am really happy with it. It may not be that visible in my picture but it has a ring of green fluorescent-tipped tentacles. I think it looks pretty sweet.
I even went so far and fed it with some pellet food I had laying around.
I will try to post some better pictures when it sneeks back out this evening.

Justin Cook · Feb 6, 2019

I may be in the minority but I let a lot of things "ride" in my system. I even have some colonial hydroids (not the really, really invasive kind) that I used to kill whenever I saw them. Between kalk and peppermint shrimps I could just about eliminate them but one day I decided to let them be. They now have a nickel (US coin) size spot on a rock in back that they seem content with. I'll kalk and scrape any new spots but I only have to do that once or twice a year. I figure they're part of the reef to and as long as they aren't invasive, they get to be. That's only true for my personal display. I have another tank and frag system that they've never shown up in and if they did I would eliminate them. I'm don't mind them but I'd hate to be the cause of them showing up in someone else's system.