Pest anemone?

Anihiel1 · Sep 3, 2023

I've looked everywhere on the net and can't find this. Found it on the bottom side
of a rock. I feel like I've seen it described somewhere. Can anyone id this?

Zoa.Mania · Sep 3, 2023

Maybe a hydroid?

jabberwock · Sep 3, 2023

I believe that is a cup coral.

ISpeakForTheSeas · Sep 3, 2023

Assuming it’s an anemone, you’ll probably need clear pics of the mouth and foot to get a solid ID.

KrisReef · Sep 3, 2023

Aiptasia is a genus of a symbiotic cnidarian belonging to the class Anthozoa. Aiptasia is a widely distributed genus of temperate and tropical sea anemones of benthic lifestyle typically found living on mangrove roots and hard substrates. Wikipedia

((FORDTECH)) · Sep 3, 2023

I would guess aptasia as well, and where there is one there is more

vetteguy53081 · Sep 3, 2023

This from the mouth and tips does look like Phyllangia americana also known as Hidden Cup Coral

Anihiel1 · Sep 3, 2023

@vetteguy53081 @jabberwock Interesting! I've since found 3 more after moving the rocks, all fairly large. One has a pink center, very cool. Knew it wasn't aiptasia bc lord help me I've had enough of THOSE.
Just weird since I've had the rocks for years LOL. They don't appear to be building columns (yet?) like my sun corals, but rather in tubes in the rock? Guess we'll see how they grow?

vetteguy53081 · Sep 3, 2023

Anihiel1 said:
@vetteguy53081 @jabberwock Interesting! I've since found 3 more after moving the rocks, all fairly large. One has a pink center, very cool. Knew it wasn't aiptasia bc lord help me I've had enough of THOSE.
Just weird since I've had the rocks for years LOL. They don't appear to be building columns (yet?) like my sun corals, but rather in tubes in the rock? Guess we'll see how they grow?

Thats why the name Hidden Cup- theyre concealed well

Anihiel1 · Sep 3, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
Thats why the name Hidden Cup- theyre concealed well

This rock came from my 125 at least a year ago, and was in that tank for years before that. Unfortunately had a pencil urchin which somehow became 4 pencil urchins and scour the rocks clean. Moved the few surviving corals into a nano and the 125 is now fowlr. So they've been hiding like 6 years LOL.

Rtaylor · Sep 5, 2023

I don’t think it’s a hidden cup coral, you should be able to see the skeleton if you were to poke at it to get it to retract. Also cup corals have a little ball on the tip of each tentacle and you can see a spotted patten on the tentacles

Your pic reminds me of a tube anemone (Ceriathus sp.)

Anihiel1 · Sep 6, 2023

Interesting! Yes the tips are definitely spiked not balled. I tested the smallest one which does not appear to retract into the rock. Lo and behold, he egged up. I'm off to search Google images LOL

Rtaylor · Sep 6, 2023

Anihiel1 said:
Interesting! Yes the tips are definitely spiked not balled. I tested the smallest one which does not appear to retract into the rock. Lo and behold, he egged up. I'm off to search Google images LOL

It could be a type of aptasia as well, there are hundreds of aptasia species that vary in appearance. It would be pretty uncommon to find a tube anemone as a hitchhiker, so unfortunately it is much more likely to be aptasia or exaptasia