Tiny filter feeder?

[mattd017]

Anyone have any idea what this little guy is? He's tiny, just barely sticks out of the sand, closes up when I brushed a finger over him. I'm assuming it's a filter feeder due to the shape and position of it, but maybe photosynthetic.

 

[Hoodstream]

following for ID. Not sure tbh. The first thing I thought of was aiptasia, but I honestly don’t know.

 

[Dburr1014]

Looks like the cross section of gorgonian Coral but I don't think it is.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Looks like it could be a cucumber of some type.

Does it occasionally bring its "arms" in to its mouth? Like, one by one?

 

[mattd017]

Nope. Completely stationary unless touched. Then it closes up. I don't think it's aptasia. Too symmetrical and the tentacles just don't look right. Plus I have a peppermint shrimp in there, so if it is, he's slacking and we're going to have to have a heart to heart.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Nope. Completely stationary unless touched. Then it closes up. I don't think it's aptasia. Too symmetrical and the tentacles just don't look right. Plus I have a peppermint shrimp in there, so if it is, he's slacking and we're going to have to have a heart to heart.

On my PC now and zoomed in a little. Almost looks like a baby rfa or baby warty sea nem.to an extent, but not quite. Does it fluoresce in anyway under blues?

Just for sanitys sake, is your rock by chance rock harvested from the gulf? Like KP, TBR or Gulf Live Rock.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Forgot, next step to help ID would be to see the "body" below the sand. If we could see that, it would surely help narrow down the list.

 

[mattd017]

On my PC now and zoomed in a little. Almost looks like a baby rfa or baby warty sea nem.to an extent, but not quite. Does it fluoresce in anyway under blues?

Just for sanitys sake, is your rock by chance rock harvested from the gulf? Like KP, TBR or Gulf Live Rock.

Forgot, next step to help ID would be to see the "body" below the sand. If we could see that, it would surely help narrow down the list.

No fluorescence. I attempted to blow the sand away from it using a pipette, and it retracted for about 30 minutes. Finally came out, and I was able to blow most of the sand away and catch it in a test tube. Pics attached.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

No fluorescence. I attempted to blow the sand away from it using a pipette, and it retracted for about 30 minutes. Finally came out, and I was able to blow most of the sand away and catch it in a test tube. Pics attached.

Looks a lot like a baby cucumber in that pic. But also looks like my Warty Sea Anemone Babies in my NPS tank.

 

[mattd017]

Looks a lot like a baby cucumber in that pic. But also looks like my Warty Sea Anemone Babies in my NPS tank.

Well, neither are pests, so I may keep it. But I'm pretty sure the peppermint or hermits will eat it. Looks like I need to get another tank! Pretty sure my wife would kill me...

 

[mattd017]

Also, this is all marco rock. I have a lot of corals, but they've all been dipped, so I doubt a cucumber or nem made it on those. I used arag-alive "live" sand, so maybe it came in through that? Or as a hitchiker on my cuc... Who knows?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Also, this is all marco rock. I have a lot of corals, but they've all been dipped, so I doubt a cucumber or nem made it on those. I used arag-alive "live" sand, so maybe it came in through that? Or as a hitchiker on my cuc... Who knows?

I have seen cucumbers and nems survive dips before, so it could have just made it through or an egg/spore made it through. The latter seems more likely considering the size of the critter.

One way to test to see if it is a cucumber, is to add a tiny bit of powdered food or liquid from frozen food to just right near it. If it waves its arms to gather food to mouth, it would be a cumcumber.

Full retraction of the critter could mean nem, or other type of critter.

With it being so small and nt in front of me, makes it hard to ID. If in front of me, it would go under magnifying glass and possibly a scope to see if I could ID it. I know, I am weird lol.

 

[mattd017]

Blew some reef chili over it, did absolutely nothing. No retraction, no waving. Just sat there. It keeps it's... tentacles?... completely flat against the sand. I may try and set up a cage around it to protect it. I'd like to see what it becomes.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Blew some reef chili over it, did absolutely nothing. No retraction, no waving. Just sat there. It keeps it's... tentacles?... completely flat against the sand. I may try and set up a cage around it to protect it. I'd like to see what it becomes.

That is something I would do lol.

I would then try to feed it a small piece of mysis to see if it took it. A response of some sort should be expected at some point and then that would help ID.

 

[mattd017]

WHen you say you would try and ID it, do you have a ID book or a dichotomous key you use? In another life, I was a marine biologist, but dealt primarily with fisheries important species (grouper, snapper, etc).

 

[Eagle_Steve]

WHen you say you would try and ID it, do you have a ID book or a dichotomous key you use? In another life, I was a marine biologist, but dealt primarily with fisheries important species (grouper, snapper, etc).

Usually I dig through tons of papers online. Multiple keyword searches, etc.

Or as my wife says when I do it “waste tons of time I will never get back.”

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Well, neither are pests, so I may keep it. But I'm pretty sure the peppermint or hermits will eat it. Looks like I need to get another tank! Pretty sure my wife would kill me...

My best guess is a larval sea anemone

 

[PeterEde]

Looks like what I asked an ID for recently. I have 2

 

[vetteguy53081]

Appears to baby majano or Neozoanthus but hard to depict under blue lighting

 

[mattd017]

Actually, it looks a lot like a Neozoanthus caleyi in person. That would be cool. Except when I finally got time to relocate it to somewhere a little more protected from the peppermint shrimp, it had disappeared. I think it retracted as the lights got dimmer, but I'm not sure.