What is this alien thing in my tank?

[Shaa]

I was just checking my aquarium after the lights went out and I saw something creeping out from the rock. It has a mucus web like Vermited snails, but it retracts it quickly, unlike Vermiteds. And it looks like it has three eyes on it (please see the video)! Lol

 

[Shaa]

Attaching video again

 

[Naekuh]

I was gonna say it could be a bristle starfish, but i didn't realize the 3 eye thing was also part of it, which completely blows my original guess out of the water.

 

[Shaa]

I was gonna say it could be a bristle starfish, but i didn't realize the 3 eye thing was also part of it, which completely blows my original guess out of the water.

Lol true, i have seen few different pest in my tank but this is utterly weird.

 

[littlefoxx]

@ISpeakForTheSeas

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

@ISpeakForTheSeas

This one's driving me a bit crazy: I know I've seen a critter with a fishing tentacle like that, but I can't remember what critter it was.

The tentacle is too thick (particularly toward the end, where it fans out more) and branched on both sides, so it's not a benthic ctenophore; it's not thick enough and branches too frequently to be a ribbon worm's proboscis; it's not right for a benthic siphonophore either (again, too thick, and there's only one visible).

The fanning out with more "bristles" toward the end also tells us it's definitely not a brittle star arm.


OP, any chance you could somehow remove the critter safely into a container of tank water for closer up pics?

 

[Shaa]

This one's driving me a bit crazy: I know I've seen a critter with a fishing tentacle like that, but I can't remember what critter it was.

The tentacle is too thick (particularly toward the end, where it fans out more) and branched on both sides, so it's not a benthic ctenophore; it's not thick enough and branches too frequently to be a ribbon worm's proboscis; it's not right for a benthic siphonophore either (again, too thick, and there's only one visible).

The fanning out with more "bristles" toward the end also tells us it's definitely not a brittle star arm.


OP, any chance you could somehow remove the critter safely into a container of tank water for closer up pics?

Sure, it pulled itself into the rock. I'll try to remove it once the lights are off.

Any tips on removal? It looks very delicate, and I'm concerned that using tweezers might damage it.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Sure, it pulled itself into the rock. I'll try to remove it once the lights are off.

Any tips on removal? It looks very delicate, and I'm concerned that using tweezers might damage it.

Not really - you might be able to suck it out with a turkey baster or something, but I don't know if it would damage the critter or not.

 

[Shaa]

Not really - you might be able to suck it out with a turkey baster or something, but I don't know if it would damage the critter or not.

Sure I'll try turkey blaster and will keep you posted.

 

[d2mini]