What is this hitch hiker?

skyedale · Oct 31, 2015

Just started up my first salt tank. I cured the live rock for 10 days. On Thursday night I moved the rock into the tank. Temp is 76 and SP is 1.024.

Friday morning I noticed some small polyps. By late Friday afternoon 6 of them were open and another 4 were thinking about opening. The tank gets late afternoon sun if I don’t close the blinds. This was the only light.

After the sun set all the polyps closed up again, going back into their tubes.

Any idea what sort of polyp this is.

It has been suggested that it is clove polyp, majano anemone and a type of zoo. Given that this is my first tank I have no idea.

If they are clove polyps then I will keep them, if they are majano I will boil the rock and re cure it.
I would hate to kill a “good” coral, because of mistaken identification.

The other thing is that given the tank is just starting to cycle, what ever it is might die anyway.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Judith

twilliard · Oct 31, 2015

Mojano?
Or yellow polyps?

favites · Oct 31, 2015

twilliard said:
Mojano?
Or yellow polyps?

hard to tell from the pick, if they are pest anemones when you touch them they should retract way down, usually yellow coral polyps dont retract in the stalk much just the head...

twilliard · Oct 31, 2015

Oh and welcome to R2R!
What got me was the bulb ends of the tentacles.
IMO I would rid of them now before they get out of hand.

RalphsReef · Oct 31, 2015

Those look like majanos.

Tahoe61 · Oct 31, 2015

Sometimes called yellow star polyps, not quite classified as zoanthids. They will bother some corals as they spread, moderately fast grower.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+2856+675&pcatid=675

One of my first corals.

EW_Fish · Oct 31, 2015

Looks to be yellow polyps. They grow fast. Not majanos

larangcon · Nov 2, 2015

I agree, looks like yellow polyps. if they are, it can grow fast and may take up a lot of space in your tank.

Tristan · Nov 2, 2015

Doesn't look like majanos. More like Zoas. Poke one of the polyps and see if it retracts quickly into the rock. I don't mean if it closes up, I mean if it retracts into the rock. If it does, it is a majano. The tentacles don't seem to be as fat as majanos usually are

skyedale · Nov 5, 2015

Tristan said:
Doesn't look like majanos. More like Zoas. Poke one of the polyps and see if it retracts quickly into the rock. I don't mean if it closes up, I mean if it retracts into the rock. If it does, it is a majano. The tentacles don't seem to be as fat as majanos usually are

If anything comes near it the “head” retracts into the “stem” not into the rock - closes up.

hingisp · Nov 5, 2015

Yip yellow polyps. Similar to zoas...

skyedale · Nov 5, 2015

Thanks all for your help with ID’ing my hitch hiker. The general opinion is that it isn’t majano, but some sort of polyp. The questions remains as to whether or not it is invasive. Time will tell on that one.
I am surprised that hitch hiker is still alive given my current water parameters. I wouldn’t say it is thriving, but it is holding its own. It doesn’t take much light to get it to open.

The tank was started on Oct. 29 so I am no were near 0/0. If it is still alive in a month and isn’t spreading like gang busters I will keep it and be very watchful of it. I know this sound sentimental, but I really hate the thought of killing off the first living thing in my first salt tank. Could it go and live in the sump?

I have lots of time to decide as my intention is to add the first livestock sometime next month. My Christmas present to me.

Thanks for all your input it really increased my awareness of “bad” livestock. Prior to posting the pictures I had never even read about majano. I have read of the other things that come crawling out of the rock work, but you folks certainly pointed out the huge gaps in my knowledge when it came to pretty, but undesirable critters.

Judi.

saltyphish · Nov 5, 2015

I have read certain pests surviving being out of the water for long periods of time including being dried out. In many cases with pest polyps they can become very invasive and cause major headaches in the future if not dealt with immediately. Enjoy your Christmas present to your self

Naiad · Nov 5, 2015

The best way to keep the more invasive polyps undercontrol is to isolate their rock so they have a harder time moving across the tank. I have kept green buttons this way.