For the love of god, someone ID this please

[Koston]

Foreground: I've posted this on Nano-Reef forums already. If you're a member anywhere else I highly encourage you to copy/paste this post or link to another forum. This is the 3rd time I have spotted this creature and thus 3rd time looking for an ID to no avail.

Hello everyone,


This is my third time finding this exact species of whatever in my tank. The first two times they were attached to snail shells, and the third time just now I found it on my zoas. No idea if it was eating them but I have been unable to keep zoas happy in this tank since day 1. They shrink, die off, and/or melt away rather quick. Always. I inspected him a tad bit more this time. I can't get a clear picture, just an iPhone picture.


This is the 3rd one I found pictured here:

More clarification:

(A.) Longer, thinner, "more flexible" stems protruding from body. These seem to help the guy move, and he moves at a steady pace using these. They are constantly moving around and there are several of them all around his body, and maybe a cluster around his head.
(B.) Stubbier "more hard", shorter black tipped spikes. These are a lot sharper than what is displayed in A and don't seem to move at all. They are black at the tips. There are less of these than A but still quite a few.


He has a distinctive head and butt, and the head has 2 distinctive antennae or possibly eyes, I have no idea.
I poked him around with an object and he released poop I think, or perhaps something else. Also displayed in the picture.


Also, he is not opaque. He is transparent yellow. You cannot see directly through him like glass but you can clearly see his insides.


I found a clearer pic of him here:

Here is a clearer representation between A (the thinner longer stems) versus B (the short, stubbier, thicker black tipped spikes).


If you're part of other forums, I encourage you to copy/paste this post there. I'm desperately trying to find out if they are predatory. This is the 3rd I have found and I am sure there are more. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read this.


Koston

 

[KYLECT]

Looks like a bristle worm to me.

 

[_sludgefactory]

Looks like some kind of nudibranch.

Sent from somewhere using something.

 

[cvysochin]

Dosent quite look like a nudi but possibly a tiny cucumber?

 

[_sludgefactory]

Dosent quite look like a nudi but possibly a tiny cucumber?

True that, the "antenna" could easily be the mouth parts.

Sent from somewhere using something.

 

[_sludgefactory]

You should see if it has tube feet on its under side.

Now that i reread you original post I'm definitely thinking cucumber also. Little tube feet that help it move and a similar grouping around it's mouth. Sounds exactly like a cucumber.

Sent from somewhere using something.

 

[pumarjr]

Looks like a cucumber, if you have an iphone or similar mobile phone, place a droplet of fresh water on the lens, it will allow you to take a clear magnified pic of your specimen.

 

[Henry C]

It's a zoa eating nudibranch. I typed in zoa eating nudibranch and there are pics of it on the site look here:zoa eating nudibranchs - Bing Images. Hope this helps.

 

[smadascott]

I would say that I am 100% sure that the "possible poop" IS in fact poop!

 

[_sludgefactory]

I would say that I am 100% sure that the "possible poop" IS in fact poop!

I concur. Poop indeed.

Sent from somewhere using something.

 

[Koston]

I really don't think it's a nudi. It doesn't look like the pic you posted. And doesn't resemble a zoa eating nudi. I'm wondering if there is such thing a zoa-eating cucumber. I am fairly certain it's a cucumber I was just wondering if someone could ID further... if it was predatory or not.

 

[Russellaqua]

All Holothurians (sea cucumbers) will only eat dead/decaying material. If your little critter does have tube feet on the bottom, it's definitely a cuke, and I'm leaning towards a cucumber for it too. However, it will not eat living zoas. That being said, perhaps it is crawling between the polyps looking for the detritus that frequently builds up there, and is irritating the polyps to the point where they eventually die, and then they become a food source. I'm not sure that this is what's happening, but it's certainly a possibility.

 

[secretreefer]

possibly baby tigertail sea cucumber?

 

[Mike&Terry]

It might be a good idea to submit your pictures to Bob Fenner's wetwebmedia site for identification. :smile:

 

[_sludgefactory]

It might be a good idea to submit your pictures to Bob Fenner's wetwebmedia site for identification. :smile:

^+1

Sent from somewhere using something.

 

[mcarroll]

If you've ever seen the so-called Pink and Green Sea Cucumber (which does have other color variants like yellow) it's built very similarly to the tiny specimen in your pic. We used to get them all the time at my LFS and the resemblence is as close to "spot on" as I can say at the size of yours.

I'll be danged if I can find a decent photo to show off the details - best I can find is Dr Fosters' promo pic...you can see the spines, tube feet and feeing appendages in the closeup.

I've never seen one the size of yours, but leaving aside the physical similarities I can tell you it would be very strange for the adults to move around as much as yours is....not typical at all. They are stationary filter/suspension feeders. (Again dunno about junior though....could be completely normal at that stage of development.)

All things considered, I think you have a species of this type of cuke (Pentacta sp.)....not a sand cuke (Holothuria sp.).

I am also not an expert and since it's free (beer) and easy, I would still submit to WWM as suggested above and see if they offer confirmation or another alternative possibility.

Lastly, regardless of genus I also do not think this guy would be a very good suspect in your softie problem. Wish I had a better suggestion for you there...zoa's are touchy until they are established - then they're almost un-killable. Have all your zoo's been from the same source?

Hope this helps a little!

-Matt

 

[REEFKEEPER10]

That is some type of nudi. Cucumbers get there name from the fact that they look are shaped like one.

 

[shred5]

Cucumber. Get a side shot and I can tell for sure..
Nudis dont have tube feet which is A.
Allot of cucumbers have a spiky appearance B
The poop comming out would be the side with the anus, how many nudis do you see leaving fecal pellets, how many cucumbers do you see doing this?.
That would make the other side its mouth feeding aparatus.

in this pic you can see the spikes and the tube feet. This is not the kind of cucumber you have but the pic will help you id it as a cucumber.

 

[zero]

It's a zoa eating nudibranch. I typed in zoa eating nudibranch and there are pics of it on the site look here:zoa eating nudibranchs - Bing Images. Hope this helps.

+1
on the zoa eating nudibranch. there are many different type of nudibranch that eat corals like the montipora eating nudi, and the zoa eating nudi. Best to dip your corals if possible to rid of them unwanted parasite.

 

[lovemyreef]

+1
on the zoa eating nudibranch. there are many different type of nudibranch that eat corals like the montipora eating nudi, and the zoa eating nudi. Best to dip your corals if possible to rid of them unwanted parasite.

+2 zoa eating nudi