Got a hitchhiker or unknown critter?? Check here for an ID

[frogman_reefer]

Pod culture (mixed, Tisbe, tigger and amphipods) is a couple weeks old. I was using it to rebuilt my Mandarins tank. 65 gallon tall.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I think I would start over. I would pick out some pods in each category to begin again, but those puppies would be going under a microscope to avoid re-contamination. I don't know if you have access to one or not.

 

[justaDutchguy]

This might be off topic but since this is the place where all the hitchhiker pro's hang out, i'll ask here anyway.

I had a healthy population of stomatella's and small bristle stars a few months ago but somehow i see neither of both anymore. What could be the cause? Only thing i can think of is some kind of crab?
Thankfull for any advice or a shared similar experience.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Populations of many critters in your tank wax and wane. As there is lots of food, their numbers will climb with all the grub, but then the food won't support the numbers and they go back down. There really are a bunch of other reasons, like predation and unfavorable environmental conditions, but they're still there.

 

[justaDutchguy]

Thanks for the reply!
I would't see any reason for the stomatella's to have starved, so i guess they either got eaten or as you stated, didn't match environmental conditions. Still a shame tho as i really liked them.
I will put a plastic bottle trap in tonight becouse i feel there is something in there eating my much loved hikers.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

No, not starved in the way you would think. It's very very natural for this to happen. It happens in nature everywhere and is her checks on populations. It's a good thing.

 

[justaDutchguy]

Ok, thanks, at least i don't have to feel like i did something wrong. Still it makes me wonder if it is possible to keep stomatella's for a longer period of time. I know a lot of people have stomas and brittles for years. They're hard to come by in Germany but do you think it would be possible to introduce both species once again in an established system? Or would that just be unfair to the animals?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I've had them for years, but absolutely reintroduce them. A lot of people reseed their tank with different things. Snails and pods get replaced all the time. It's not you, it's nature.

 

[justaDutchguy]

Ok, i think i will, we just miss them. Our kids love to sit there and look for them and explain their friends what daddy told about them.
Thank you very much for your time and input

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

New pictures on the hitchhiker snail:

Any help would be appreciated. I returned him to the tank expecting that he was an Astraea snail.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

What is the tan color in pic #1? Is that hard to the touch? Is it a part of the shell? I would have totally thought that was something stuck on there, but the color is also on the underside.

 

[shollis2814]

Came back from a week out of the country to my tank looking better than it has in months. Guess I had Hand in Tank Syndrome. These guys started popping up. Are these anything to be concerned about?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

It's a tunicate. They're fine.

 

[nervousmonkey]

Does anyone know what this is? It's pretty small; maybe an inch and only out at night. I have a ton of pictures of it if you need a better one. Thanks in advance.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

That's a hair (Cirratulid) or a spaghetti worm (Terebellid). Probably a hair. Maybe we could tell which, with more photos.

 

[Catchemall]

Sorry for the bad blue pic. But I have a bunch of these little bugs on my rock. They're smaller than amphipods they're round don't look like Copepods what could they be and are they bad or good? Thanks

 

[nervousmonkey]

I just found your website @Lionfish Lair ! What a treasure trove! Thanks. After reading about Cirratulids and Terebellids, I think that I have both kinds. I believe that the one I uploaded is Cirratulid because it has two tentacles per segment but there are other types of the same kind of worms with more than two tentacles per segment with a uniform body. Those would be Terebellids, correct?
They live in the rock though, not the sand, and they all have their own holes that they come out of. Either way, they are good to keep around correct?
Will my melanurus try to eat them if he finds em? The worms are out when my wrasse is asleep so they should be safe, at least I hope. Otherwise he's going to become a fat little wrasse...
Thanks for your help!!

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Yay! Thanks!

Oh he'll eat them, but sometimes the worm population can stay ahead of the wrasse.

 

[JDJP]

Cant find an answer on what these are.

They are attached to the glass at the skinny part. They're white. They wave around in the current.

Hydroids?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Yup. Hydroids.