Please help me identify these!

[kaycam1105]

Anyone know what these are? They are tiny worm like looking things. I have an idea of what they may be but not positive. Found them inside the skeleton of a dead alveopora… removed it from the tank to detach it from the frag plug it’s on. I try to leave behind coral skeletons in my tank hoping they will regrow someday. Anyways I removed and was cleaning it and noticed these little guys crawling out when I had it outside of the water. Anyone know what these are? If so are they bad? I also attached another photo of something I noticed growing on my rocks. They are clear tube looking things. Maybe some type of sponge? Really hard to get good photos. Would love y’all’s input!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

They are tiny worm like looking things.

I can't see them closely enough to tell for sure what kind they are, but they're a vermiform crustacean of some kind. I don't see a pronged tail, so I'd guess either Tanaids or an amphipod species (probably from the parvorder Corophiidira).

Any chance you could get a clear pic of the tails and a side view pic showing if they have any claws? (If they do have any claws, are they like little hooks or little crab claws?)

If not, the below may help you figure out what you've got (amphipod or tanaid, they shouldn't be any cause for concern - they're basically just cool, larger pods that may eat smaller pods):

This is a Tanaid - they look remarkably similar to Anthuroidean isopods, Ingolfiellidean amphipods, and amphipods from the taxonomic parvorder Corophiidira.

You can tell this is a Tanaid because of two main features:

-The claws (called gnathopods for all of these critters); only Tanaids have the "crab-claw" style gnathopods (i.e. where it has a pincer with two claws instead of a just a hook with one).

-The tail; Tanaid tails are not split, and they are heavily segmented with smaller segments than the rest of the body.

It should be harmless.

Tanaids are generally scavengers, eating detritus/herbivores, though a few eat worms and copepods;

They are clear tube looking things. Maybe some type of sponge? Really hard to get good photos.

These are definitely either sponges or tunicates - I'm leaning toward sponges, but I honestly can't tell for sure with the blue light (white light is generally better for ID purposes). Either way, they're most likely harmless/beneficial.

 

[kaycam1105]

I can't see them closely enough to tell for sure what kind they are, but they're a vermiform crustacean of some kind. I don't see a pronged tail, so I'd guess either Tanaids or an amphipod species (probably from the parvorder Corophiidira).

Any chance you could get a clear pic of the tails and a side view pic showing if they have any claws? (If they do have any claws, are they like little hooks or little crab claws?)

If not, the below may help you figure out what you've got (amphipod or tanaid, they shouldn't be any cause for concern - they're basically just cool, larger pods that may eat smaller pods):




These are definitely either sponges or tunicates - I'm leaning toward sponges, but I honestly can't tell for sure with the blue light (white light is generally better for ID purposes). Either way, they're most likely harmless/beneficial.

Thanks so much. It’s honestly impossible to get a better pic of the little worm things…. They have caterpillar like legs and I don’t see any type of claws but it is really hard to tell since they are extremely tiny. They have tiny little antennae nubs if you look at the pic you can see it on the one in the middle. They look like little dots in the pic. I just want to make sure they’re not harmful! All my corals seem good but you never know things can take a turn quickly in reef tanks. Here’s a better pic of the “sponge/tunicate” looking things.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

ere’s a better pic of the “sponge/tunicate” looking things.

Yeah, that's definitely sponge.

 

[kaycam1105]

Yeah, that's definitely sponge.

I also just found this on the floor by my tank…. I took out a few extra hermit shells out of my tank and set them on a napkin on the table by my tank…. Maybe some type of amphipod? Found this dried up on the floor. Is this an aquarium creature? Also I think one of my corals has bryopsis on it. Today is not my day!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I also just found this on the floor by my tank…. I took out a few extra hermit shells out of my tank and set them on a napkin on the table by my tank…. Maybe some type of amphipod? Found this dried up on the floor. Is this an aquarium creature? Also I think one of my corals has bryopsis on it. Today is not my day!

That one's terrestrial - possibly a cricket or something.

 

[kaycam1105]

That one's terrestrial - possibly a cricket or something.

It’s an earwig. Lol I feel silly now. I got a little paranoid….
Does this look like bryopsis to you? If so do you have any experience with it? Thanks for all your help thus far

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Does this look like bryopsis to you? If so do you have any experience with it?

Possibly - no personal experience though:

If it's Caulerpa, it'll have a stolon (a long "root" that runs along the surface of the substrate connecting each "feather" together at the base); if it's Bryopsis it won't (Bryopsis has rhizoids, which look more like actual plant roots).

 

[KrisReef]

It’s an earwig. Lol I feel silly now. I got a little paranoid….
Does this look like bryopsis to you? If so do you have any experience with it? Thanks for all your help thus far

That reminds me of a small lad who found a newspaper in his uncles hedges near the front door of the manor. The lad loved his uncle, so he collected the newspaper from the hedge (it looked almost new). The lad carried the paper to the front door, pulled that open and called out; "Here's your newspaper delivery" as he tossed the paper into the front hallway. At first everyone laughed at the young boy, but then a swarm of earwigs began exiting the freshly tossed paper. The boy could not tell you what became of all those bugs because he decided to close the door and run quickly for the safety of the backyard.

Auntie and mom were both screeching loudly.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It’s an earwig. Lol I feel silly now. I got a little paranoid….
Does this look like bryopsis to you? If so do you have any experience with it? Thanks for all your help thus far

No. That looks like a caulerpa variety. Bryopsis is branching but not that uniform