Any idea what this is?

[Budman2K]

When it was smaller I thought this was a dead bristle worm, but it has not moved from this spot and has been getting larger over the past week.

I reached in and gently touched it, and found it is definitely attached to the rock. Does anyone have any idea what it is, and is it friend or foe? Thanks in advance.

 

[yote]

That is some king of coral polyp.Looks like it could be frogspawn,but thats just a guess.

 

[dcantucson]

I agree with some kind of coral polyp. Cool.
Let ot grow and keep us posted with pictures as it grows.

 

[Budman2K]

Just an update on the unknown anemone. It has gotten a little larger and more defined.

I also have found more of them on the same rock, about 4 or 5 total that I can see. At this point they are still very small and hard to photograph, but I have identified them as Strawberry Anemone or Corynactis californica.

Here is a pic I took. Please ignore the overgrowth of algae, the snails have been on strike and we just came to an agreement, so it should be cleaned up soon :) . There is a bunch of algae on the glass as well that I need to clean. I will update with better pictures when I can.

 

[Alexander]

honestly i HIGHLY doubt it. strawberry anemonies live in extremely cold water compared to reef environments. They are found off the coast of Oregon, Washington, and Canada. Dry suit territory.

 

[Kazarko]

From that picture it looks like what I have - Strawberry anemones. I read they can be found off the coast of CA. Mine are growing and spreading slowly. So it's not impossible, just very unlikely to find them in warmer waters.

 

[Budman2K]

Here is the picture that I found that confirmed it.

It is from the Oregon State University's website. This is exactly what is growing in my tank.

I would link you to the website, but I am unsure of the forum's rules on linking, so here is the pic.

 

[Bifferwine]

I've seen people get strawberry anemones as hitch hikers before. It's possible.

 

[Sharkie]

strange as strawberries are typically coldwater nems... I know all about those things, they grown on EVERYTHING in the AQ lol. they a pretty ones tho! nice! :)

 

[winyfrog]

nice that's probably one of the nicer freebies :) do they multiple like aiptasia or mojanos