ID This Hitchhiker?

[Th0r4z1n3]

So a buddy of mine is scaling down the amount of rock in his reef tank, and when he heard I was setting my tank back up, he just gave me a bunch of live rock to help me get it started. There were quite a few hitchhikers like baby Starfish, Snails, Sponges, ets. that I was easily able to identify, but I have no idea what the heck this guy is...any ideas? I know I've seen pictures of it before, but for the life of me can't remember where it was to look it up. I just want to make sure that I give this little bugger the care that it requires.

 

[Bifferwine]

It's a mushroom coral. It likes low to moderate light and flow. No feeding required.

 

[Smitty]

+1 Biff..it's a mushroom, and it'll split and multiply quickly.

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

Thanks guys! :)

Somebody said in my showcase thread that it was Recordia... same thing? I'm not trying to be lazy, I'm gonna read up on it when I get home, I was just checking the thread on my phone real quick and thought I'd ask.

 

[Bifferwine]

I can't tell from the picture for sure, but I don't think it's a ricordea. I think it is a striped mushroom. I am looking at this on my phone, though.

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

I noticed over the last day or so that it will expand and contract at times, sometimes being pretty plump and other times being all limp or even all drawn in almost like a lump. Like I said, I'm gonna read up on it more when I get home, but any advice/help is greatly appreciated. Thanks again guys.

 

[Bifferwine]

That is normal behavior for a mushroom.

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

Stopped home for "lunch", or at least that was my excuse to take some time to look at my tank, and tried to get a couple of better pics.

Also found a couple of other hitchhikers and want to make sure they're not going to be a problem.

I HATE to ask so much, but I really didn't plan on having anything living in my tank yet other than the rock.

 

[Dana42078]

It is a ricordia, second pic is aptasia (bad!) last pic not sure, baby clove polyps maybe.....the aptasia can be killed with a syringe and boiling RO water, aptasia x and a few other things like adding pep shrimp...google it.

Keep asking questions....this is how we all learn.

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

I thought that's what the second pic was, I just wanted to make sure before I got rid of it. Thanks =D

 

[Bifferwine]

Thanks for the better picture -- that is a yuma ricordea indeed. The second picture is an aiptasia -- like Dana said, it's a pest. I recommend using Aiptasia X to get rid of it. The third picture is coming up as a big red X on my computer. :(

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

I just wanna say thank you guys, this has to be one of the least hostile online communities I've had the pleasure of belonging to (including some of the ones I've had the pleasure of helping staff). Everybody seems to be real helpful, and even the few snarky remarks I've read are actually pretty tame by comparison to some other forums.

Good Job on part of the staff for keeping this a pleasant place, and a lot of respect for everybody who participates for taking some pride in your community and maintaining a respectful attitude on here. :D

 

[Bifferwine]

I just wanna say thank you guys, this has to be one of the least hostile online communities I've had the pleasure of belonging to (including some of the ones I've had the pleasure of helping staff). Everybody seems to be real helpful, and even the few snarky remarks I've read are actually pretty tame by comparison to some other forums.

Good Job on part of the staff for keeping this a pleasant place, and a lot of respect for everybody who participates for taking some pride in your community and maintaining a respectful attitude on here. :D

Thanks!!

I'm at home now so I can see your third pic. For some reason it wasn't showing up on my work computer. They are daisy polyps -- a type of coral. Another good guy!

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

Awesome! I guess two outta three ain't too bad. I was just going to boil that rock with the Aiptasia on it, but I noticed that there are a couple of other rocks with some on them too, and one of them is one that has the Daisy Polyps on it. Gonna have to hit up the LFS tomorrow for some Aiptasia X and hope I get them all before I actually start stocking my tank.

 

[Bifferwine]

If your tank is finished cycling (has it?) you can add a handful of peppermint shrimp that will take care of the aiptasia and help prevent future break outs. I would still do the Aiptasia X, but get the peppermints as insurance.

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

It's still cycling, I just put the rock in Sunday night to start the cycling process. I was hoping to have my Algae Scrubber set up before I started cycling to cut down on the time it takes, but I couldn't turn down that much free Live Rock. I really hope the corals and stuff survive the cycling process, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Bifferwine]

Those are tough corals. They'll probably survive. Since your tank is cycling, don't add the shrimp. They probably wouldn't survive.

 

[Th0r4z1n3]

I don't mean to be rude, so please don't take it that way, but are you guys sure that those are Daisy Polyp Corals? I was trying to look them up to make sure I give them the proper care, and can't seem to find one that looks like the ones in my pic. Most of the pics I've found online, tend to have flattened "petals" whereas these seem to have more rounded ones; they look more like really small orange Palm Trees than "Daisies" to me.

Again I don't mean to be a pain, I'm just really curious to know exactly what I have in the tank and wanna make sure I give them the proper care. Please excuse my n00byness. :)

 

[Bifferwine]

They look like daisy polyps. Also called pipe organ coral. Google pipe organ coral and you will see that there's a lot of variation amongst the different varieties. There are probably many different species that we collectively call "daisy polyps" so they make look slightly different from each other.