Minature Feather Duster or Aiptasia?

[FishyReef]

I had to move a coral today to get it away from an urchin and noticed 2 little things on the back side of the rock that I can't identify. They are super tiny and almost clear with red coloring on the part of the tentacles. They retract into small tubes and then come back out again like feather dusters but also look like they could be aiptasia. Do aiptasia retract into tubes as well? With my luck its aiptasia!\

Also see a ton of very tiny white bugs all over my glass today - haven't noticed these before today - they are everywhere and moving. They are shaped like grains of rice but not even a millimeter in length - could they be pods, or are they something more sinister?

I really just want things to go well with my tank, but everytime I turn around seems like I'm facing another problem! At this rate, I'm not adding anything else to my tank until my fish are healthy, my sump is working, my water is clear, and my tank is free of pests. It might be a very long time LOL

 

[Gizmo]

Do the tubes have a cream color tint to them. They sound like feather dusters I've have them all over my rock for a couple years now, and the tiny bugs sound like they're probably copepods.

 

[FishyReef]

The tubes are more of a tan or grey coloring. I showed them to a colleague who thinks they are feather dusters because of the veregated (?sp) coloring to them, I'm also leaning towards feather dusters. I wasn't able to get any sort of picture with them wtih my phone otherwise would post something.

 

[little_fish]

I think you are over worried about them, sounds like pods and feather dusters.

 

[FishyReef]

Well, cool! I have no idea where the pods came from, but I'll take them :) And feather dusters it is then! Yay for good things in my tank :D

 

[awmoss]

Did you ever receive a response to your post or find out what you had. I have the same thing. Both the feather duster looking colony and the white things on my glass.

 

[FishyReef]

Yep, the white things were definitely pods - good guys - and the other was indeed a feather duster. I've since seen aiptasia in person and there is a very clear difference between the two!

 

[daugherty]

could be colonial hydroids also

 

[lumpy]

actually sounds like coacoa worm to me. Very similar to feather duster.

 

[yote]

If they retract into a tube, then it's a feather duster. And unless your adding rice to the tank, the little white bugs are most definitely pods.
Of course there is a type of isopod that's not good.
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/04etta/background/isopods/isopods.html

 

[FishyReef]

Yup, in my case (this thread was from way back in March), they were pods and feather dusters. For the new poster who wonders if they have the same thing I did, if you post pics maybe we can help you identify them!