What Is This?

[Rcpilot]

It's a clump of blue/purple bubbles in the middle of this zoa colony. The total diameter of the clump is about 1/2" Each bubble is about 1/16" diameter.

Is it some type of softie? It's a hitchhiker that came on this frag. I bought this frag a couple months ago.

Thanks

 

[Oscarsdad608]

Could it be a ricordea mushroom?

 

[Rcpilot]

Might be. I kept thinking it was some type of bubble tip anemone, but now that you said that--it DOES look like a ricordea.

Thanks.

Anybody else? Maybe an ID on a blue ricordea?

 

[reeffreak]

Its a Mejano anemone.

 

[Rcpilot]

Is that good or bad? :shock:

EDIT:
I've been reading up on the majano anenome. Not good. Most of the pics I've seen, they appear to have greenish tentacles and green bubble tips. Not saying this isn't a majano, but mine is blue. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the manajo comes in different colors.

Can anyone else confirm this is indeed a majano?

I was really hoping it was ricordea. :(

 

[Bifferwine]

I would also guess it's majano, which come in all sorts of colors. Here's how to test if it's a ricordea or majano. Touch it with some tongs or a stick or something. If it retracts, it's a majano. If it doesn't, it's a ricordea (anemones will shrink up into the rock when disturbed).

 

[Rcpilot]

Good idea Biff.

 

[Rcpilot]

I should have taken a video if the reaction when I poked it.

I used the end of a glass thermometer to poke and rub on it a little bit. I had to mess with it quite a bit for it respond and reduce itself to 1/2 the normal size.

I can't see a mouth or central body like an anenome or polyp.

It "might" be a ricordea afterall. I kinda doubt it though. These frags came with all kinds of nastys. I found aiptasia on 2 of these frags shortly after they arrived. Found a brown nudi on one of the zoa frags about a month ago. Dipped them every other day for 2 weeks. Total dips was 7. I was trying to kill any eggs or other nasties on that frag. They are surviving.

I've been watching this particular frag with the blue bubbles very closely. I was kinda waiting for it to grow out so I could get a good ID on it, but I'm afraid it is going to split or spore and then I'll have a tank full of them.

I guess I'll just keep watching and see how it reacts.

 

[reeffreak]

Mushrooms corals including rics and anemones are really closely related.I think some scientist consider mushrooms colonial anemones.Biff,back me up...I think you should know.If its not causing the zoos to stay closed,then I think you should be fine.Never seen rics hitchhiked on a rock before.

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, shrooms are sometimes referred to as "mushroom anemones" because of that. When, really, mushrooms fall into the "Coralimorphs" category.

RC, if it doesn't have a mouth in the center, is it possible that each "bump" is a different animal?

 

[Rcpilot]

I don't think each bump or bubble is a different animal. When I poked one side --maybe 6 or 8 bumps-- the whole thing started to retract.

I picked it up and looked at it REAL close. Just viewing through the glass. I didn't take it out of the tank. It does look like some of the bubbles down close to the base are greenish in color. Greenish blue -- maybe turquiose?

I'm gonna dig up a magnifying glass tonight and have a gander tomorrow when the lights come back on.

Wouldn't a ricordea have a mouth similar to my green stripe mushrooms --or my green fuzzy mushrooms? I remember Doc had some pics of a ricordea splitting and it had mouths.

I've never had or really seen an anenome up close. Do they have a pronounced mouth?

 

[Bifferwine]

Ricordeas do have obvious mouths... I'm betting on a majano.

 

[yote]

It is majano.I've got 3 that live right in the center of my zoas.
Some consider them a pest.But I started with 3 small ones on that zoa rock and still just got 3 small ones.