Identification ideas

[Ctdogdoc]

I know better than to ask for an ID without a decent pict, but I can't take photos until later this week. SO... Let's try anyway.

Suddenly noticed several dozen (well, maybe more like 100 or 150) tiny little mushroom-like guys on many of my rocks. They are 3-4mm dia, 2mm tall, with a single stalk. Radiate out from central point, and edges have angles to them, so they are almost circulo-rectangular in shape (yup, I made that work up all by myself!) Brown in color. All the same size. No tenticles, Don't change shape, Are on the top of the rocks where they get all the glorious glow of the 400W 10K Ushio MH.:cool:

Now I've thought about them being a macroalgae of some kind, but they don't look like it, AND the herbivores in the tank aren't eating them.

So I've searched high and low for "tiny mushrooms" and "small mushrooms" and "juvenile mushrooms", but can't find anything that looks like them. Recently (last month) had 6 cute, brown zoos pop up for no reason. Could these be zoos that are too tiny to see complete body parts? If so, HOLY COW, I've got a bunch of them!

I have this creepy feeling that this number of anything can't be good :worried:

Any ideas where to look for an ID?? I promise to attempt to get picts worthy of posting Wednesday, but they are small and picts may be difficult.

Thanks for ANY help you can offer!

Aaron

p.s. Looking for SPS frags...anything that wants lots of light...anybody with too much who wants to sell, barter, beg, trade, give or otherwise part with?:D (Boy, I'm smilie-happy tonight ):lol:

[jdmarano]

Sounds like you might have aiptasia (aka rock/glass anemone), and unfortunately they are not desirable. Try a search here on RC and I'm sure you'll come across a pic that you can compare yours to. Hopefully I am wrong, but from your description and the way they've multiplied they are the most likely candidate.

If that is what you have we can discuss means for exterminating them, and you'll probably come across some ideas from the search above.

Jason

[Ctdogdoc]

I can comfortably 100% say they are not aiptasia. Been there, got the T-shirt on Aiptasia. (THANK YOU LFS!)

Looked again today and most of them are more rectangular or square, but some are fairly round. They are rather vellum in appearance - and so have the look of mushrooms in that respect.

Picts to come soon....

[pncstod]

Without a picture it would be hard to tell. Maybe hydroids? Do a search there are many kinds of hydroids..........

[Mickey]

I agree that it is unlikely they are Aiptasia. I have never seen any that don't have tentacles, and you say yours don't.

I keep battling Aiptasia and losing the battles and definitely the ware. If you have a good method to get rid of them let me know. I'll try anything at this point.

I think I agree with Paul on your problem. Sounds like it might be hydroids. Or perhaps tunicates? I realy have no idea.

I have several bunches of tiny, tiny things that look like zoanthids but I've never seen them so small. I assume I have hydroids but haven't found a picture that matches to be sure.

Good luck and let us know if you get a good ID.

Mickey

[jdmarano]

Mickey, have you tried peppermint shrimp...they've worked well for me...just have to make sure you are getting the real thing and not camel shrimp. The BRS just had a group order...you might be able to find people with extras...I think MDL also has them on sale.

If you are really desperate you could try a Copperband (assuming it is in your large tank, but that is more hit or miss and more risky.

Jason

[Ctdogdoc]

Well, I tried to get picts for two days, dorking around with the picture software to get it so you could see it. Finally decided to take Dr. Ron's advice and put one of the things on the scanner directly. I THOUGHT they were sessile - NOPE. They move when you touch them, although that's the ONLY time I've ever seen them move.

Diagnosis: Red Flatworms (GASP!) Became obvious when they move what they are, when the sit still I SWEAR they look like teeny tiny little mushrooms.

So, now I'm deciding what to do:
Nothing
Leopard Wrasse
Nothing
Mandarin
nothing
flatworm exit (I do hate treating the tank)
nothing
leopard wrasse (they are quite striking to me!)

Any personal experience out there?

Finally get rid of the cyano, install the halide, now this! They really do like that light...

[ctreefer]

In my old tank I had a brown flatworm problem. It was a well established tank so I tried the mandarin on it. The mandarin wiped out the whole population as well as most of my pods. They aren't kidding when they say you need a large system. I had a 55 and immediately set up a refuge so if you try the mandarin, make sure you have plenty of goodies to eat for the long run.

Also, mandarins are definitely hit or miss with eating those pests. I must have been lucky.

Good luck!!

vince

[Ctdogdoc]

Update: Purchased a mandarin. Eating from the MOMENT he was let loose in the tank. Eating pods, however, and not flatworms. Oh well. Going to start feeding the system DTs to help boost the pod population in the fuge, etc for him. Going to try mysis on him too. Might be interested, some others have had luck with that. I figure he's probably an "au-naturale" kind of fish. So far nobody in the tank has been all easy. We'll, that's not fair, the coral banded shrimp has molted twice in the last month (had him for 8months) and he's never complained, so I guess he counts as an easy one! He's huge now after the second molt. Close to 8" tip to tip. Long tenticles. Actually chased the mandarin and have seen him do the same to the clowns! The fish don't seem that impressed with him, but he's pretty proud of himself.

[Mickey]

You might want to keep an eye on your coral banded shrimp around your mandarin. the big ones can get really mean. It all depends on how small the mandarin is.

For the flatworms, if they are confined to a few rocks that you can get to, shake them real hard in a bucket of salt water, or freshwater is even better.

Generally they are not too harmful but they can get to plague proportions. If really desparate to get rid of them and nothing else works there is Flatworm Exit by Salifert. It does work but I'd hate to put chemicals in a tank unless it was a critical situation.

Jason, yes I tried peppermint shrimp. they lasted about 24hours before my pajama cardinals ate them. The little tank in my kitchen has been up so long because I had a couple of shrimp in there that I didn't want to feed as dinner to the cardinals once I saw what happened to their brothers. :eek2:

Mickey