Gozer_1

Ok, so I have search high and low and around every corner I found. I ran searches and searchs and searchs. Image searches, site searches and every kind of search I could come up with and have not found a single hint as to what these are. In the picture they are kind of curled. At night they straighten out and a small white disk with about 10 tentacles pops out of the tip. Anyone have any clue?

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mysterypolyps.jpg (211.0 KB, 38 views)

Wolfgang8810

they are awesome! lol probally a tube worm of some sort

Wolfgang8810

i think they may be SPIRORBID WORMS

Gozer_1

I'm pretty sure it's some kind of polyp. I have the SPIRORBID WORMS all over the back glass and inside my canister and any other hiding place they could find. When these ohters open up at night they look like small (dime size or less) zoanthids with a really long body. The body is soft like a polyp and they attach to the rock in a similar way to the other polyps I have. Each tube has a little fleshy mat around the base that holds it in place. I'm at a complete loss. Guess I need to start posting pictures of them all over every forum I can find untill I find someone who has seen them before. I'm gonna keep searching for awhile first though. I don't need to get into any more forums FishLore is more than enough for me lol. Wish Me Luck!

Wolfgang8810

what about VERMITID SNAILS

Gozer_1

No mucus web slinging going on. When I get back home from the big city I'll have to try to get a night picture so you can see the tip open. It looks like a little zoanthid pushed up from inside the tube. Each tube is about 3 inches long and a quarter inch in diameter by the way.

Mike

Man, I wish I could ID those, but I can't recall seeing anything like that before. It does kinda look like polyps forming along the tubes. I'm going to look through some stuff to see if anyting looks remotely like those.

Gozer_1

So you sparked my interest soo I did some reading. Turns out I do have Vermitid Snails but the mystery tubes aren't them. I have these little worm things I always chalked up to being a random worm. Turns out I have a real potential problem on my hands. Pains me to think of what I feel I may need to do. I'd hate to have to pull rocks but with caulerpa, flatworms, and vermitid snails suddenly popping up all over I feel like I may just have to pull the rocks and try to clean them. All because of one little tonga rock. Anyway, still clueless on the "polyps".

Gozer_1

Well, here's a photo of one of them open at night. I had to use flash to get a good shot.

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Nighttubes.jpg (96.4 KB, 22 views)

Mike

Hey, blindly guessing here, but check this out: (Aiptasia pallida) - http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/inverte.../aiptasia.html

Scroll about half way down the page for a diagram. Looks similar but still not sure.

I came across that by searching for "colonial anemone", since it kinda looks like an anemone and there seems to be several of them and they are 'colonial' or close together.

Mike

I was also searching on colonial polyps, but couldn't find anything that look quite like yours.

agsansoo

Gee ... They almost look like Black Sun Corals !

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Mike

I think I have a positive ID on those things: Isaurus tuberculatus

Try doing google image search on that term. Also check out: https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/...fm?pCatId=2157

They are usually lumped in with the zoanthids as far as classification goes. They also go by the common names of King Polyps and Snake Polyps. They don't get very colorful and can live for a long time. I'm actually surprised that liveaquaria is selling them since they appear to be rather drab looking.

The only book I could find that talks about them is the Anthony Calfo Book of Coral Propagation, which in my opinion is the absolute best saltwater book out there. I need to put up a review of this book on the main website. I highly recommend it to any saltwater reefer. You can order it from ReadingTrees.com.

Mike

Also, the Reef Invertebrates book is fantastic too. Calfo co-authored that one with Robert Fenner. Two excellent authors.

Gozer_1

BY JOVE I THINK YOU"VE GOT IT!!!!
WOW right on thanks. I swear I looked through LiveAquaria. Hmm, definitely them though. You have no idea how much better I feel now lol. Can't wait to tell the LFS lady she's been nearly as curious as I have. They came to her as an "Assorted polyp". I had pretty well given up.

Thanks for the suggested reading too. I've had the urge to pick up some books lately. They have a very nice large photo book called "Reef" at Hastings. Comes with a DVD also. Some amazing photos but couldn't bring myself to put out 40 bucks.

Thanks again for the help.

agsansoo

Anthony Calfo is very knowledgeable. I've listen to a few of his lectures on corals and deep sand beds. I missed a chance to see him in person a couple of months ago. I'm going to have to order his book here soon.