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STATIONARY
HITCHHIKERS
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| AIPTASIA
Aiptasia are pest anemones that often are found when people
purchase cured live rock. Aiptasia is a medium-dark colored anemone
with thin arms. These guys should be destroyed immediately, they can
sting corals and damage them, and aipstasia can spread at an
alarming rate. To remove them, you have a few options. the most
common is to use a commercial product, like aiptasia-x and joe's
juice. you just squirt the liquid on the aiptasia and they get
killed. this is a simple and effective way. you can also use a
blow-torch to burn off the anemone, this is also effective. Do not
try to manually pick off aiptasia or use a cotton swab though, this
will just break up the aiptasia and help it spread. You can also try
aiptasia eating livestock to get rid of them, such as peppermint
shrimp.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
Aiptasia is a pest anemone that can take over your tank if you
don't get rid of it. They can be brown, yellow, clear, or a few
other colors. If you aren't sure if something is aiptasia, poke it
with something. If it sucks into the rock, it is likely aiptasia. If
it just folds up, it is probably a harmless polyp. By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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BARNACLES
Barnacles are crustaceans that have jointed legs and
shells of connected overlapping plates. Instead of crawling
after food, they glue themselves to rocks, this is how we
get them as hitchhikers. Barnacles reach out with little
feathery barbed legs to strain out plankton and absorb
oxygen. By: Naperenterprise
of
Fantasy
Reef
If you see a little raised hole on your rock with
feathers quickly going in and out the hole, you've got a
barnacle. It is actually a little filter feeding shrimp-like
creature that lives in the hole. By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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BRAIN CORAL
Type of stony coral, these are always great hitchhikers
to get. If you are lucky to get one make sure you maintain
proper calcium and strontium levels is an important key to
successful development.
By: Naperenterprise of
Reef
Sanctuary
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BRISTLE
CAGE WORM (FLABELLIGERIDAE)
Family Flabelligeridae polychaetes
Flabelligerids or bristle-cage worms are cylindrical
tapering worms with a papillose body surface, which is
encrusted with debris or covered with jelly-like mucus, and
with rather disordered, long, hair-like chaetae.
The family Flabelligerids is also known as the Chlorhaemidae,
and also includes the former Helmetophoridae. The head
structures of simple gills and palps are important in
identification to genus, but are often difficult to observe
without dissection because they are usually retracted into
the mouth in preserved specimens. Several subtidal species,
which may be undescribed, occur in subtidal soft substrata
and belong to the genera Diplocirrus and Brada. Elsewhere
species of Flabelliderma are commensals of echinoids.
Usually free-living, but not extremely active. May be found
enclosed in a transparent gelatinous tube or with the body
obscured by adhering sand grains. Not known to form
permanent tubes but may be found in the burrows of other
animals or buried in sandy substrate. All flabelligerids
appear to be surface deposit feeders.
By: hma
(Heinz) of Reef
Sanctuary
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BRYOZOA
Bryozoans are also known as moss animals or moss
animacules (which is the literal Greek translation of
bryozoa) or as sea mats. Moss animals live sessil littorally,
partly socialized with certain algae in colonies. The diet
takes place swirling. At present, there are approx. 4500
living species. Bryozoen form gelatinous pods, partial
containing chitin with storages (calcium carbonate,
strontium, magnesium) and are firmly connected to a
substratum. The limiting factor is the underground which
must be more or less solid. Particularly interesting and a
thrilling phenomenon is the signal transduction between the
individual animals in the colony - if one touches one of the
animals, everyone retracts hers tentacles. Almost all
Bryozoen are hermaphroditic, all single Zooide are, however,
of the same sex within a colony. How can it come then to a
colony? The first Zooid (Ancestrula) forms further Zooide by
burgeoning, which one not coming loose from each other,
every Zooid has its own intestines (unlike the Cnidaria).
By: hma
(Heinz) of Reef
Sanctuary
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BUTTON
POLYPS
Button polyps fit the same bill as zoanthids. They are
polyps that live in colonies on your rock. they are
photosynthetic, and need at least 3 watts per gallon of
appropriate lighting. in proper care, you will have a large
colony in no time. they are of no harm to other creatures
and a nice freebie to your tank.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
These polyps are very common hitchhiker corals. They come
in a variety of colors, but are commonly brown or green.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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CLOVE POLYP
Clove polyps are another colony coral. in good
conditions, they will rapidly multiply. give them
medium-high light (preferably halides for T-5's) and
medium-high flow and they're happy. they are no threat to
other life in your tank.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
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COLONIAL
HYDROIDS
Hydroids are colonial, plant-like animals, closely
related to jellyfish, with stinging cells. They are member
of the invertebrate order Hydroida (class Hydrozoa, phylum
Cnidaria). Hydroids have three basic life-cycle stages: (1)
a tiny free-swimming planula larva about 1 mm (0.04 inch)
long, which settles and grows into (2) a sessile (attached),
usually colonial hydroid stage, which in turn liberates (3)
medusae. This cycle is exemplified by the genus Obelia,
whose members are widely distributed throughout the world.
Many hydroids have, through evolution, suppressed the medusa
by retaining it on the sessile hydroid colony. Colonies of
hydroids are typically 5 to 500 mm (0.2 to 20 inches) or
more high and are branched; the branches bear the
individuals, or zooids. Each zooid consists of a tubular
body that has two layers separated by a thin, jellylike
mesoglea, a terminal mouth, and surrounding circlets of
tentacles. Colonies of hydroids grow vegetatively by
increase in the number of hydranths, but sexual reproduction
also occurs. Reproductive polyps (gonozooids) occur
intermittently on the colony. They release either planula
larvae or medusae, depending on the species.
By: hma
(Heinz) of
Reef
Sanctuary
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CUP CORAL (HIDDEN)
The cup coral is a filter feeder. They eat phytoplankton
and other microscopic bits of food and zooplankton. Very
common from rock in the Gulf of Mexico.
By: Naperenterprise
of The
Reef Tank
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DIGITATE
HYDROIDS
Digitate hydroids spread quickly and sting anything they
touch, making them nasty to have in your reef tank. Too bad
as it is cool to watch them bob up and down as they stretch
out from the rock. I couldn't find a good pic... soooo...
enjoy my drawing. LOL. They are white hairlike critters with
a bulbous tip which will mostly come out at night.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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FEATHER
DUSTERS
Feather dusters literally look like dusters, with their
"feathers" all spread out in a circle. feather
dusters can multiply quickly, and if you look at the bottom
of a established piece of base rock, you can see dozens of
them. they are no threat to livestock, and will try to grab
loose pieces of debris to eat.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
Feather dusters are one of those groups of animals that
come both as hitch hikers, and as animals we buy to add to
the tank. The difference is relative size. A tank can be
crowded with hundreds of individuals of some smaller species
of feather dusters that build mud like tubes. These tend to
stay relatively small, but may bloom into huge population
sizes as the tank progresses and matures. As available
nutrients decline, the population of these worms generally
decline as well. No action needs to be taken to remove them.
Other species of feather dusters may make their home in the
rockwork, and may not be as numerous as other forms. All
feather dusters are filter feeders, and trap small particles
in the fine "feathers" of their tentacles.
By: SeaMunky
of
Reef
Sanctuary
These little worms are extremely common. They are
beneficial filter feeders. The worm lives in a tube and uses
its feathered crown to catch particles from the water. They
will retract the crown into the tube when spooked. They can
be colonial, as in the photo to the right, or can be
individual. They come in a variety of colors.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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FORAMINIFERANS
Almost all live rock has evidence of
foraminiferans. These are small single-celled animals that
we can call a specialized type of amoeba. There are over
7000 species living today – mostly marine and most are
found living on various substrates although some are
planktonic.
By: Naperenterprise
of
The
Reef Tank
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MAJANO
ANEMONES
These small anemones can be quite lovely coming in shades
of red, tan, brown and green and often times are mistaken
for small Bubble Tipped anemones (E. quadricolor), but may
also resemble other anemone species. Don't be fooled though,
they have a potent nematocystic apparatus that can irritate,
and/or kill, adjacent, sessile hard and soft corals
Majanos are like weeds, they are anemones in an unwanted
place! Without proper control and/or eradication they can
multiple rapidly, filling a reef aquarium in no time with
stinging tentacles. Majano anemone controls range from: Natural-Peppermint
shrimp and Butterfly fish; to Chemical-using Kalc
paste, commercially made products like Joe's Juice and lemon
juice; to Mechanical-boiling the live rock (LR),
scrubbing the LR in another container or squirting them, in
situ, with boilng water. All these controls have their
limits and varying degrees of effectiveness.
As with an live animal, anemone eating fish and
invertebrates have individual feeding habits and tastes and
are unpredictable at controlling these pesky anemones.
Smaller infestations may be easier for them to control than
a tank full of the stinging nasties!
By: Dentoid
of
Reef
Sanctuary
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MUSHROOM
LEATHER
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ORANGE BALL CORALLIMORPH (Pseudocorynactis
caribbeorum)
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SCYPHA SPONGES
These are also known as Pineapple Sponges, and some call
them Sycon sponges. Harmless in your tank, I always
considered this a sign of a healthy aquarium.
By: Naperenterprise
of
Reef
Fugium
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SERPULID
WORMS
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SPIONID
WORMS
These worms also live in tubes, but rather than filter
feeding like the dusters, they will grab larger food with
their palps (the antenna-looking things). They are good
scavengers.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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SPIRORBID
WORMS
Little hard white spirals on your rock and glass causing
confusion? When you look real close, do they have little
feathers sticking out the end? Congrats, you got yourself
some spirorbid worms. These little guys live in their
calcareous shells and filter feed. They are harmless
additions to your reef.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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SPONGES
Something soft and squishy on your rock? It's likely a
sponge. They come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and
sizes.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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STAR CORAL
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TUBE CORAL
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TUNICATES
Many species are translucent or whitish in color but some
species are much more colorful and can be red, brown, yellow
and even blue.
By: Naperenterprise
of
Living
Reefs
Tunicates (or sea squirts) are another filter-feeding
hitchhiker. These vase-shaped critters can be clear, purple,
orange, or a variety of other colors. I am looking for a
good article on these guys as I don't know much about them.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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VERMITID
SNAILS
The vermitid snail is yet
another critter that lives in a tube. These filter feed by
throwing out a mucous "net" to catch food. Most of
the time, you won't see the worm but will be wondering what
the "spiderwebs" in your tank are. Here's your
culprit. They are harmless but can irritate corals if their
nets are too close.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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ZOANTHIDS
Zoanthids are polyp corals that are often found in
colonies. Zoanthid hitchhikers are often found on wild
harvested rock or rock that has been in someones coral tank.
Zoas need at least 3wpg of light to survive, and in proper
conditions will quickly spread. they are of no harm to other
life, but they can squirt a toxin that some humans can be
allergic to. because of this, gloves and safety glasses
should be worn if you think or know you are allergic to zoa
liquid.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
While some of us pay the big bucks to buy these pretty
soft corals, some of you get lucky enough to get them as
hitchhikers. While most hitchhiker zos are brown, colorful
ones have been known to sneak in on live rock.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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MOBILE
HITCHHIKERS
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ABALONE
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ACROPORA CRABS
Almost always will arrive in your tank as a hitchhiker.
They are not farmed, and usually arrive on wild collected or
sea Maricultured Acropora Colonies. They help keep you
Acroporas pest free and do not require additional feedings.
By: Fat Tony
of
The
Reef Tank
These little "masked" smooth crabs are common
hitchhikers on acropora. They are cute and cause no harm to
the coral in my experience. They will wave their claws to
grab food from the current and will protect their acro from
other inhabitants who'd love to crawl on it.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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AEOLID
NUDIBRANCHS
Often found blending in with Corals. There are several
different types, but most feed on Corals. There are also
some that are Hydroid feeders, but for the most part they
are bad. They have a shag carpet appearance to them, and you
may think it is Detritus on the base of one of your Coral
Colonies. If you see the tissue at the bas of your corals
necrosing and what appears to be detritus, you have these
lil buggers. Treatment is freshwater dip (very harsh and
often a death sentence to the coral) and Lavimisol which is
also harsh, but you coral has a better likelyhood of
surviving. By: Fat Tony
of The
Reef Tank
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AMPHIPODS
Amphipods look like little bugs crawling in your tank. do
not be alarmed, they are extremely desirable. Amphipods
provide free food for a wide range of fish, and some fish
such as mandarin dragonets rely on them for most of their
diet. to keep your pod population up, you can create a
refugium with live rock rubble for them to breed in. alot of
commercial stores and online retailers will also sell them
by the hundreds or thousands.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
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ARROW CRABS (STENORHYNCHUS)
Arrow crabs resemble spiders with their long slender
legs. Arrow crabs are excellent scavengers and will eat
loose food and even bristle worms. They have a long claw on
their underside with a pincher on the end that they use to
eat food. They are of no harm to other creatures, but they
may accidentally step on corals. If you find one of these as
a hitchhiker, consider yourself lucky. They retail for
$20-$30 at stores.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
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ASTERINA
STARS
I get a lot of different answers on these guys. It is
said that the brown ones are dangerous and the lighter ones
are safe. I hear stories that they get out of control and
eat coraline algae... so just keep an eye on these guys. I
have some white ones that don't seem to bother anything in
my tank.
By: Naperenterprise
of
3
Reef
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ASTRAEA
SNAILS
A very good addition to your clean up crew. This snail
will clean your glass, rocks and sand bed.
By: Naperenterprise
of
Living
Reefs
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BLUE LEG HERMIT CRAB
The Blue Leg Hermit Crab is good at removing hair algae,
film algae, detritus and diatoms from your tank. A versatile
hermit, it will only refrain from eating cyanobacteria in
your tank. It can grow large enough to inhabit a one and a
half inch shell, and does well in groups. While it will not
eat your corals, it will attack snails for their shells, and
this is something to be mindful of in your tank.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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BOX CRABS (CALAPPA)
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BRACHIPOD
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BRISTLEWORMS
Bristleworms are a often salmon colored worm that have
sharp spines around them. The majority of bristleworms are
harmless to tank inhabitants and will eat detrius. If you
shine a flashlight in your tank at night, you can probably
see some lurking around. One of their predators are arrow
crabs, which eat them. when handling live rock, always wear
gloves. touching a bristleworm barehanded is extremely
painful and you can expect hundreds of spines in your finger.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
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BUMBLE BEE SNAIL
A beautiful black and white snail that is peaceful but
also a carnivore. If there is a lack of food, they may
feed on other snails in your aquarium or other beneficial
creatures including zoa's and polyps.
By: Naperenterprise
of
The
Reef Tank
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CERITH
SNAILS
Cerith snails are one of the best snails you can have in
your tank. They are great scavengers and will clean up left
over food, they graze for algae on the rocks and glass, and
they bury themselves into the substrate which helps
oxygenate for a healthy sandbed.
By: Naperenterprise
of
3
Reef
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CHITONS
A harmless hitchhiker sometimes found on live rock. It is
nocturnal, normally only venturing out at night to graze on
the live rock. It is a strict algae grazer and is harmless,
and beneficial to any tank.
By: Database
of Fantasy
Reef
Chitons are new to me as I have never had one. But if you
find a potato bug in your reef, you have one. They may graze
on your coralline algae or diatoms in your tank.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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CLAMS
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COLLONISTA
SNAILS
These small algae grazers are nocturnal. You'll notice
little white spots on your glass, which upon closer
inspection, are tiny checkerboard snails. They will
reproduce well and are beneficial. They stay small. The
largest one I've seen is about 1/4" across.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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COLUMBELLID
SNAILS
Sold by IPSF as "Strombus grazers", these are
easily my favorite snails. They breed like crazy, eat
constantly, and are hardy. If you can get your hands on
these guys, I highly recommend them.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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CONCH
Good addition to your clean up crew and effectively stir
your sand bed. They'll also eat some types of algae, diatoms
and such along with fish waste.
By: yote of
Living
Reefs
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CONE SNAILS
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COPEPODS
Tiny crustaceans that live on the ocean bottom. They enter
tanks on live rock or in live sand, and feed by scraping
small algae or bacteria off rocks. They thrive in reef
tanks and do especially well in tanks with a good sand
bed. The Copepods are the primary food source for
Mandarins.
By: Midnight
of
Reef
Sanctuary
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COWRY SNAIL
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DECORATOR
CRABS (MAJIDAE)
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EMERALD CRAB
Emerald crabs have dull claws that allow them to scrape
algae from your liverock and the lower portions of your
glass, and are great at removing bubble algae. If you have a
bubble algae problem higher up than that, try to give them a
way to climb up to it so they can work on it.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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EUNICIDS
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FIGHTING CONCH (FLORIDA)
Our largest reef safe snail, the word
"fighting" doesn't refer to its temperament, but
rather the notch on the front of their shell which resembles
a gladiator's helmet. They reach a size of 4-5 inches long,
and 3 inches high and can eat a large amount of algae.
Because of their size we do not recommend them unless you
have a tank 40 gallons or larger. If you do, you can keep 1
for every 30 gallons you have, after the initial 40 gallons.
(So if you have a 70 gallon tank you can have 2, if you have
a 100 gallon tank you can have 3, etc...). However, you
should know they live almost entirely on the substrate, so
if your substrate is almost entirely covered with rock you
should get less than what we have recommended. If you don't
have a sand bed, you should refrain from getting this
species in your tank.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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FIRE WORMS (AMPHINOIDS)
A common hitchhiker found on live rock from the Atlantic,
it is a scavenger but not one you'd want in a reef tank
enviroment. It will eat on coral, anemones and gorgonians.
Care should be taken when removing these worms. The bristles
can irritate the skin so gloves or tongs is suggested.
By: Database
of Fantasy
Reef
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FLATWORMS (ACOEL)
These flatworms usually come in a red to orange variety,
but others colors exist. Due to their symbiotic algae, large
population densities can be obtained with strong lighting
and abundant food. Other than ugly to look at, these
flatworms are harmless in reefs with a few exceptions. These
flatworms are copepod hunters. They will eat at your copepod
population. They expel toxins when killed that can poison
livestock. They can also smother light dependant corals when
their population is out of check. The best way to remove
these hitch hikers is to vacuum them up.
By: CAVINCA
of Reef
Sanctuary
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FLATWORMS (POLYCLAD)
Flatworms: There are several types of flatworms, and most
are harmless. There is one pest species, however, that
people commonly find in tanks, red flatworms, planaria. Red
flatworms are small, usually less than ½ cm in length, and
are a rusty red color. They are slightly elongated or
hourglass in form, with a forked tail. Flatworms can
reproduce rapidly, and red flatworms pose a threat to corals
because in large numbers they can smother them and block
light. There are a number of ways to get rid of flatworms.
Some fish, such as six-line wrasses, and Blue Velvet
nudibranches will eat them, and in-tank treatments such as
Flatworm exit also seem to work.
By: SeaMunky
of Reef
Sanctuary
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GALL CRABS (CRYPTOCHIRID)
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HAWK WING CONCH
Tied for our largest reef safe snail,the hawk wing conch
is a unique addition to your clean up crew, and works great
in planted and reef tanks. They reach a size of about 4
inches long, and 3 inches high and can eat a large amount of
algae, and detritus. Because of their size we do not
recommend them unless you have a tank 40 gallons or larger.
If you do, you can keep 1 for every 30 gallons you have,
after the initial 40 gallons. (So if you have a 70 gallon
tank you can have 2, if you have a 100 gallon tank you can
have 3, etc...). However, you should know they live almost
entirely on the substrate, so if your substrate is almost
entirely covered with rock you should get less than what we
have recommended. If you don't have a sand bed, you should
refrain from getting this species in your tank.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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HYDROID
JELLY
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ISOPODS
Isopods are another group of "bugs". These are
mainly predatory, with the most common being the fish
munching Cirolanid isopod. They are easy to spot due to
their big black eyes.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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LANCELETS
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LIMPETS
Keyhole limpets are often brought in as hitchhikers on
liverock. They are great algae consumers of film algae on
the glass and rocks. They are reef safe but may be a problem
with sps corals so care should be taken when keeping them
together. They are prolific and will readily breed in the
home aquarium.
By: Database
of Fantasy
Reef
Limpets are little pointy-shelled snail-like creatures.
You may find them crawling along your glass or rock. I have
a ton of them in my sump. These guys are for the most part
good guys but there are some bad types.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
Only keyhole limpets are really a threat to SPS. Most
true limpets will not breed in an aquarium.
They eat algae and diatoms. These limpets are snails with
a round shell that caps their entire bodies. They are
constant grazers, and will stay in one location until their
job is done, making them popular with aquarists looking to
add diversity to their tank.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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MANTIS
SHRIMP
mantis are beautifully colored creatures that vaguely
resemble lobsters. If you find one in your tank, be careful
and take the proper precautions. They can "snap"
their strikers at the speed of a bullet, so they can easily
break human bones and glass aquariums. they use their
strikers to break the shells of inverts off so they can eat
the meat inside. To remove one from your system, you can
purchase a mantis trap. this is about the only safe way to
remove one, do NOT try to use a net. they will likely break
through the net and you risk getting injured. Once removed,
you can place him in your sump, refugium, a spare tank, or
try to give him away. try not to flush or kill them, they
are intelligent creatures that are misunderstood.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
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MEDUSSA WORMS
The medusa worm feeds on zooplankton and detritus by way
of it's tentacles pulling food into it's mouth. It is
possible for this creature to release toxins into the water,
so read up on the proper care if you see this guy as a
hitchhiker in your tank.
By: Naperenterprise
of Reef
Sanctuary
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MICRO
BRITTLE STARS
Micro brittle stars are small starfish that you will
often fine crawling around on your live rock. They are
harmless and will scavenge around for any loose food. If you
want to keep their population up, consider puting some cured
live rock rubble in your sump or refugium, there they should
breed and quickly get their numbers up.
By: chrome91
of
Reef
Sanctuary
Normally you won't see these guys. You'll just notice a
small striped or white arm waving out from a hole in the
rock. This is their normal behavior and they rarely come out
from the rock. They are harmless in the tank and will
reproduce if they have food.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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MITHRAX
CRABS
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MYSID
SHRIMP
Lots of people think they have baby shrimp when they see
these little fellas scooting about (usually at night).
They dart about quickly and are harmless. They also make
good extra fish food. I've seen both red and white/clear
ones in my tank.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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NASSARIUS VIBEX
Excellent sand stirrer and scavenger. These snails will
pop out of the sand when they smell food, or when you are
feeding the fish. Contrary to popular belief these snails do
NOT eat algae; they eat detritus and leftover fish food.
They are still good in your tank though, because they will
help maintain your nitrate levels, and clean some of the
debris that is building up in your substrate.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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NERITE
SNAIL
The nerite snail is a small snail only attaining a
diameter of around 1". This makes them great for the
reef tank since they aren't as cumbersome as some of the
larger snails and less chance of them knocking over coral
frags, etc. They come in a multitude of colors and are great
grazers of film algae . They may also consume cyanobacteria.
It is suggested they be kept in a tank with plenty of live
rock for grazing and hiding. Slow drip over a few hours is
the suggested method of acclimation.
By: Database
of Fantasy
Reef
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NUDIBRANCH
Nudibranch's in general are poor choices for the home
aquaria. Most have specialized diets that we just can't
reproduce in our tanks. There are so many different species
of nudibranch. Read up on these guys if you find one. They
can range from good: (Lettuce Nudibranch) to bad: (Sea
Goddess).
By: Naperenterprise
of 3
Reef
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OCTOPUS
If your extremely lucky to get such a wonderful
hitchhiker as Mr. M. de Leon from Reef Central did
than do some serious research online for proper care. Make
sure your tank is escape proof, and feed properly. Words
from M. de Leon: I didn't have or know any at that
time when I got it. I had to do some quick web search and
luckily being in my SPS dominated reef tank, Octopus
requires the same water condition. It was almost
like having your first pet Puppy, they demand attention and
as you can see from the photos playing and showing off. I
fed a variety of seafood daily such as pieces of fish,
shellfish and some fish in my tank. This guy ate
better than me!
By: Buddy Pine
of Reef
Central
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OLIVE
SNAILS
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PEANUT
WORMS (SIPUNCULIDA)
The Sipunculids- aka Peanut Worm feed on detritus,
microscopic organisms and organics they extract from the
sand. The peanut worm burrows into soft rocks and crevices
often hiding during the day and coming out at night to feed.
They reproduce sexually and given the right conditions can
become quite abundant. I have recently discovered many in my
tank and had a rare opportunity to photo one as it looked
for food.
By: SeaMunky
of
Reef
Sanctuary
Your watching your tank at night and the light hits a
long striped worm. It retracts back into the rock quickly.
What IS that thing?! It's ok, just a friendly nocturnal
peanut worm out for a bite.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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PEA CRABS (PINNOTHERIDAE)
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PEBBLE
CRABS (LEVCOSIIDAE)
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PEPPERMINT SHRIMP
Peppermint shrimp are omnivores that will feed on
leftover foods, and sometimes pick at algae. Most
importantly though, they will devour aiptasia and are an
excellent choice to treat this scourge. They do best in
groups when tackling an established aiptasia problem.
Colorful and intersting, they will make good pets after
handling the nuisance anemone.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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PEPPERMINT
SNAILS
These smooth, shiny-shelled guys are also nocturnal but
they aren't algae grazers.
They will appear out of nowhere to munch on a dead snail.
Creepy, yes, but harmless.
By: Crystal
of Xtalreef
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PISTOL
SHRIMP
The red pistol shrimp is a reclusive creature unless
there is a pair. If you have two, one will stand guard at
their cave opening. The color of these shrimp can vary from
a pale red to a bright fire engine red. They are great
scavengers for the reef tank as they post no threat to other
inverts, fish, clams or corals. They are great for stirring
and aerating the sand and will consume any uneaten food as
well as some algae. This shrimp may or may not form a
relationship with a goby.
By: Database
of Fantasy
Reef
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PLANAXIS SNAILS
This diminutive snail will spend almost all of its time
underneath the sand in you tank consuming detritus, algae
and diatoms, making it an excellent substrate cleaner. What
sets this snail apart from the Cerith snail is that it will
seek shelter not only under the sand, but under the sand
underneath your live rock or decorations.
By: John
Maloney Reef
Cleaners
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PORCELAIN
CRABS
Porcelain crab's are great additions to any reef tank.
They spend their time hanging under rocks filtering the
water for plankton using special modified, long third
maxillipeds. If an anemone is present, they will live on or
near an it feeding on it's mucus. These are delicate crabs
that should not be placed in a tank with more aggressive
crabs. They can be supplemented by placing food near them.
By: Da |
