miskairal

At the risk of sounding like a complete ninny, I've made up a page of
pics (dialup friendly) to see if any of you have the time and patience
to identify some things that are growing on my live rock. I just can't
seem to get my brain round all the stuff to learn with a saltwater setup
and so many pictures of things look like they could be this or could be
that but I'm never certain.

I should just accept what is in the tank and enjoy it I suppose but when
visitors come along and ask "what is that?" I'd really like to pretend
I'm knowledgable

Thanks in advance for any info,
Here's the link
http://goatdairying.com/fish/marine/live_rock_stuff/liverockstuff.html

miskairal

michael lawford

Sheesh - I am not 100% sure on any of them but would agree with most of your
assumptions - just ittle pieces of coral in the main. I also thought that
the shrimp was indeed a shrimp - maybe a banded one? But it doesnt move -
at all? So then it cant be...

Where did you get your rock?
~m

miskairal

Ahh - you have made me feel a whole lot better, thankyou!!! I felt a
real dill asking this.

When we spotted that "shrimp" thing we both thought it was a baby coral
banded shrimp as I had only bought one a couple of weeks before we
noticed this thing. But no, it is always there and never seems to
mobilize. My shrimp is female (see I do know something) but I have only one.

The rock came from Cairns I was told so assume it came from the Great
Barrier Reef. I don't know what normally comes in with live rock but I'm
very happy with this (certainly has got my husband interested). There's
a crab as well that hides all day and so far doesn't seem to be a
meanie. It's missing a main front claw but otherwise gets around well at
night. It's dark like the rock and looks as though it has fine sand
spilt on it. There is so much more I could ask about, so much stuff
growing but I chose the ones that are the most visible.

tidepool geek

Hi Miskairal,

I think that #2 might be a Tunicate (Solitary Ascidian) but it could
also be a sponge. If you can touch it a sponge will usually feel gritty
while a tunicate will either feel slimy or leathery.

#3 looks a bit like a Colonial Ascidian (another type of tunicate) but
the picture needs better resolution.

#6 might be a shrimp molt. Do you have any shrimp in your tank? When
they molt the cast off shell looks almost exactly like the original
animal (but may be somewhat more transparent).

When I first looked at #7 I thought it was some sort of Tube Worm but
the transition from gray to green doesn't seem right for that. Does it
retract when disturbed?

#8 could be a Hydroid or Gorgonian (Cnidarians, related to coral) but a
clearer picture is needed.

Speculatively yours,

Alex

volux

wow - where u get ur rocks ???

sonoma1720

Just a tid bit about shrimp in general. They can be both ***es. As we
all know (at least I hope so) usually it takes two to tango......and a
shrimp will become what it has to be to procreate. I just buy any
shrimp, it matters not if they are readily visible with eggs or not.
In no time each and every shrimp in my tanks have carried eggs and
spawned......My oriignal shrimps, when I had only one in each tank,
never had any egg masses under them, and all it took was the
introduction of just one of the same species and next thing, both were
carrying eggs......Pretty neat watching them at night (only time I
have ever seen em release their babies) under a lunar light, more or
less setting there with their tails up, flicking off those babies...It
looks like a snow storm in the tank, then its like someone rang the
dinner bell as all the fish and other critters come out for a late
night snack of fresh shrimp. I have collected a few of them already
and put them in a mature tank without any predator critters, and they
did grow somewhat but they are just too touchy and time consuming to
rasie up to any size......makes you wonder how they manage in the wild
under the adverse conditions they encounter......

--
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( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
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\ ( ( )
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The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

wayne sallee

1) Coral
2) Sponge
3) Coral
4) Coral
5) Coral
6) Shrimp Shed
7) Macro Algae (will sring up fast, and then usualy
disapears, gets eaten very fast by tangs)
8) A type of branching coraline algae. The blue tips are
the new growth, and the red is another algae growing on it.
9) Sponge

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets
Wayne@WaynesPets.com

miskairal

Replies inline

Darn it - I can't reach that far into my tank that is too deep for me

Googling while I write for these two - thanks for giving me something to google for.


This thing's "feelers" move with what appears to be purpose although it
doesn't actually move around. I've seen the moulted shell from my coral
banded shrimp and it's a shell, this is less rigid and has been there
for weeks whereas the shrimp shell falls apart within 2 days. I will try
to get video that shows movement.


No it doesn't retract and I've never seen anything coming from the top.
Wayne says it's a macroalgae but the white doesn't seem right for that either???

I only have an old fashioned camera that requires film
Photos taken on it have turned out crappy hence the video camera's use.
Cameras are so hard to focus through water especially if you have to
take the pic on an angle.

miskairal

Cairns, Qld, Australia

miskairal

Hmm, well I read that if the coral banded shrimp has blue/purple spots
it is a female and that is her ovaries. The female is also said to be
larger. Well mine has the spots and is huge. I've not seen eggs.