ID please

[Maho.B]

Hello. Yesterday I noticed a polyp like stalk sticking out of my sand bed. This morning it's there again, about an inch away from yesterday and has some green. Attached is a zoomed in picture and to me it looks like a zoanthid maybe? The weird thing is I only have one Zoa in the tank and it's one with a bright orange color and is up on the rocks about 20 inches away. The polyp in the pic is not attached to rock but sticking out of the sand bed. Any thoughts??? Thanks I'm advance

 

[kevgib67]

Hello. Yesterday I noticed a polyp like stalk sticking out of my sand bed. This morning it's there again, about an inch away from yesterday and has some green. Attached is a zoomed in picture and to me it looks like a zoanthid maybe? The weird thing is I only have one Zoa in the tank and it's one with a bright orange color and is up on the rocks about 20 inches away. The polyp in the pic is not attached to rock but sticking out of the sand bed. Any thoughts??? Thanks I'm advance

Definitely a paly or zoa polyp, can’t help with how it got there. Did you start with live rock?

 

[Maho.B]

Definitely a paly or zoa polyp, can’t help with how it got there. Did you start with live rock?

I started with dry rock first but added Australian live rock about 6 or 7 months ago. Can zoa or palys pop up like that? I thought they only spread via the "mat" they form, like keeping them on a rock island will prevent them from going elsewhere

 

[kevgib67]

I started with dry rock first but added Australian live rock about 6 or 7 months ago. Can zoa or palys pop up like that? I thought they only spread via the "mat" they form, like keeping them on a rock island will prevent them from going elsewhere

They can be sheared off by snails urchins or even you moving rocks around.