Live rock hitch hiker ID- is this an anemone?

BrittneyC · Mar 29, 2022

Bought this live rock a few months back from my LFS and last month I noticed these small things popping up. They have gotten bigger- currently the size of a pencil eraser- but have not spread to any other rocks. Any ideas on what it is?

Reefing102 · Mar 29, 2022

Almost looks like bleached palythoas

BrittneyC · Mar 29, 2022

Reefing102 said:
Almost looks like bleached palythoas

They weren’t there when I bought the rock. The tank is a FOWLR predator tank that is kept at 67 degrees and they have continued to grow

DaJMasta · Mar 30, 2022

If you don't have much lighting and they're moving, a pest anemone is pretty likely. They don't look like traditional aiptasia to me, but their common name is glass anemone which certainly fits as a description. The body shape/striping looks a bit more like a mojano to me, but typically they have coloration as well - unless your lighting is very low, I wouldn't really expect to see it clear.

If they are anemones, they certainly could have been there when you bought the rock - they can typically scrunch up to be very small and hide out in holes.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Mar 30, 2022

They look like trash palys to me. You can leave them or use something like Aiptasia-x, kalk paste, etc to kill them.

homer1475 · Mar 30, 2022

I agree with above, look like bleached palythoa's to me. Probably came in on the rock, and when conditions were favorable, they started to grow again.

Life finds a way.

Duncan62 · Mar 30, 2022

BrittneyC said:
Bought this live rock a few months back from my LFS and last month I noticed these small things popping up. They have gotten bigger- currently the size of a pencil eraser- but have not spread to any other rocks. Any ideas on what it is?

Tube nems?

BrittneyC · Mar 30, 2022

Thanks guys! It is in a darker part of the tank on the underside of the rock. The lights on this tank aren't rated for corals. If this rock wasn't the top of a den I would be temped to throw it in my other tank that will be a reef tank. They don't move around though. There is about 12 or so of them within a 3in area on that rock. I noticed them all at the same time so I don't think they are spreading just getting larger. I will leave them for now and see what happens