Weird creature...?

[sikemd]

I moved some rock around earlier and found this weird thing, it looks like it has tree branches for tenticles that are pretty frequently feeding its central mouth.

I noticed some things sticking out from inside the rock when I first got it that just looked like purple stubs with bumps on them that would move from time to time, I'm guessing this what they were.

Any ideas?

 

[ebushrow]

I can't really see much other than the feeding parts....possibly a sea cucumber....can you see any better into the hole it is in? It looks like the feeders on my cucumber though....just a guess at this point ....if it is, they are harmless in the tank, however, if they die, there can be problems.

 

[sikemd]

It's pretty cool. There are a few of them on that rock, they look like they are living inside of the rock and coming out of the holes and not actually attached to it.

Here's a video of more motion... and some pictures from a phone with a better camera.

 

[sikemd]

Could it possibly be all one creature sticking out of multiple holes?

 

[sikemd]

Looking at some vids of other cucumbers feeding on youtube, I think you're right, it's likely a sea cucumber, just one though? I'm guessing it will never come out of that rock.

 

[sikemd]

Is this the same thing? Looks like a polyp with teeth, but not attached to the rock. I've seen this in multiple places on the rock as well.

 

[Salty1962]

@Lionfish Lair ??

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I can't play the videos, but are we talking about a cucumber?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I see ebush suggested a cuke too, so +1 to them.

The "tooth polyp" could be a tunicate, but I need to get on a computer to look closer.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Are you talking about this critter?

 

[sikemd]

Yea that guy. I've seen those in multiple holes on that rock, I'm not certain but I feel like sometimes they are in different holes.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

That's a tunicate in the picture.

 

[sikemd]

Awesome thanks, and thanks to everyone else who chimed in.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

The "teeth" side is actually the incurrent siphon. Those teeth are buccal tentacles. The tube to the left is the excurrent sphon. So, it sucks water in through the left and pushes it back out through the left.

This picture shows what you are looking at a little...

http://dk.reeflex.net/tiere/722_Polycarpa_aurata.htm