What is this?

[Vahanyos]

Looks cool - why are these?

 

[peterthegamer]

Are the pieces on the rock?

 

[Vahanyos]

Are the pieces on the rock?

Yep. They just stick out and gently move around

 

[KJ]

Mini brittle star.

 

[mckinleyw]

Mini brittle star.

+1 these things are really cool.

 

[ahiggins]

Unless it looks like a mini-starfish, Im thinking hydroids.
If theyre single stalks that come out of the rock work and wave around in the current, hydroids.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I'm thinking the same thing. The strands look like they are individually attached to the rock.

 

[Vahanyos]

Unless it looks like a mini-starfish, Im thinking hydroids.
If theyre single stalks that come out of the rock work and wave around in the current, hydroids.

I actually had a previous post about digitate hydroids if that's what you're referring to... see attached pic below. If that's what you're referring to, they look pretty different. I have a lot of digitate hydroids so it's easy to compare the two for me ...

 

[Vahanyos]

I'm thinking the same thing. The strands look like they are individually attached to the rock.

So far I see three strands sticking out only and they look like the "mini micro brittle star" on your hitchhiker guide , it has the little color variation of clear white, with black dots .... hm.... I'll post some more pics later.

Crossing my fingers for it being a mini brittle star lol

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Hopefully it's just a brittlestar, but there's also a hydroids called a Zig Zag hydroid and a couple of places on the "arms" have me suspicious.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

OK, bear with me as I'm on an iPad. The "arm" almost nips off in a couple of places (red arrows) and the brittle arms would be more continuous.

The little orange triangles shows the pattern of the sections, which fit a zig zag hydroid over a brittlestar.

Then there's the little green arrow that really looks like a feeding polyp.

 

[ahiggins]

OK, bear with me as I'm on an iPad. The "arm" almost nips off in a couple of places (red arrows) and the brittle arms would be more continuous.

The little orange triangles shows the pattern of the sections, which fit a zig zag hydroid over a brittlestar.

Then there's the little green arrow that really looks like a feeding polyp.

I agree-the hydroids I have form ballish fuzzies instead of trianlges but it still resembles that more than a micro brittle.
I love micros though, Im always asking for the LFS to toss them in with my corals when I go lol those and stomatellas

 

[Vahanyos]

Should I cut them off?

 

[donnievaz]

I have tons of mini brittle star arms poking out of crevices and they don't look like that.

 

[ahiggins]

Should I cut them off?

nah, unless theyre right on top of corals, I wouldnt.
Theyre just hanging out, I never see mine move

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I'm on my Dad's PC... that's definately a hydroid and could be something like a Dynamena pumila.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Should I cut them off?

wow, where did this rock come from if I may ask.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I should add I'm not IDing it as that specific genus/species as there are a few that are similar, like the Amphisbetia operculata. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

When I get back home from vaycay, I'm going to be hitting people up for pictures of their critters for the guide. There seems to have been a lot of cool ones in the last month, like this one.

 

[Vahanyos]

wow, where did this rock come from if I may ask.

To be honest I picked up the rock from a guy running a FOWLR tank for 8 months... he would water change with tap water and conditioner and I was new to this hobby when I got it so I threw all his old rock in my new tank. I know, noob mistake. Lol