New tank owner w/ new rock and no idea what these are...

[ptowns2]

Sorry if these have been ID'd before. I tried to look back at the past posts and didn't see the polyp looking things. Sorry for the poor pictures, I'm new to aquarium photography. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mihai]

First is a brittle star. Most likely harmless.

The second one... to me it looks like a pest anemone (maybe not aptaisia), but let's hear the others on this one.

M.

 

[ptowns2]

Thanks for the reply. If it helps they have a greenish-brown color w/ yellow tips and a yellow center.

 

[Mihai]

OK, then they are likely "button polyps" - Protopalythoa sp.
I think... David really knows his polyps... <calling loudly> DAAAAVIIIID...

M.

 

[loosbrew]

the first looks like a tiny serpent star. sometimes they stay small, usually called micro stars and come in LS kits or detrivore kits etc... The common micro stars are white so I'm not 100% on yours.

The latter looks alot like a common pesky anemone called Majanos. Theyre prettier than aiptasia's, I think, but from what I've read on them can become as cubersome and annoying as aiptasias.

hth

Luis

 

[ptowns2]

I've looked at pictures of majanos online and they don't seem to match what I have, but I could be wrong obviously. Majanos don't seem to have a center like the things in my tank. In my tank they are brown tubes w/ a "tentacle-like" ring. The tips are yellow and the center is yellow. At night the "tentacles" retreat back into the tube. Does this shed any light on it?

 

[ptowns2]

Just thought I'd bump this in case anyone out there knew for sure... Thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

I believe Mihai hit it right on the polyp head.

 

[Anonymous]

I think they're some type of Colonial Anemone like "Yellow Polyps", not Protopaly.

 

[Mihai]

It's true: when they are closed they look like my yellow polyps. But when they're open they look like my button polyps (this also matches the description of colored centers) . In either case, I think that they are keepers.

If you want to be sure, try to kill one. If it's easy to kill they are keepers . (Make sure they don't re-appear after 2 weeks).

Mihai

 

[ptowns2]

I'm going to say that after further investigation they are in fact yellow polyps (Parazoanthus). I saw some at the LFS and then came home and looked online at pictures and we have a match. Thanks everyone for your help!