something came out of my liverock

[ninjamini]

Got some new live rock last night for my new 6 galon eclipse that I have just begun to cycle. This morning I went to feed my damsel and saw what looked at first a starfish coming out from underneeth. I has 2-3 legs and were striped brown and tan and they were hairy. When I fed the damses one of the peletes fell to within reach of this animal and it felt around and grabbed the food and curledup and took it in. Then I noticed that there were 2 more comming from a small hole on the other side of the rock. Now I think its some kinda worm.

Any idea what this might be? I am tempted to pull the rock and wash it off. I thought I wouild come to you fine people first.


Here is the picture of the worm?:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture...3c/f5665ca6.jpg


Here is a pic of the tank:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture...e3/f5665cb5.jpg


Here is a pic of the featherduster. It looks like there is 3-4 on this rock:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture...a0/f5665bd7.jpg

 

[1979camaro]

well, dont wash the rock off yet...probably nothing to be worried about, just a bristle worm or something...but your links don't work for me so i can't look


this is a bristle worm:
http://www.thebelfry.force9.co.uk/holidays/dominica03/pages/sh1.htm

 

[S.Reef]

yeah..links dont work.

 

[ninjamini]

serpentstar [/B]

*celebrate Looks like we might have a winner. Tan and brown stripes, sticks its legs out for food and then curle up to eat, If those are small hairs on each side of the leg then yes I would say that we have a winner. It also bodes well that one had 3 legs sticking out to search for the food.


Ok here is a question that I had not thought. Since this is a 6 gallon and fish inchs per galon is closely monitored. Do these guys count in that count? It looks like there may be 3 of them.

 

[aresgod]

wow thats alot for so little LR u got very lucky, however if the legs are hairy i think it might actually be a brittle star, some of them have a black and tan striped body and thier legs apear to be very hairy but they are actually small spines,

http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1741

not that i support live aquaria it was just the clearest picture i could find, i would not take anything they say as solid information, hope this helped
Brahm

 

[1979camaro]

if it is "hairy", and you are sure its a star, im inclined to agree with aresgod that it is some sort of brittlestar (those spines arent sharp either, though they are rigid)...and it will not survive in such a small tank, let alone three of them. they need a lot of scavenging space...probably could get some good store credit for them at the LFS though

if you email me those pictures you linked us to ill host them and post them: camaro79@ucla.edu

 

[S.Reef]

Hmm...I didnt get anything cool on my live rock.

 

[dbacksrat]

i paid $130 for 30 lbs of LR and got jack (except for some tiny tiny feather dusters and maybe a tiny tiny crab)--did you purchase locally or online?
when i bought my leather coral, it was attached to a nice piece of live rock--i got 3 small serpent stars, some aiptasia, a handful of pods, and a lot of tiny tiny featherdusters--all for $29.99

 

[ninjamini]

Got it from my LFS. bought 3 1 pound rocks for my small tank. I went back and they have a bunch of stars in a tank with I picked my live rock from. I am starting to think I have too many stars they seem like there everywhere. Put they are very very small. They measure 1.5 - 2 inches across streached out. The full size ones in they tank the rock came from were at least 9 inches. I may have to get another tank just for them!

 

[1979camaro]

or sell them back for credit

 

[ninjamini]

Originally posted by 1979camaro
or sell them back for credit [/What and miss an opportunity to get my wife to let me get another tank.

 

[1979camaro]

i suppose thats true...lol

but...if you have as many as you think, it could be tough to get a tank big enough to keep them all alive...we are talking several hundred gallons probably

 

[ninjamini]

These guys are very small and always in a hole in the live rock. Any ideas on how to extricate them?

 

[S.Reef]

Tweezers..or something.

 

[1979camaro]

i doubt you can if they are in the hole...might be able to lure them out with some meaty bits and then capture them in a cup or something...

looks like you will just have to get that big tank

 

[ninjamini]

I was afraid of pulling off there legs using tweesers.

I have fed them fish food and they will put out 1-3 legs but there central disk will not come out. In fact the only time I saw one in its entirity was when I lifted up a rock. There has to be at least 3-4 and could be as many as 6-7. I was thinking that when they get bigger I can remove them. Am I right in thinking that this size at under 2" they are ok.

 

[S.Reef]

I dont know what your asking.

 

[1979camaro]

i think at this size it wont be a problem, but yah, don't start pulling on them or anything...as they get bigger they will most likely be easier to get out...will just have to pull the rockwork apart

another thought is a quick freshwater dip might cause them to jump out...just make sure you have a SW bucket somewher to put them in...

 

[dbacksrat]

excuse my ignorance, but how is a freshwater dip supposed to work? won't that just cause death by osmotic shock?
brittlestars have brittle in their names for a reason--their legs come off really easily

 

[aresgod]

no a 45 second fresh water dip shouldnt bother them too much just enought to dislodge them, some species are much more sensitive to freshwater dips than others, but most all should be able to withstand some duration in FW