Any Ideas What these Are?

[myreeef]

I have 8 of these in my tank, they came on my uncurred Kalini rock 4 months ago when I started my tank and they haven't propagated yet. These pictures don't do them justice. They seem to have a hard calcarous stalk with a disk about 1/4 inch in diameter. I think they have 8 clear tenticles with very bright tips. The discs sort of look like cat's eyes.

One picture is looking from the front of my tank, the other is from the side. Each stalk is between 1/2 and 3/4 inches long.

They are quite pretty and seem harmless, I am just curious to know what they might be.

 

[Reef Guy11]

By the looks, it looks like Aptasia. Something you don't want in your tank. It will kill Corals ETC.

 

[myreeef]

Are there different types of aiptasia? I had some aiptasia months ago, but my peppermint shrimps ate them all within a week. These in the picture actually have hard stalks that have grown over with coralline and they can't move around like my aiptasia did a couple of months ago.

I could be wrong, but I don't think these are aiptasia.

 

[Reef Guy11]

Yeah the pic look like Aptasia but then I could also be wrong. Have you tried touching them to see, if it Aptasia. Maybe some one else might beable to help out.

 

[hdtran]

Aiptasia are anemones. These look like corals (you can see what looks like a calcium skeleton inside). Maybe a tubastrea (sunflower or cup) coral? Or perhaps a phyllangia?

 

[panmanmatt]

could possibly be tube anenomes but i'm not 100% sure.

 

[liquid]

Aiptasia.

Shae

 

[Anonymous]

Those certainly look like Aiptasia to me too, but I don't know what to make of the apparent tube they're in. Also, it appears like they have white tips on the tentacles in the second pic, I don't know if Aiptaisia has that normally.

 

[Eryl Flynn]

We got one that looks like that also, likely gonna get some peppermint shrimp this weekend to eat them up. We are just starting out and want some soft coral later and as I hear it those kill coral. And besides I think peppermint shrimp look cool any way and wanted them.

 

[Anonymous]

If they are in hard shells then they are not aptasia. Hydroids???

The most common type of aptasia dont really look lke that and have a soft body.

Pretty sure they arent aptasia, but I cant tell you what they are for sure

 

[John_Brandt]

I think these are corals. They are secreting the calcareous 'stalks' that the polyp sits on. In the lower photo you can actually see the carbonate septae through the clear polyp. I wouldn't kill them.

 

[Anonymous]

If that hard tube belongs to them, they aren't hydroids. In any case, their tentacles look too fat to be hydroids.

I'm very curious to see what these are.