Can Anyone Tell Me What This Is--->??????
 

Guys & Gals, This is a new tank setup and we are in the curing stage. Well its exciting as we have seen two small crabs moving in and out of the rocks. The other thing we noticed in the LR was this peanut looking thing. The hole in the rock is ~ 3/8" and the inhabitant is just under that size. He has never been fully out, and at first I thought it was just wood or something.......so like all kids do, I poked it (gently and lightly) with a stick.... its definately alive. We have just never seen it come out of the rock.

Anyone have any ideas of what this thing is? And if so is it going to be harmful to fish or soft corals?

Thanks
Brad

looks like a peanut worm to me.
http://images.google.com/images?q=pe...-8&sa=N&tab=wi

could you use paint or something to circle what we're looking at?

Take a look at the outlines. This could very well be a peanut worm from everything I have read (Thanks Pan) The outter portion that we see and from the pictures feels harder like a shell.

peanut worms are... well, worms; they are soft and not stiff at all. and they would retract completely into the hole if you poked it. if it let you poke it at all (unlikely). is this thing freely moving or is it stuck onto the rock? im thinking a tunicate. anyways, chances are, it is harmless. probably more than 99% of hitchhikers are.

A few taxa possess a calcified plate called the anal shield.?

Looks like the ass end of a chiton to me but it's hard to tell.

Pan, I read this as well. I believe you are correct. Maybe he will come out some day and I can get a picture for positive identification. Until then, the mystery is interesting. I did'nt realize how many live creatures come along with the LR. :biggrin: Thanks!

I had a peanut worm and it only extended at night, late at night. When the light would hit it, the worm would retract with amazing speed so it took a while to figure it out. If you can set up a small (not bright) light so you can see into the area where it is and check on it a couple times after lights out you may see what it is. My peanut worm would extend out almost a foot and feed like an elephant trunk but like I say, when it retracted, it was almost instant.

Douglas

It's a burrowing mussel. Harmless.