...And Another Wierd Hitchiker

Ok...so I'm getting some really odd hitchikers in my tank.

Here is a picture of another odd hitchhiker I found this morning.

Look directly to the right and and down a little from the center mushroom. I started noticing clear tentacles attached to my rocks. If you look closely, you can see several.

This morning while trying to get a good picture of my new hitchiker, I noticed this weird critter. She looks like there is a tentacle that leads into a snowflake looking thing.

Thought I would share it with my 3Reef friends.

I'm either doing something right....or everything is totally amiss.

 

looks like a beneficial filter feeder - feather duster.

good to have IMO.

 

Is he actually attached to the tentacle? If so, I have a lot of these.

 

Should be growing out of the rock. I believe the tentacle-looking thing is another type of sponge.

 

Not a duster...

It's a hydroid. hydroid image - Google Search

Harmless IME

 

You're right, I found the pictures of the Hydroid and one of them is very similar to mine.

First I thought it came in on my coral...now I'm wondering if it came in with the pods and the Pytoplanckton it was shipped with. Possible right?

 

Could also be a type of corynactis or pseudocorynactis (i'm not sure which is which ) but a web search can show up some better pics. They look like a fingernail size clear anemone, I have some that only spread out at night and are hard to see because they are clear.

 

I guess the next time I stay up late, I need to pay close attention to what is going on in my tank. I haven't done it it a little while.

 

Hydroid?

 

Get yourself a red LED flash light or a couple of red filters for a regular flash light and start looking. Considering the amount of day time hitchhikers you have, I bet that if you look during night time you'll find a lot more.
Specially since the rocks are collected during the day for the most of it, and that is when the nocturnal hitchhikers are sleeping inside the rock's holes and crevices. Go for it! it'll be fun to discover them!
The tentacles look a bit like the vents on a sponge, but I never saw them extending like that without a considerable amount of sponge growth around it. Tentacles by itself... maybe something else than a sponge. I'll tag along to see what it is, once we find an answer.