fiji rock bug
February 6, 2010
1.aprox 1inch long.
2.tranparent green color.
3.eyes at tip of antennas that open like little mouths…
4.has a hard stinger that snaps at my hermit crabs.
5.seen it attack a hermit crab and pulled it into its rock.
Gisele Villeneuve
cornwall,ontario,canada
Mystery from Fiji or possibly Canada
Hi Gisele,
Despite your itemized description, your letter poses more questions than it answers. Is this creature in Fiji or Canada? Is this creature in the wild or in an aquarium? Also, your photo doesn’t seem to provide much of a look at this mystery creature. Is it in that hole? If this is in an aquarium, did you collect the rock or buy the rock? If you are worried about it attacking Hermit Crabs, why not just remove the rock? If it is a purchased rock, can you get information from the supplier?
Mystery from Fiji, or possibly Canada
Additional Information
it is currently in cornwall,ontario,canada.
it is in the aquarium.
in picture 1 the bug is not in hole in picture 2 he is right at the hole the only thing you see of him are his antenna like eyes.
I baught the rock at a local pet store.
And i tried asking them for information but they did not know that is why i am asking you…I will and try to get more pics but he does not live the hole unless he is traveling to another hole in the rock in wich case he uses tunnels within the rock…
One of our Readers suggests perhaps a Mantis Shrimp
It sounds to me as if this is a piece of live rock you bought at a local pet store, that also included a live mantis shrimp. (deceptive name it isn’t actually a shrimp) They do feed on smaller aquarium species, and can either be treated as a pest or a freebie. If it continues to kill off your tank though, I would assume you would consider it to be a pest.
A link to wiki for more info… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp
lttlechkn
Marine Aquarium Mystery Creature
Dear Gisele,
Thanks for sending additional photos. These images do not look like a Mantis Shrimp, but rather, more like a Coelenterate and the shell looks like a snail. You did not provide any additional information. In our opinion, the mystery remains a mystery.
Marine Aquarium Mystery Creature
i know they dont they are something else i found in my tank and you said the shells look like snail how can that be if i have know snails in my tank.
Hi again Gisele,
The people most qualified to identify the creatures in your marine aquarium are the folks at your local pet store where the purchases were made. Though we attempt identifications, marine invertebrates are a bit beyond the scope of our website.
Update: September 5, 2010
ID for the 2 marine creatures in “Other”
September 5, 2010 7:41 am
I tried to post a comment, but it didn’t show up. I’m unaware of how the comment system here works, or if they need to be approved before they’re posted, but anyways…
In case the message was lost, the 2nd little creature pictured looks to be a Staurocladia hydroid.
The 3rd looks like some sort of serpulid tube worm. I’ve come across the name of it before, but at the moment it escapes me and google searches are turning up dry.
Both creatures are harmless, the former eventually die out as the tank balances out the nutrient levels, and the latter should slowly reproduce, and colonize any shady area of the tank with good water flow.
Signature: Jacob
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