Can anyone tell me what this is???

[tonkadawg]

Last night after the lights went out, I was checking out Dana's tank and saw this thing at the base of a colt coral. It's bright orange in color and seems to have a 'flesh' texture, so I am thinking some sort of snail or something.

Earlier when I was feeding the tank and checking stuff out, I noticed that the same colt coral didn't look too good in the same place this things is in the picture. Thinking maybe so die off and this thing is feeding on it?

[mane3215]

Wow, kind of looks like a carnation coral but very hard to tell from that pic! If it is, thats cool!

[tonkadawg]

yeah the pic is really bad (camera phone) no batteries in the camera.

It was wierd, it only came out after the lights went out - is that typical for carnation corals?

[tonkadawg]

Well it looks like I am going to lose this coral. When I got home this afternoon, it's all shriveled and the color is much darker right where this thing was last night.

If no one knows what it is, can anyone point me to a resource where I might be able to identify it?

[timsVw]

Looks like a carnation to me as well.

http://www.reefermadness.us/Or_Dendronepthya_sp.htm

But it is hard to tell by the pic.

-Tim

[7thheaven]

Looks like a carnation to me as well

[tonkadawg]

after doing some searching, I am going to have to disagree about the carnation. Keep in mind, there are two seperate organisms - the dark purple which is a colt coral, and then the orange blob that only comes out at night and seems to attach itself to the base of the colt.

It came out last night right after the lights went out, but it was on the back side of the coral so no more pics.

I am wondering that if it comes out tonight, maybe I should pull the colt out of the tank and remove this orange blob - it seems to be aggitating the coral. Last night before the lights went out, it didn't look too good.

[Orion76]

looks like a sponge to me

[Orion76]

although a sponge would be pretty static and not only come out at night (didnt read the whole thread before posting above), maybe some type of worm

[cookie extreme]

if it moves and hassles the coral then i would put my money on a nudibranch or flatworm. it may just imitate a coral to prevent it from being by another predator. :destroy:

[tonkadawg]

if it moves and hassles the coral then i would put my money on a nudibranch or flatworm. it may just imitate a coral to prevent it from being by another predator. :destroy:

we have a winner

this thing was on my heater and I was able to get a good close up look at it. I found this picture on the web



http://oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/bi.../seaslugs.html

looks like a nudi. I went ahead and removed it from the tank.