Friend or Foe

[LottaRox]

Hi there,
This is a great board so I'm hoping that somebody here can help me figure out if this is a baby RBTA or a pesky anemonia. I've searched several resources and tried comparing pictures but maybe more experienced eyes can help. It hitched a ride on the side of a mushroom rock but when I got home it had moved to the bottom of the rock during transit. Its about the size of a dime, a dusty rose colored head and a light colored body and from the toes I can see sticking out from under it, the foot appears to be kinda pinkish. Maybe its some other kind of 'nem entirely! Help please.
Right now the rock is in QT and the critter is in the lowest flow and light area. Its leaning out like reaching for light but when I get close to get a better look, it sorta pulls back but doesn't retract at all. I'm hoping that if it is a RBTA, that it will be unhappy where it is and move to where I can see it better. If not, I have a special place for unfriendly creatures.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Damsel13]

Sorry but I am thinking majano.. I however am a newbie at this so I know someone else will help you out more

 

[LottaRox]

Thanks Deb! I thought that too but I'm still such a noob that I still get turn around bass ackwards thinking about the parameter readings on my tanks lol.

Do you know if the majanos move quickly (...relative to a snail ..ah, lets say astrea)? The ones I've had in the past were a light tan with green and not bubbled at the tips of the tentacles and barely moved even when I wasn't after 'em all poking and prodding with the tweezers.

I became confused 'cause it moved pretty far from where it started before it was bagged and given the reputation for locomotion that the BTAs have ....well (insert hope here).

I saw the pic in the post "What is this?" (I can't remember where it was on the board though) of a critter that looks similar to mine. Maybe the same??? Mine doesn't have a green mouth that I can see and its not as flat but that might be due to genetic variance or cultural conditions,..?..or just how the picture looks to me.

Thanks again. -LR

 

[morgan]

um thats a baby rbta congrats 2 u myh friend and welcome to the site

 

[Damsel13]

Oh that would be soooooo kewl! I hope morgan is right, and he probably is!

 

[LottaRox]

Morgan, Thanks for the reply, congrats and welcome.

Regardless of what this critter is, I'll still care for it- I just need to figure out how. In the event that it is a pest and I take care of it as if it is a RTBA, it won't get much bigger but just split right?

Deb, Yes it would be very cool-a little ahead of my set-up and skills but there is nothing wrong with accelarated education other than the hamster gets tired and the cogs get stuck. Hee, hee.

I'm happy and distressed, how often does that happen!?!...don't answer that.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Not a chance of it being a "baby RBTA", its a majano and can be killed with boiling hot water squirted on it or Joes juice or kalk paste. They spread and take over your reef in short order. Search this site using the word "Majano". Here is one good link:

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16698&highlight=majano+time

 

[LottaRox]

Thanks Mike. Out of curiosity, why do you say 'not a chance'? I don't mean to be a PITA, just really inquisitive.

That's a good thread, I visited that one a few times in the last few of days.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

No honest questions here are a PITA, none!

RBTAs do split, but typically they don't have tiny babies, they tear themselves in half and look like it. Yours looks exactly like a majano and those are VERY common hitchhikers.
"When you hear hooves, think horses not zebras"

 

[LottaRox]

Ok, I figured that might be the case. I've had them before but they looked so different, I wanted to make sure. I couldn't find any info on the min. size/age of a BTA starting to fission as it seem more dependent on health so I put it out there as a possiblity.

I've already named it and started planning in case it wasn't a pest. Doh! That will teach me to put the cart before the zebra! Thanks again.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Some majanos color up very nicely, even with florescent colors. One can buy them on Ebay as "tulip anemones" for a very "reasonable" price:lol:

 

[thumperss]

are thay bad mike?????????
Brandon

 

[LottaRox]

LOL. I think I may keep this one for a while, for the sake of experiment. If it starts a plague in QT, I'll have salt money selling 'em on e-bay.

 

[LottaRox]

Brandon,
I take it they are not good but not bad if kept under control. Certainly some would say undesirable and some would say bad. Check out that link from post 7.

 

[dailydriven911]

Yes they are bad! I had one as well in my tank and thought it was cute as well. It split once and when I transfered to another tank I decided it was my best chance to kill them so I did. They are just like aptasia although much better looking imo

 

[Damsel13]

I kept my majano till it split...and that was after I had already tried to kill it with boiling water!

 

[thumperss]

cous i have something like that that is white brown with long arms and green tips.
im trying to get a pic.
Brandon

 

[LottaRox]

Something like this?

 

[thumperss]

like the midle one what is it.
Brandon

 

[LottaRox]

I was told that those were majanos but I'm not sure. The one on the bottom had snagged some food that was floating by. I took those pics as a relational shot with the zoos and button polyp to show scale.

Can anyone verify the ID on those?