Pink Elephant?

[tslawinski]

Hi Anthony,
Had the most unusual even occur in my tank last night. While I was feeding the tank after the halides went off a snake/trunk like appendage emerged from the rockwork (like an elephants trunk). Uncoiled and spewed a dense white substance. This happened 3 times over about 30 seconds. The entire tank turned very milky. None of the corals seemed to suffer. All polyps were out. Fish didn't mind. Clams were also fine. It was a 2-3" cream/pink/salmon colored tube without bristles. I do not have any starfish in the tank (that I know of) and all the worms I have seen have been bristle worms. I know that this was probably some kind of spawning event but do you have any idea what it came from? FYI I only had 2 glasses of wine that evening and I have never seen pink elephants before
:lol: .I was so mesmerized by the event I completely forgot that my camera was only 5 feet away from me, so no pics.

Tom

 

[jlehigh]

lol Very cool Tom. Cool surprise reef events are awesome. What was the diameter of this thing? I wonder if you have some kind of clam hitch hiker in the rock... did it resemble a syphon at all?

 

[tslawinski]

The thing was about 3mm in diameter. Didn't resemble a syphon at all. I think it was some kind of worm. Maybe a peanut worm.
Isn't that what pink elephants eat

 

[Anthony Calfo]

indeed, my first guess... a Sipunculid "peanut worm"

It's a classic descrioption: elephant trunk.

 

[jake65]

Did it resemble this...
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/sipuncula/sipuncula.html

 

[tslawinski]

Hi Jake,
Check out my gallery on RC. I posted 3 pics of another peanut worm that I saw in the tank. It is the same as the one that spawned only much darker.
Tom