What is this creature?

[kylem]

I was going through my tanks today inspecting for bad things on or around the corals I have. I found this serveral things under a coral base rock. The first picture I have is of a black meaty thing stuck to the rock. Then I found this brownish meaty criter with funny looking tenicles sticky from it. I had to pry both from the rock. Third I have a few of these worms...red or orange in color that have legs on the side and come out at night..I found them under coral bases and shells. The fourth thing I found dissappeared ..was almost transparent. It looked like a slug as it moved and had circular black rings on its body with a transparent body. Was about 1 inch long and 1/2 in wide and about 1/16 inch thick. Couldn't find it when I came back with my camera.

 

[NaH2O]

Kyle - in the second picture are you asking about the orange and black worm in a "C" shape? If so, that is a bristleworm, and they are harmless detritus feeders. Try not to touch it with your bare hands, or else you may end up with a bristle in your finger.

I'll see what I can find on the other 2 pics. In the third pic....is that tree-branch looking thing sticking out on the top right side of the critter, part of its body? or is it just a piece of detritus? That will help with an ID, as it almost appears to be sea cucumber - just an initial reaction, not sure yet. Also, do they seem to have a particular end that you would call the front?

 

[Ed Hahn]

Nikki and Kyle,
Rod got a funny looking creature in his new corals also. Pictures were taken with Rods camera. It was yellow and brown and looked like a bumble bee with out wings. When he gets time he will post pictures of it. It looks like the first picture on the left but yellow and brown markings like a bumble bee.

 

[kylem]

Yes most of the attached things are part of its body. It has a greenish looking think on one end...eyes maybe or something. I am not sure what the side protusion is. The other end has this definite curly q tail. The other pic is what it looks like on its back. It was smooth when I took it of and it began to have protusions like a cucumber on its back. It doesn't seem to move. There is a that black looking piece is a piece of something..critter with no eyes or protusions...no vissible orfices. It was suctioned onto the rock. same color under side as the other critter.

 

[NaH2O]

Kyle - I still suspect these are a type of sea cucumber/Holothuroid - they do have what appears to be "feeding tentacles". I would love to be able to narrow it down to a species, but am having a difficult time doing so. I'll see what else I can dig up...in the meantime.....Here are a couple of links for you:

Sea Cucumbers from the Sea Slug forum

SeaCukes - this link contains the same images as I have in the "Reef Invertebrates" book by Calfo and Fenner

Sea Cucumbers - from the reefimages site.

 

[kylem]

This Cuke as we might suspect is only 3/4 inch long. It was attached to a rock like a Chiton. I had to pry it off with a knife...gently and with care as not to harm it. Is there another subspecies or a family between them?