And yet another "what's this?" thread :) (1 Viewer)

[KrAs]

When I broke down my "Walmart" fuge and set up my new one I found a ton neat things running around in it. A group of these things I can't figure out what they are, they are growing on a sun coral skeleton (which unfortunately was mine that I tried to take care of but at the time my tank/myself was not up to the challenge). Here are a couple of shots...

(click on Thumbnails for larger image)




Unfortunately I can't get much in the way of a close-up my camera just won't cut it. But, they are paper thin shells, you can see a darker area down inside them which I am guessing is the muscle. There is also a clear extension, almost "shell like" it self that comes out of the center. They are propagating themselves, I know this because since I took this picture there is another one beginning to grow. I don't think they are a problem, this is just my own curiosity.

 

[Guest]

They look like a type of mollusc, perhaps a type of oyster. I have had them in my tank too. I pretty positive they are some sort of filter feeder.

 

[KrAs]

Oysters you say, now that is interesting. They are nowhere else in my tank, and it's not like I added them to the system. They seem to be doing nicely right now, although it is starting to get a little crowded in the fuge now that the macro has started to take off. Let me know if you are able to figure out what exactly they are and what they thrive on. They might be able to be used as an early warning system, like the canary's were for the miners.

 

[BrianPlankis]

Wow Rich, those are cool looking, if you start to get a lot of them, let me know, I'd take some!

Brian

 

[Melodyepta]

I have one of those that appeared in my 29 on a piece of LR that was buried in the "deep dark abyss" (DDA). I was rearranging the tank a bit and pulled this piece of rock out to use later and there was this "thing". Paper thin shell, obviously a bi-valve of some sort. I've just left it alone, watching to see how it does now that it's out in the light.

So far no change.

 

[Guest]

Cool bivalves! I have lots of them in my tank too. You must feed your tank well. Here's one of mine growing in some zoanthids:

 

[KrAs]

Cool bivalves! I have lots of them in my tank too. You must feed your tank well. Here's one of mine growing in some zoanthids

I didn't used to, but I certainly do now since it is a seahorse tank, thank God for clean up crews!

Brian: I'm not sure how they propagate but I will certainly let you know if they expand their colony.