ID Worm or Slug

[bigeyetuna]

Everyday its something new!

Please ID the following creature, not sure if it is a worm, slug or what:

 

[capncapo]

A few more close-up pictures would be nice but it is possible that it is a sea cucumber of some type.

 

[LeslieH]

Yup, with those tube feet it's a sea cucumber. Detritivore, good clean-up crew.

 

[bigeyetuna]

Here are a couple shot of the head. It is about an inche long and ~1/8" diameter.

These are much better as I added light to the subject
It has also scrunched up.

 

[bigeyetuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6492051#post6492051 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LeslieH
Yup, with those tube feet it's a sea cucumber. Detritivore, good clean-up crew.

I didn't realize some of these cucumbers had tentacles (feet) all over their bodies.

Any Idea on the species? or is there a good website for identification or useful links?

 

[kmk2307]

I agree that it is a sea cucumber, also. Did it come in on live rock? If so, where is the rock from?

Kevin

 

[LeslieH]

Some sea cucumbers are distinctive enough in appearance to be identified with photos. Yours isn't, sorry. Even knowing the origin of the rock may not help if more than 1 little white cuke exists in that area. A specialist would probably need the specimen to examine (in addition to collection information) before id'ing it.

 

[bigeyetuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6494097#post6494097 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LeslieH
Some sea cucumbers are distinctive enough in appearance to be identified with photos. Yours isn't, sorry. Even knowing the origin of the rock may not help if more than 1 little white cuke exists in that area. A specialist would probably need the specimen to examine (in addition to collection information) before id'ing it.

Does that mean I have an uncommon or rare cucumber on my hand that may or may not be beneficial to my reef environment? Or the fact it is a cucumber makes it reef safe across the board?

The rock is Indonesene (sp?) rock. I got it from reefscience.com. Its very fresh rock and comes with tons of macro algea, as you can see from the picture. But with good life comes the pests (Aiptasia). However, I feel the positive outways the negative in this case. My sand is loaded with worms after a week with this rock in the tank (new setup). And each day I find something new, very exciting for a new reefer!!!! I have a couple of piece of rock with 7-10 mushrooms on each. Anyway, didnt mean to go off on promoting my source , but I am very please with my rock!

 

[bigeyetuna]

Thought I would share a picture of one of the mushrooms I was pleasantly surprised with on the Indonesian liver rock.

 

[LeslieH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6496278#post6496278 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bigeyetuna
Does that mean I have an uncommon or rare cucumber on my hand that may or may not be beneficial to my reef environment? Or the fact it is a cucumber makes it reef safe across the board?

No, probably not uncommon or rate, just hard to identify. The smaller & less colorful something is, the more likely it is to be undescribed especially in an area like Indonesia with its incredible diversity.

Taking a second look at your critter I have to change what I said - it's probably not a detritivore. The cukes with feathery tentacles that like to live on rocks exposed to currents are suspension feeders. To keep it alive you'll need to target feed it.

Not all cukes are reef safe. Some of them produce toxins in their bodies to deter predators; if they're stressed by poor conditions, annoyed by crabs, or die, the toxins get released into the tank & can sicken or kill the other inhabitants. Another problem for people with sand beds is that a big cuke can vacuum up all the animals & organics before it eventually starves to death. But you've got a small one. It should be okay.