Help! Is it Harmful?

[beetlejuice403]

Hi all, lately discovered some living stuffs in my Nano tank & wondered if it's harmful... [sorry, but the thing is too small for my digital camera to take a pic & post here...]

It's transparent & white in colour, sticks on the side of the glass, has about 6 to 8 leg-like tentacles & when in moves in the water, it moves like a jellyfish... Today, just realised that my red starfish had a wound on one of its arm (as if something had bitten off flesh from it...), dunoe if it's the work of these creatures...

Would appreciate if any bro can help & advise on the course of actions on this matter....

Cheers!!

[Morpheous]

Hi Bro,

Welcome to the world of marine. Guess the clown fish is much fatter than before?

If you are wary of it, I would recommend taking out since without pictures, its quite hard to figure out what type of marine life that is. Morever, there are many more creatures hiding in the live rock. ( I haf a 20-30cm bristle worm hiding in the rock). Most importantly, wear gloves when handling the tank and enjoy this hobby!

[adrianlau]

Sounds like hydroids. It is generally harmless except to baby fish larvae. It can be quite ugly when a tank is infested with it (they do multiply). Some people say after some time they will disappear. I cleared mine with several peppermint shrimps.

[arcanehacker]

Should be hydroids.. very small and they stay at that size.. harmless.

I find them quite amusing.

[beetlejuice403]

Hi all (Morpheous, adrianlau & arcanehacker), thanks for the speedy reply & advises...

Sad to say, my Red starfish did not survive the wound found on its body, found it still & dead in my tank this morning... [it had been living happily with the other tankmates all this while: Common clown from bro Morpheous; Scarlet Hermit; Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, some zoa & red macroalgae)... So really dun understand who could have inflicted the wound on the starfish... [Anyone can offer any possible reasons for the death of my starfish? It's my girl's favourite in the tank...)

As for the tiny jellyfish-like things, will try & catch it out from my tank if I manage to do so - they move very swiftly & I move very slowly!!!

Cheers!!

PS: Bro Morpheous, thanks, your clownfish is doing great.... Big eater, always snatch the pellets or market prawn flesh when I try to feed to my cleaner shrimp... As for weight gain...hmm.. maybe will take him out one day & place him on my kitchen's digital scale & let you know... LOL!! [Joking olny lah... The clownfish has now become the centre of attraction in the tank for my mum as it always comes out to nod its head when being called... "MIMO"... Ha!! Ha!!]

[MachoMarlin]

I had my red starfish killed with wound and later lost an arm, too. It was bitten off by a Horned starfish, as it cannot outrun/ crawl it.

[beetlejuice403]

I had my red starfish killed with wound and later lost an arm, too. It was bitten off by a Horned starfish, as it cannot outrun/ crawl it.

Hi MachoMarlin, looks like I'll avoid a horned starfish in the future then...

But for my case, dun have 1 living inside, so really makes me wonder who could have inflicted the wound on my starfish... Could it be Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? Common Clownfish? Scarlet Hermit? [Like playing Cluedo like dat...] Sigh! Before I can have a confirmed 'murderer', if not, apprenhensive in buying a new starfish for my girl...

[MachoMarlin]

Hi MachoMarlin, looks like I'll avoid a horned starfish in the future then...

But for my case, dun have 1 living inside, so really makes me wonder who could have inflicted the wound on my starfish... Could it be Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? Common Clownfish? Scarlet Hermit? [Like playing Cluedo like dat...] Sigh! Before I can have a confirmed 'murderer', if not, apprenhensive in buying a new starfish for my girl...

I personally, though not the prettiest, finds that the horned star is probably the toughest and a better sand sifter compared to the blues, the reds, etc. that prefers to cling to the rocks and kinda slow, which makes me so concerned with their meal that I have to feed them half a clam every alternate days.

From your LS looks like the Hermit is the only possible culprit, though not necessary BE the one. I had previously been warned by LFS owners about lifting certain sensitive stars out of water for fear of serious fatal infection once it is exposed to air. Maybe you can try thinking about this lead as well?

btw, my 2 yr old kid loved only the red star as well, inspite of the 5 different species!