Is it possible at all?

[dzekunoi]

Many years ago (6-7) while on vacation in NC I picked up a dry gorgonian sceleton on the shore. At least I think it's gorgonian. At that time I did not have a reef tank. So the piece was sitting on my bookshelf for all this time, together with a shell and a nice rock.

When I was setting up my ponys tank I thought of this piece and thought it will be a nice hanging point for the seahorses to hang on, so in tank it went.

 

Well, 3 weeks later - it opened up??? I see 5-6 pinkish-whitish polyps on it as well as a few "buds"

 

Is it possible at all? How could it be dormant for such a long time without dying? Am I observing something extraordinary?

 

Or maybe it's something else starting growing on it? Which by the appearance of polyps - does not look like it.

Can anybody shed light on this mistery?

 

Edited January 3, 2007 by dzekunoi

[rsaavedra]

Many years ago (6-7) while on vacation in NC I picked up a gorgonian sceleton. At least I think it's gorgonian. At that time I did not have a reef tank. So the piece was sitting on my bookshelf for all this time, together with a shell and a nice rock.

When I was setting up my ponys tank I thought of this piece and thought it will be a nice hanging point for the seahorses to hang on, so in tank it went.

 

Well, 3 weeks later - it opened up??? I see 5-6 pinkish-whitish polyps on it as well as a few "buds"

 

Is it possible at all? How could it be dormant for such a long time without dying? Am I observing something extraordinary?

 

Or maybe it's something else starting growing on it? Which by the appearance of polyps - does not look like it.

Can anybody shed light on this mistery?

 

 

Well that's pretty awesome, go and post it on RC and WWM to see what they have to say cause I am astonished!!!

[dzekunoi]

Well that's pretty awesome, go and post it on RC and WWM to see what they have to say cause I am astonished!!!

 

Yeah, I'm planning to post there as well to hear what gurus have to say.

[madmax7774]

if you have other gorgonians in the tank, I'd be willing to bet that they somehow spawned off into the old skeleton...

[dzekunoi]

if you have other gorgonians in the tank, I'd be willing to bet that they somehow spawned off into the old skeleton...

Can they do it? I have 2 other gorgonias there.

[jason the filter freak]

Apiststasia... or how ever you spell it

 

I added frozen brine shrimp to a tank once and had one of them reanimate... so I can relate to having weird things happen

Edited January 3, 2007 by jason the filter freak

[dandy7200]

Looks like a Foraminiferan of some sort.

[VicSkimmr]

I dunno guys, it looks exactly the polyps you'd see on a non-photosynthetic gorgonian to me...

[dzekunoi]

Looks like a Foraminiferan of some sort.

Aren't Foraminifera microscopic species ?

[madmax7774]

Well guys,

Since we now have photographic evidence that Inna has the unique ability to bring dead sea creatures back to life, we will no longer have to buy new fish when the old ones pass on. Inna, could you please bring my coral beauty angel back to life? He was a dear favorite of mine, and I miss him terribly.

[dzekunoi]

Well guys,

Since we now have photographic evidence that Inna has the unique ability to bring dead sea creatures back to life, we will no longer have to buy new fish when the old ones pass on. Inna, could you please bring my coral beauty angel back to life? He was a dear favorite of mine, and I miss him terribly.

 

You probably flashed it already. Can not do the trick without a body

[Sugar Magnolia]

That's definitely not a foram - forams tend to be much more free-form, as opposed to the definite polyp structure that seems to be present on that stalk. A closer (macro) image of the ployp would really help if you can get it Inna. I thought aiptasia too, but need a much closer pic to see the structure of the arms (not sure if that's the correct terminology ) of the polyp.

[dzekunoi]

That's definitely not a foram - forams tend to be much more free-form, as opposed to the definite polyp structure that seems to be present on that stalk. A closer (macro) image of the ployp would really help if you can get it Inna. I thought aiptasia too, but need a much closer pic to see the structure of the arms (not sure if that's the correct terminology ) of the polyp.

 

I'll try tonight.

I do not think it's aptasia -

1. I saw once before and it does not look like one.

2. It's tenticles are "feathery", 5 per polyp.

[Lee Stearns]

looks to me like hydroids. have you been feeding any newly hatched brine shrimp- did you get any rock with your sea horses- Sea horse tanks are notorious for Hydriods. They are not a good thing unfortunately.

[Caribbean Jake]

Inna

With the picture on hand you have several possibilities,

 

1) hydroid (agree with Lee)

2) Aptaisia (could be not sure)

3) Anthelia (perhaps a polyp)

 

Either one, I will take it out of my tank if it was me, and my tank.

Jacob

[dzekunoi]

Personally, I started thinking those are hydroid, not colonial which is not very typical?

 

I did not feed freshly hatched brine shrimp but gave some adult live brine. And I do have some LR in the tank.

[mogurnda]

Definitely an octocoral, look at the branches on the tentacles. Hydroids, Aiptasia, foraminifera don't have branched tentacles, but soft corals and gorgonians do. In fact, it looks just like a non-photosynthetic gorgonian polyp. It would seem really unlikely that a coral could survive being dry for that long, but who knows.

[VicSkimmr]

http://www.fishworld.com/img/032902/DSCN2388m.jpg

 

Tell me it doesn't look exactly like one of those polyps. I still have no idea how it could survive though. Most people can't keep them alive in their tanks when they're healthy (and freaking ALIVE) to begin with.

[jason the filter freak]

Take this over to RC and get some reactions more for kicks than anything else

[dzekunoi]

Take this over to RC and get some reactions more for kicks than anything else

I did

[dandy7200]

That's definitely not a foram - forams tend to be much more free-form, as opposed to the definite polyp structure that seems to be present on that stalk. A closer (macro) image of the ployp would really help if you can get it Inna. I thought aiptasia too, but need a much closer pic to see the structure of the arms (not sure if that's the correct terminology ) of the polyp.

 

Here is a picture I shot of a Homotrema rubrum (red foram) in my tank. Here is some good reading without any decent pics. Finally, here is the place to post your pic if you want to know what it really is

[dzekunoi]

Dan, you forgot to add a picture of the foram in your tank.

Nice reading, remondes me good old days at colleage and Zoology of Invertebratas class. I forgot most of it though

I do not think it's a foram - do not see calcerous sceleton, too symmetrical polyp. More over, it's 6-7 polyps absolutely identical all aroungd the sceleton. And it's nowhere else in the tank.

 

I posted on Marine Depot - it still stirs the trouble up. He-he, I love mysteries!

[jason the filter freak]

Hey inna how about some more pics?

[dzekunoi]

Hey inna how about some more pics?

I have real trouble using Macro on my camea... I took a dozen pics yeaterday - none on focus. I'll try more today.

 

Cheers,

Inna

[sturnmeyer]

http://www.fishworld.com/img/032902/DSCN2388m.jpg

 

Tell me it doesn't look exactly like one of those polyps. I still have no idea how it could survive though. Most people can't keep them alive in their tanks when they're healthy (and freaking ALIVE) to begin with.

 

I'm with you on this one. It even has the darker coloration at the base of the stalk.