Miscellaneous Creatures

As my "live rock" has matured in my tank, many creatures have appeared which were too small to see originally. Here are some "baby" "feather dusters". These are worms which create fans to collect food as it floats by. One such fan is clearly visible in the upper left part of the picture; another is just barely visible in the lower right. The white tubes are the hard casings in which the worms live and hide when disturbed. I now have perhaps 20 of these, scattered all over the tank, and of various colors.



This one is much easier to see. The tube is less than 1mm in diameter; the fan is perhaps 1/4 inch across.



I purchased a small Horseshoe Crab. He is cute, but clutzy, always getting stuck in various places, or lying on his back, kicking and trying to right himself. It is hard to believe that he can survive at all, he is so clumsy, but given that they've been around for hundreds of millions of years, I guess he represents a reasonably decent design. His tail, which at first sight seems to be ornamental, is essential for righting himself when he is caught on his back. He likes to bury himself in the sand, disappearing for days at a time. The dark spot on the top of his carapace is an eye.



Here he is, trying to do his disappearing act.





This Hairy Mushroom Coral has expelled its "guts". This happens when the coral is disturbed, and usually the "guts" are drawn back in within a few minutes, and life proceeds without further incident.



Here are all of the Hairy Mushroom Corals, all bunched up in "purses". They do this when they trap food as it passes by (or when I happen to drop little bits of shrimp onto them).



A closeup of the "knot" at the entrance to the purse.