2 new hitchhikers

[lulabulla]

i have found new life in my new set up .. tonight i found a spider looking thing~ i am assuming its a starfish of some sort. i havent been successful in getting a picture, so the best way to describe it, it is kinda yellowish and like a spider. any ideas?

the next thing i found are tiny little red bugs. i purchased some plants and have seen them since on them. they are super tiny and red thats all i can say. what could they be and are they going to infest my tank?

thanks for any info.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

1st thing sounds like a brittle star. Pretty cool little critters. Very small central disc, but very long spindly "arms". Looks like a cross between a starfish and spider.

Not sure about the 2nd thing. Could be one of several different things. "Red Bugs" will immediately send a shiver up folk's spine that keep SPS corals. Here's what THOSE 'red bugs' look like...

But I'm thinking that probably isn't what you're seeing. I'd say you're either looking at some type of copepod (which like to hang out in macroalgae) or maybe a type of flatworm. But flatworms look more like well... flat worms, and I wouldn't describe them as "bugs", so my money is on copepods.

 

[lulabulla]

yeah i am getting a better look at the starfish and it does look like a brittle star. i was actually able to see all legs and there are 5. so if thats right i got 1 thing IDed

as for the red bugs, they dont look like the ones in the picture. the best way i can describe them is they look like blood spiders just a-lot smaller. is there a copepod thats red? definatly not flat.

thanks!

 

[roka64]

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