Fuzzy Stuff on rock

[jwsmartin]

What is this? Should I remove it? It is on a piece of rock that contains about 20 pollups and a ton of bittle star fish.

 

[lance]

It looks like a coral skeleton with some green algea. Is it hard or soft? I also see a sponge i think , the purple blob. I would remove that .

 

[jwsmartin]

So the purple is a sponge? Is that bad? Should I just peel it off and take it out of the tank?

 

[lance]

Sure looks like a sponge and will spread and could bother and cover close by coral. If its spongy and the hole in the center or mouth closes whene removed from the water i would say it is a sponge. Much easier to controll at this point. I would give it a RO water no salt dip or a fresh water dip and use an wire brush to remove. I use an automotive brush , a smaller one from checker. They have a 3 pack and the brush head is about 1 1/2 inches long. Setup a coral station with everything needed. A bowl of tank water , bowl of fresh water. Use the tank water to rinse off befoer adding back to the tank.
If you do have frags on it then i would just remove them and glue to a frag plu or rubble rock and discard the small frag.

 

[ryshark]

Are those sponges with the one hole or two holes a big deal? I have a bunch of them on one rock in my tank but just have left them alone so far. They are ugly and I wouldn't want them to spread everywhere.

 

[lance]

They are with caution but the one he has will get bigger and mulitply.If it doesnt grow over or through corals it will restrict it from growing in its place. They can release a toxin also if stressed or bothered. This hobby is all about controll for long term success. The more you have the easier it will be. It would really hurt to have to tear apart your aquascape for something you could have fixed upfront. But if you leave any behind it will grow back. To keep and maintain a reef tank with quality water and happy stock is hard enough alone. Adding these things in doesnt help.
Besides almost anybody can throw a tank together and get good results for a yr or so but its after that that counts. As many problems take time to appear from mnths to yrs and without an understanding of whats going on you get the endless buying stuff to fix something without results and cant understand why. Whene perhaphs all they needed was another powerhead or differant CUC or differant salt. The basics. Get the basics down for long term success.


Sorry if anyone actually read all that , rambling.

Are those sponges with the one hole or two holes a big deal? I have a bunch of them on one rock in my tank but just have left them alone so far. They are ugly and I wouldn't want them to spread everywhere.

 

[cmor1701d]

You may want to read this article on sponges first. That looks more like a mushroom to me when I enlarge the photo.

And from Aquarium Design, Marine Aquariums and Coral Reef Aquarium Tank, Stand, Canopy, and Aquarium Filter System
"The anatomy of a typical sponge is very simple. They are basically a mass of cells. They posses no nervous, digestive or excretory systems. In fact they are so simple that you could place a sponge into a blender, and under the right conditions the cells will regroup into a new individual in just a few days! Sponges can usually be identified by their lack of any significant features and their sponge like texture"

 

[melosu58]

I leave mine in the tank. They are excellent filter feeders. I probably have a dozen in my 125 gallon reef. My only problem from what I`ve heard that if exposed to air they might not make it. Liveaquaria says it is a critical concern on their sponges.

 

[lance]

Not all sponges are bad. I have sponges like his and tried the out of tank method and to no avial. But htere are many types.