What is this thing growing out of my LR?

[joeyfromlawrenceville]

Hi,
I bought this piece of rock because it had lots of color on it, I ended up with 2 dusters, and some other cool stuff that popped up months later. Now I have been watching for several weeks,maybe a month or more.Something is growing off the rock. It is light grey colored, transparrent, somewhat firm, doesn't flow in water current and has little black specs in it. It kind of looks like a cocoon, spider web sort of thing. It has vertical stalks growing up and is about 3/4 inch high now. Any ideas??? Thanks. BTW: If it is BAD, tell me so and it will come out.

 

[roka64]

Looks kind of like a sponge to me.

 

[Tank2379]

I agree with roka a Sponge. No harm

 

[joeyfromlawrenceville]

Alright thanks.
I will leave it alone for now, it seems to have covered over and smothered a head of small zoas/buttons that were growing on the rock, hope it doesn't spread and cover all my cool stuff on that rock. If I decide to kill it off due to spreading how will I do that?, boiling water, or physically remove it from rock by hand?
Thanks,

 

[roka64]

Hmmm, good question. Mine seem to come and go. They are great filter feeders. Usually they grow under the rock, away from the light.
I'm interested in finding out how to remove them. My guess is you have excess nutrients in your tank.

 

[joeyfromlawrenceville]

When you find out how to remove, let me know. It is growing like a weed. I have bumped up PWC's to every 5 days of so, just a liter and a half, so it is easy.
joey

 

[Innovator]

I've had similar appearing sponge overgrowing and killing some lps in my tank. I had to take the coral out and use a toothbrush (no, not my personal one) to remove it all while running under freshwater. Pain in the arse it was. Unless you see it growing up coral skeletons or choking out corals in general I'd leave it be.

 

[joeyfromlawrenceville]

Yea, I would like to leave it be, but is seems to be covering up a new colony of zoas, it is in my 3 gal pico, won't take long to reach the top of the tank
I hate the fact it is on a piece of rock with lots of cool stuff that i don't want to die.
Joey