Cool looking, but what am I?

[Janet Belanger]

I'm in the sump in the shadowy areas. I'm white and pinkish purple. I'm slow growing in a ball like form less than an inch across so far with spreading branches. I reproduce somehow, because there are several of me now. I don't move, and I'm hard like coraline, but have visually feathery qualities. What am I?

 

[blaxsun]

I'm stumped.

 

[MaxTremors]

Could be a type of branching coralline. Could also be some kind of calcareous sponge. But hard to say for sure.

 

[HB AL]

I would put some light on it and see how it reacts, very interesting

 

[Janet Belanger]

I would put some light on it and see how it reacts, very interesting

It does nothing when shining a flashlight on it. I'll move rocks around to see if I can get some light to one of them.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

It could potentially also be some kind of bryozoan. The one shown in the link below is similar, but it's clearly not the same species.

White thread like thing growing under my scolymia... Is it a sponge?

I have a white substance that looks like frayed rope growing out from under my scoly. This is a new one to me. I am guessing it is some type of sponge but a positive ID would be great. It does not seem to bother the scoly at all. ____112217 by Big Jim, on Flickr ___112217 by Big Jim, on Flickr

www.reef2reef.com

 

[bnord]

neat... love this hobby
bryozoan seems a good guess.. is it lit (i.e, for algae) part of the sump?

 

[HB AL]

Pull a chunk out and put it in your dt, see if it dies or thrives under.

 

[Janet Belanger]

neat... love this hobby
bryozoan seems a good guess.. is it lit (i.e, for algae) part of the sump?

The sump is lit but these are only growing in the dark undertow rock. I moved a rock last night so one of them gets direct light. Seemingly no change today.

 

[Janet Belanger]

It could potentially also be some kind of bryozoan. The one shown in the link below is similar, but it's clearly not the same species.

White thread like thing growing under my scolymia... Is it a sponge?

I have a white substance that looks like frayed rope growing out from under my scoly. This is a new one to me. I am guessing it is some type of sponge but a positive ID would be great. It does not seem to bother the scoly at all. ____112217 by Big Jim, on Flickr ___112217 by Big Jim, on Flickr

www.reef2reef.com

I think you're on to something. One photo of such creature in internet search indicates it could be a type of spiral bryozoan. Its a slow grower in my experience, months to double its tiny size (which I guess is consistent with most sps frags). I'll leave it for now and watch its growth pattern.

 

[Janet Belanger]

Update... I'm definitely a clam or oyster type of creature because I react to shadows and open/close.

After exposing it to light, the colors darkened up to a deeper purple on the feathery areas but I'm not sure this was caused by the light. There's also more random sump crud stuck in the spikes now.

There are more of these feathery/spiny creatures in the sump but they are decidedly not as cool looking as this one. So either younger or not the same species.

 

[Chrisv.]

It could potentially also be some kind of bryozoan. The one shown in the link below is similar, but it's clearly not the same species.

White thread like thing growing under my scolymia... Is it a sponge?

I have a white substance that looks like frayed rope growing out from under my scoly. This is a new one to me. I am guessing it is some type of sponge but a positive ID would be great. It does not seem to bother the scoly at all. ____112217 by Big Jim, on Flickr ___112217 by Big Jim, on Flickr

www.reef2reef.com

You're all over the random sea life threads lol. This is your favorite part, isn't it!?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Update... I'm definitely a clam or oyster type of creature because I react to shadows and open/close.

After exposing it to light, the colors darkened up to a deeper purple on the feathery areas but I'm not sure this was caused by the light. There's also more random sump crud stuck in the spikes now.

There are more of these feathery/spiny creatures in the sump but they are decidedly not as cool looking as this one. So either younger or not the same species.

Very cool! Care to send any to Houston?

 

[DaJMasta]

If it actually isn't moving, while I don't expect this to be the right ID, it could be some kind of byssal threads from a clam of some kind. While most seem to be either more feathery/furry or more wiry, I've seen some from wing oysters and scallops in my tank that are sort of a more solid tube kind of thing, which is vaguely similar in shape and size.

If they're moving, or they're growing, it's definitely not that, but if they just sort of appear around the tank at about the same size, and especially if you notice your clams moving, it could be.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Any new photos?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

You're all over the random sea life threads lol. This is your favorite part, isn't it!?

Haha, one of my favorites, yes - breeding is another.

Update... I'm definitely a clam or oyster type of creature because I react to shadows and open/close.

After exposing it to light, the colors darkened up to a deeper purple on the feathery areas but I'm not sure this was caused by the light. There's also more random sump crud stuck in the spikes now.

There are more of these feathery/spiny creatures in the sump but they are decidedly not as cool looking as this one. So either younger or not the same species.

If it's a bivalve of some kind, my first thought would be some species of Spondylus (A.K.A. "spiny oysters" - though they're not actually oysters, they're more closely related to scallops) - there are way too many species in the genus for me to look over tonight to see I can find a match, but they're the only bivalves I know of that commonly have that many "spikes" coming off their shells.

 

[Janet Belanger]

Its seems to be growing and is definitely larger than it was before. It doesn't move around the sump at all, but it does quickly close when I pass my hand over it to block the light.

The "feathery" things are crusty hard when I poke them. So I'm thinking its some sort of spiny mollusk, and I think there is more than one at different stages in my sump.

 

[Janet Belanger]

Not a super photo but this is the side of it, and there's another just behind it.

 

[Janet Belanger]

Oh better!! You can see the feathery bits but also to the left and behind a smaller one with less color.

Both photographed from the side. Top down shows a whole lot of nothing.

 

[Janet Belanger]

Very cool! Care to send any to Houston?

Ha! I could try, I see at least three maybe four of the tiny ones in there, all about the same size. Problem though... battling a nasty case of dinos that I promise you don't want.