Critter ID sponge ID

Yahdiel91 · Mar 30, 2023

Hello reefers!

I posted a few months ago about something i noticed on my frogspawn. At that time it was very small, Few months later it has grown into a decent size. I was told it was a chlatharina sponge but i looked up info and it doesn't look like thats what it is.. Trying to get an ID on this guy, and maybe any suggestions on if i should remove it or not.. Seems to be sensitive to light as it closes shut when i point the light at it..

Thank you anything helps!

Yahdiel91 · Mar 30, 2023

Yahdiel91 · Mar 30, 2023

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Mar 31, 2023

Some sort of bivalve. Who told you it was a sponge I wonder??

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Mar 31, 2023

Only remove it if you don't want it there for aesthetic reasons. It won't harm the coral.

Yahdiel91 · Mar 31, 2023

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal said:
Some sort of bivalve. Who told you it was a sponge I wonder??

Not the bivalve, its above the bivalve

Yahdiel91 · Mar 31, 2023

Yahdiel91 said:
Not the bivalve, its above the bivalve

ISpeakForTheSeas · Mar 31, 2023

Yahdiel91 said:

That still seems to be a bivalve (though a clearly different kind, and not a species I'm currently familiar with) - in this case, the wrinkly reddish part is the shell, the white part is the inside, and the clear flowy part is the mantle.

Yahdiel91 · Mar 31, 2023

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
That still seems to be a bivalve (though a clearly different kind, and not a species I'm currently familiar with) - in this case, the wrinkly reddish part is the shell, the white part is the inside, and the clear flowy part is the mantle.

Ohhhh okay so it's all just the same bivalve.. i thought when they mentioned bivalve it was just the clear part.. My only worry is how close it has gotten to the corals flesh..

ISpeakForTheSeas · Mar 31, 2023

Yahdiel91 said:
Ohhhh okay so it's all just the same bivalve.. i thought when they mentioned bivalve it was just the clear part.. My only worry is how close it has gotten to the corals flesh..

It looks to me like you have two different bivalves in the pic that I can see, the reddish one you circled in the pic, and the white one that the blue line crosses over in the pic.

Yahdiel91 · Mar 31, 2023

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
It looks to me like you have two different bivalves in the pic that I can see, the reddish one you circled in the pic, and the white one that the blue line crosses over in the pic.

As long as its a bivalve then it shouldn't cause any harm.. the one thst reacts to light is the one i highlighted, the other one just stays slightly open but its gotten double the size.. i dont mind it but do they live long?

ISpeakForTheSeas · Mar 31, 2023

Yahdiel91 said:
As long as its a bivalve then it shouldn't cause any harm.. the one thst reacts to light is the one i highlighted, the other one just stays slightly open but its gotten double the size.. i dont mind it but do they live long?

They’re harmless; how long they live depends on the species and tank they’re in. Sometimes they die after a few weeks/months, other times they live for years.

Yahdiel91 · Mar 31, 2023

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
They’re harmless; how long they live depends on the species and tank they’re in. Sometimes they die after a few weeks/months, other times they live for years.

Geez hopefully it doesn't get too big.. Hes probably about a year old already, I've had the frogspawn for over a year now

AydenLincoln · Mar 31, 2023

I have one too! That’s part of the little mollusk mine is a baby oyster I’ve had for over a year! The little white stuff is part of their mouth to help them eat that comes out when they open it and retracts when closed.