Funky white stuff growing on live rock

Medicreefer · Oct 5, 2012

Hey guys! I bought a mushroom rock from a local reef club member last week. I brought it home last Sunday, did an ro dip and then a coral rx pro dip. It has since been in my QT with two clowns a torch and a hammer (all dipped and coral rx'ed as well). Today I noticed the hammer was stretching out one of its tentacles in what looked like a covert attack on the mush room rock. he hadnt reached it yet so I moved them both to separate corners of the tank. When moving the mushroom rock I noticed the bottom side had some weird white stuff growing on it. Only way to describe it is it looks almost like a spider egg nest but far more durable. I tried to take some pics but it gets washed out. I will attach them for your viewing pleasure : ) The rock also has this crazy yellow sponge growing on it but I was told that this was beneficial. The second pic also has a hitchhiker worm on the rock. It's smack dab in the middle of the pic. Is he a bad guy or good guy?

This one also has a little red worm smack dab in the middle of the pic. Is he good?

Thanks in advance for looking and any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Jay

Blue face angel · Oct 5, 2012

From the pics it looks like just another form of sponge. I have it growing on the bottom of some of my live rock also. I have had it for years now and just pull of pieces as it grows into sight. I fellow reefer told me that it doesn't hurt anything as long as pruned back and actually helps absorb nitrates in the aquarium. I do not know if that is true but my nitrates have always been at 0. I may be wrong about this but like I said I have the same thing that looks like what you are describing and have not seen any problems with it .