Need an id please

[Miamialum620]

I noticed these 2 white tubes growing along one of my corral and have no clue what is. You can see the bigger one growing on the frag plug and another on the top right of the coral.

Another concern is I decided to turn on my white lights at max to see if there was anything else I’ve been missing. What I found was a bunch of these polyps growing throughout the rocks.

Any help with an ID and if I should be concerned would be helpful.

 

[Miamialum620]

I also just noticed these large bulbous polyps (maybe 6) in certain spots

 

[jaxredsoxfan]

Looks like feather dusters and sponges- nothing to worry about.

 

[ScottB]

Good news and bad news. Feather dusters and sponges (white, bulbous, generally shadowed) are fine. Harmless filter feeders. That they are there is a good sign IMO.

Not the best picture for those in the middle, but look a whole lot like aiptasia. Also known as glass anemones. These things multiply like crazy and will sting corals. Google some images to confirm. Hopefully I am wrong.

There are a few predators for aiptasia but hit/miss. True peppermint shrimp will keep small ones at bay. Do some research with your LFS to make sure you get the correct species. File fish will often eat them but not always reef safe. Butterfly fish sometimes, but very high mortality rates on those fish.

Injecting them with kalk paste or Aiptasia-X is a must -- especially for the larger ones. Some folks use lemon juice apparently. This must be done in the tank, the anemones will just shrink/close up if you lift the rock out of the tank.

Good luck.

 

[Jason boles]

Berghia nudibranch are amazing. Nipped my aiptasia right in the bud. They do die once no more aiptasia are left so it’s ideal if you have friends or a club to pass them on.

 

[Miamialum620]

Sorry for the crappy photos. They’re so tiny that only video seems to really capture them. Maybe this is slightly better. With the whites turned on they are purple in appearance almost like Xenias which is why I most likely missed them with the blues turned on. The more I look around the tank the more I find.

 

[Modest]

I have had the same bulbous white sponges as shown in post #2. Let me tell you one thing: they Will take over your tank if you do not intervene. Removal is easy. I'm also convinced that they disappear when your tank is maturing.

 

[Jason boles]

I personally would order a few berghia ASAP. Looks like our friend aiptasia. Plenty of other more seasoned folks than me though.

 

[Miamialum620]

What about colonial hydroids? I’ve been looking around and they seem very close to what I have.

 

[ScottB]

Yeah, now that you mention hydroids, I think you might be right. Small in size, and the stem is very thin relative to the polyp head.

They don't sting anything so you can choose to leave or remove.