Small white discs on frag

[ThomasNanoReefer]

Hi all,

Being still new in the hobby I am in the process of filling my nano tank with small frags. Last week I received a Clavularia viridis frag. But when I check it, I noticed the frag was covered with small white discs. Anybody knows what this is?

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Hi all,

Being still new in the hobby I am in the process of filling my nano tank with small frags. Last week I received a Clavularia viridis frag. But when I check it, I noticed the frag was covered with small white discs. Anybody knows what this is?

Thanks,
Thomas

They look like a type of Foraminiferan.
Here is a link to a great article that has some good information on them.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/rs/index.php

 

[ThomasNanoReefer]

They look like a type of Foraminiferan.
Here is a link to a great article that has some good information on them.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/rs/index.php

Thanks for the tip! According to the article I should get a microscope and look for the following:

"But if you are one of those hobbyists with access to a microscope, you should examine the "suspect" sand grain for the appearance of fine dots on the surface. The name Foraminifera is derived from a combination of Latin and Greek terms meaning "bearing pores or holes" and the surface of most foram shells are covered with microscopic holes visible at about 40x magnifications."

I will try to remove one and see if I can get a microscope somewhere...

Thanks!

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

Thanks for the tip! According to the article I should get a microscope and look for the following:

"But if you are one of those hobbyists with access to a microscope, you should examine the "suspect" sand grain for the appearance of fine dots on the surface. The name Foraminifera is derived from a combination of Latin and Greek terms meaning "bearing pores or holes" and the surface of most foram shells are covered with microscopic holes visible at about 40x magnifications."

I will try to remove one and see if I can get a microscope somewhere...

Thanks!

You're welcome