Strange lump on frogspawn

[metalruebe]

I noticed a strange thing on my frogspawn, maybe a new head? Worm or sponge of some sort? Any idea dudes? Parameters are in normal range, a bit of algae, tank is 5 months old.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Pic is out of focus...
Could be a sponge, vermetid shell, unknown...
Almost surely not a new head as they usually grow from the fleshy part and the flesh on this specimen has receded significantly.

 

[metalruebe]

I think its a vermetide snail, a funnel like thing appeared out of the hole, but not like a feather duster. I got thos frag 3 months ago with this status, what should i do? Shorten the skeleton beneath? Can the polyp regrow or is it a goner?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

What are your *actual* parameters, and how stable have they been? What type of flow and lighting is this piece receiving?

 

[metalruebe]

Nitrate currently 1.5, typically around 3-10, Phosphate 0.03-0.1, Alk 8.6, Ca 454, Mg 1520 (bit too high, but i read its still in a ok range). Alk reading has been stable in a range of 0.3 for the last 3 months. Ca and Mg also. Nitrate never exceeded 11ppm. Had a phosphate spike to 0.4 ppm like 1.5 months ago. Alk consumption increased in the last 2 months about 5mL daily (12mL daily dosage atm). Its a 425xl red sea reefer.

I battle a bit with GHA, but they're receding slowly. I also had to increase temperature temporarily to 28°C because of dinos. They're gone for now, and Temp brought back gradually to 26°C.

Coralline algae not really present, except for snail shells.

I guess my tank stills swings pretty hard biologically. I run UV. I run ozone, only for a few hours at night. I run the skimmer also only at night, so i maintain a pH between 8.1 to 8.4 in total.

I run carbon+GFO and feed a diet of frozen foods in broadcast (mysis, cyclops, bloodworms, artemia etc) and flakes, nori.

2 Vortech Mp40s deliver around 45x tank turnover alternating constant flow/reef crest.

Other corals look ok, lost a Alveopora though, i think it was the phosphate spike or the GHA suffocating it.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

That's a lot of instability, especially the high temp... This one might not make it. Be sure if you buy torches, hammers, frogspawn, etc, that there is a good amount of flesh down the stem.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Other corals look ok, lost a Alveopora though, i think it was the phosphate spike or the GHA suffocating it.

Alveos aren't really beginner corals.

Also, LPS usually like higher nutrients, IME

 

[metalruebe]

Alveos aren't really beginner corals.

Also, LPS usually like higher nutrients, IME

Unfortunately i followed the wrong advice at the start, specifically in that shop. The lump was just lightly attached, i discarded it and i'm quite sure it was a vermetide.

I think the best solution for me is now to intervene less and prefer stability over everything else.