Strange Spiderwebs like Strings on Corals - Help :)

[XuLo]

Hi everyone,

since a few weeks we have strange kind of strings like spiderwebs on many corals (on 2 separate Tanks independently).
We have to blow them off 2-3 time a day otherwise it will bother the Corals extremely (It happens to most Corals).

We know that our LFS got it too and they don't know what it is and what to do other than clean the corals.
Unfortunately we don't have a microscope.

It would be amazing if someone have an idea!

Best greetings !

 

[Timfish]

The plate coral looks like it's just pooping. Hard to tell with the lobo but it may just be shedding it's mucus film, corals do shed thier mucus films periodicly to renew them. If something is irritating it it may be ding it more frequently. What's the time frame on how frequent the lobo is shedding?

 

[XuLo]

The plate coral looks like it's just pooping. Hard to tell with the lobo but it may just be shedding it's mucus film, corals do shed thier mucus films periodicly to renew them. If something is irritating it it may be ding it more frequently. What's the time frame on how frequent the lobo is shedding?

Thank you for your answer!
It depends here are a better picture from another coral - it takes about 1-2 days and it looks like that on different corals:

Do you think its muscus? We really have no clue :X

Thank´s !

 

[Karen00]

Possibly vermetid snails. The web is how they feed and can irritate corals. Do you see a hard tube anywhere on the frag (coral and/or plug)? The tube is where the snail lives.

 

[XuLo]

Possibly vermetid snails. The web is how they feed and can irritate corals. Do you see a hard tube anywhere on the frag (coral and/or plug)? The tube is where the snail lives.

That was our first thought too - but we can't find anyone of the snails nearby
and you can blow these strings off - as far as I know it's not so easy to blow off the snails webs.
It's like a String-layer on the coral.

 

[Karen00]

That was our first thought too - but we can't find anyone of the snails nearby

Can you get a picture of the base where the web emerges?

 

[XuLo]

Can you get a picture of the base where the web emerges?

If we turn the coral it just falls off - but I try to get another shot tomorrow - thank you very much for your help <3

 

[Karen00]

Another possibility is spaghetti worm but they usually have a tube like structure as well.

 

[XuLo]

Another possibility is spaghetti worm but they usually have a tube like structure as well.

Okay I will research that, thank you - but it looks like it come right out of nothing - we just thought it maybe a bacteria or virus that maybe let the corals produce these kind of muscus or what ever it is
Maybe I have to get a microscope to get a better look.

 

[Karen00]

Another thought is that it's mucus the vermetid snails have released so it's no longer attached to the snails. You might have to do an inspection of your tank (rocks, etc) to see if you can find any tubes (whether from vermetid snails or spaghetti worms, etc).

 

[XuLo]

Another thought is that it's mucus the vermetid snails have released so it's no longer attached to the snails. You might have to do an inspection of your tank (rocks, etc) to see if you can find any tubes (whether from vermetid snails or spaghetti worms, etc).

we definitely have them in our tank (not as much as in other tanks we saw) but the strange thing is that it's getting bigger with time if you don't blow it off daily :X

 

[Karen00]

A microscope might help. I have never heard of a virus or bacteria looking like this but I'm fairly new to the salty side of the hobby. I'm sure others with more experience will add their thoughts. It's definitely a hobby that can confound us. I don't think freshwater has near the number of oddities like saltwater does.

 

[ying yang]

Maybe just the mesenterial filaments from the corals themselves ?
Could it be that simple?

 

[Timfish]

Thank you for your answer!
It depends here are a better picture from another coral - it takes about 1-2 days and it looks like that on different corals:

Do you think its muscus? We really have no clue :X

Thank´s !

Looks like coral mucus to me. I've got vermitids and none make anything that look like that, additionally vermited slime threads will be other places besides just on corals. I'm thinking something is irritating the corals to cause them to make more than usual mucus. What's changed in the last several months?

 

[XuLo]

This was overnight - here are some pics from the beginning and after shaking a little:

 

[Bucs20fan]

It almost look like the slime or mucous that acros produce when stressed. Could be something similar. Doesnt really look like any vermetid web ive seen, they usually arent that dense. Unless you have huge vermetids.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

how is the flow in your tank? any mucus or shedding should be taken away by the flow.