White "dots" Appearing Everywhere

[xbrl001]

So my tank has these hard white dots that are growing all over the sides of the tank. They don't seem to grow on the glass itself, but are growing on the black walls of the tank and it looks like my rock too. Anyway, I attached the best pic I could. They are small and hard (almost like sand) but they are attaching to stuff. They aren't to difficult to scrape off. Any one know what this might be?

 

[fragit]

Coralline Algea beginning to grow, by the sounds of it. It is good stuff!

 

[chadb202]

I'm having the same thing happen. Does it change colors later ?

 

[fragit]

I'm having the same thing happen. Does it change colors later ?

Yes it will become that purple stuff as it matures you see on the walls of older tanks.

 

[AcroNem]

Look as close as you can, do they look almost like little shells? I'm spacing what they're actually called but they're a type of filter feeder. It doesn't look like coralline to me.

 

[chadb202]

I wouldn't say little shells. Just dots. They are on the rock and on the glass.
If its not coralline, is it bad ?

 

[AcroNem]

Spirorbid Worms, that's what they're called. Are the raised at all? Coralline would most likely be colored, not white, and not raised much. If those are sharper and raised I'd bet that's what they are. Very small less than a couple mm.

 

[human]

Might be Spirorbis, a type of tiny tube worm filter feeder.

 

[chadb202]

Yes they are raised. They scrape off the glass fairly easily. Are they harmful in any way ?

 

[AcroNem]

If they grow too fast they can be kind of annoying. They're filter feeders so their growth would correspond to what's in your water. But other than that they're harmless, if they are Spirorbids which I'm pretty sure they are.

 

[human]

Not harmful, actually beneficial filtering stuff out of the water column.

 

[chadb202]

Ok. Thanks. I'll just keep scraping them off the glass.

 

[chadb202]

And everything else they are growing on.

 

[scardall]

No issues, Just scape off or leave. I do both.

 

[ndz98]

I've got the same thing on the back of my glass but they are green and aren't raised. Very hard to scrape off. Could they be coralline or something else?

 

[human]

I've got the same thing on the back of my glass but they are green and aren't raised. Very hard to scrape off. Could they be coralline or something else?

Probably coralline algae, it comes in all sorts of colors, if it isn't slimy to the touch.

 

[ndz98]

Well it's about time it showed up then lol

 

[xbrl001]

Reviving the thread because I'm pretty sure they turned out to be Spirorbids. Here is a very up close pic of a small worm I recently found on my glass. Anyone agree/disagree?

 

[underwaterdan]

From what I read when your nutrients go down the population will start to dwindle. As for the photo above I can't be of much use.