White small dots/critters on live rock

Alfredo77 · Oct 11, 2020

Hi folks, I have tons of these tiny white spots on the top of the coralline algae. Some of them have a small hole in the centre. They are hard.
Any ideas what these are and how to get rid of them?

Thank you!

Idoc · Oct 11, 2020

The picture is hard to see anything clearly. Look up spirinoid worm and see if it looks like what you have.

Alfredo77 · Oct 11, 2020

Thank you it might be, here are a couple of more pics unfortunately are not much better than the ones before. Go Buckeyes!

minus9 · Oct 11, 2020

It's hard to tell from the pics, but if there's a spiral shape to them, then it's spirorbid worms, harmless filter feeders. They usually have a tiny red crown.

Idoc · Oct 11, 2020

Alfredo77 said:
Thank you it might be, here are a couple of more pics unfortunately are not much better than the ones before. Go Buckeyes!

I don't think that's spirinoid worms with the magnified pics. I don't see any spiral shells. Is it hard or soft to touch? Does it blow off the rocks with a turkey baster?

#reefsquad

Alfredo77 · Oct 11, 2020

Idoc said:
I don't think that's spirinoid worms with the magnified pics. I don't see any spiral shells. Is it hard or soft to touch? Does it blow off the rocks with a turkey baster?

#reefsquad

They are hard and firmly attached to the rock. With forceps you can scrape them off.

Alfredo77 · Oct 11, 2020

Also, I had some of the rock covered by some old dead stony coral and where it was covered there were none. My guess they are feeding on the nutrients carried in the water flow.

KJ · Oct 11, 2020

Look like Calcareous sponge.

Lasse · Oct 11, 2020

Look up acorn barnacle and compare if it is that.

Sincerely Lasse

Alfredo77 · Oct 11, 2020

Alfredo77 · Oct 11, 2020

Here is a picture that is a bit better. I think I will try to do my best to scrape off a bit of coralline algae that includes some and take it to work and look under a stereoscope. Thank you all for replies. Only a couple of months in and seems like this hobby will never get dull.

SHNICI · Oct 11, 2020

Alfredo77 said:
Here is a picture that is a bit better. I think I will try to do my best to scrape off a bit of coralline algae that includes some and take it to work and look under a stereoscope. Thank you all for replies. Only a couple of months in and seems like this hobby will never get dull.

taking and having better vision under macro/microscope can help, and if you can take photo when it's under will be great and for us, to can ID it

GL and WELCOME @Alfredo77 here and to the hobby