What is growing on my blastamussa merleti??

[cdeakle]

I purchased this blastamussa merleti around 6-12 months ago.
The brown patch growing on the left side was on there when
I originally bought it but though nothing of it, assumed it was
some kind of sponge or something. There are also what lloks
like white fuzzy hairs on some parts of it. It has now grown
rather large compared to when I first added it to my tank and
now I'm getting worried not knowing exactly what it is and
wether it can/will damage my blastamussa.

Also there is another growth of somekind that I just recently
noticed on the right side and also have no idea what I'm dealing
with. Looks almost like a cluster of tube worms or possible one
of the dreaded anemones but I'm not sure of anything at this
point.

Lastly, I have some hair algae growing between the blastamussa's
and have tried turkey basting it and even a light scrubbing with a
tooth brush and still cant free it up. I don't wanna scrub to hard
because I don't wanna hurt my little buddies.

Can you awesome folks please help me out, kinda stressin out a
little You guys/gals rock!!

 

[cdeakle]

Could the brown stuff be Brown Wafer Algae (Lobophora variegata)??

 

[Anonymous]

The tubes are common sedintary Polychaetes ( Tube Worms ), harmless though some people hate them as they can grow to plague like numbers. Unfortunately I can't make out the other stuff, it could be algae or a sponge.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[cdeakle]

David, thanks for your reply.

On one of the other forums I frequent someone is 100 percent sure that they are hydroids:

Positively they are HYDROIDS cdeakle.

can't be anything else

- Elmo

Now I'm really confused LOL what do you think Mr. Mohr?

 

[cdeakle]

Hey Dan Conner:

I have what I think is lobophora growing in my 120. It has never become a problem though. I had a long-spined urchin, but it grew extremely fast and became much too large for the tank; and also bothered some of the corals. I have a tuxedo urchin that is much better. I think it has eaten some of the lobophora, but not eliminated it. It eats coralline, but mine grows at a rate faster than it can make a dent in it.

Do you think I also have lobophora? Do my pics look similar to what you have?

 

[Anonymous]

On one of the other forums I frequent someone is 100 percent sure that they are hydroids:

Positively they are HYDROIDS cdeakle.

can't be anything else

- Elmo

Now I'm really confused LOL what do you think Mr. Mohr?

Since we're just dealing with pics and not very clear ones for IDing ( not trying to dis your pics ) It could be many things. My guess would still be Tube Worms.

http://personal.cityu.edu.hk/~bhworm/sedentary/spoly.htm

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[cdeakle]

Yeah the pics suck, I'll be the first to admit it. As soon as I have some extra cashola rest assured I will be purchasing a new one.

Just in case there hydroids I got to thinking. An idea occured to me. If I'm not mistaken arent hydroids and anemones related? I have some joesjuice laying around and I wondered if it would have an effect on these bastaards so I emailed Joe and here is what he responded with:

Dear Mr. Deakle,

We've heard unofficially from one other customer and
one maintenance person here in Stamford that JoesJuice
does indeed eliminate hydroids as well. We've not
tested this theory out but we don't doubt their claims
either. So give it a try and let us know!

So I gave it a try and I will let you guys know what happens. Still cant see through the milky cloud yet. I hope there melting like the witch in the wizard of oz....

Still need help on the brown algae if anyone has any ideas help a brutha out

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like hydroids to me, but it's quite a stretch for someone to say 100% sure. Easy way to find out is feel the tubes. Tubeworms are rock hard, hydroids are protein based and bendable. Hydroids can easily be removed manually as well. Not nearly as bad as majano anemones.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd say I am 98% sure they are hydroids judging by the ones circled on the right. Like Matt said they are easily removed. A pair of tweezers used at the base will usually pull up the whole colony in one shot.

 

[John_Brandt]

Easy way to find out is feel the tubes. Tubeworms are rock hard, hydroids are protein based and bendable. Hydroids can easily be removed manually as well.

Hey, wait a second. There are tubeworms that produce a soft tube, and it is easily detached. The sabellids produce a soft tube. The serpulids produce a calcareous tube.

 

[brandon4291]

my conscience is making me join in at this point--no telling how many times I've mentioned the tiny spiral colonies on the glass as sabellid fanworms and not serpulids. Dang, well Dt's feeds them anyway and they aren't "bad" to whomever I was talking about this earlier :>

 

[JennM]

They look like hydroids to me too. Keyhole limpets eat hydroids... if you don't Juice them you could try a few limpets.

If you've ever fed live brine, this is one way that hydroids are introduced to a tank.

I used to have a problem with them in my seahorse fry rearing tanks - limpets took care of them.

HTH

Jenn

 

[K9coral]

"QUOTING IS BAD - UM K?"

 

[brandon4291]

Good luck getting the algae growth off the skeleton of the coral, that will be the toughest part IMO. System adjustments made out-of-favor for algae take a long time to reduce established tufts, even manual removal doesn't seem to get the strands out of the folds and convolutions of the skeletal structure (they always grew back on me). If you have kept your system parameters in favor of algae-free water and nothing seems to prevent tuft regrowth on the skeleton, you might consider a little down-and-dirty work.

B. Merleti can be kept out of the water for a few minutes with no harm, I've done it time and time again when performing coral 'surgery'. You might remove the coral, and have ready a thick, non-runny kalk paste to dab on the algae colony. If your colonial growth is near the head/polyps of the coral you will have to apply the paste out of the water, wait two minutes and then carefully wash off the paste (in a downward motion away from the polyps) into another bucket. You know what'll happen if the kalkpaste touches the polyps... this may take a few times but it will kill the annoying colony that always comes back somehow.

If the growth is lower on the skeleton and farther away from the polyps, you might apply the paste and hold the heads of the B.Merleti upside-down submerged into the water, allowing your paste to stay above water and on the algae for 5-10 minutes-this will kill it for sure. I have used the kalk-paste burn method even for the walls of my pico refugium; if I get lax on wchanges and see some hair algae develop, I pull off as much as I can, drain the tank and apply the past to the spot, let it sit for 1-2 mins and take it back off with a moist paper towel, then refill and watch that spot not grow back. Dangerous detail and high pH burn solution, but hey it's a better bet than hair algae infestation.

 

[lclau]

what eats the brown wafer algae?