NEW LIFE FORM IN MY TANK?

[Elena309]

Okay, so I am new at this dont laugh. Can coral grow in a tank if no other coral matter exists in a tank? This week little white fluffy things emerged all ofer my tank. At first glance it appears to be a fungus or algae. However, a closer look shows a tubular organism with a slight crown, surrounded by fuzz. I am wondering if this is an emergence of coral or some other life form. I once over fed my freshwater fish, and the food became a white fuzzy fungus, but this is so different, and the fish have been underfed this week. I really cant get a picure of it. Can anyone help me figure this out?

[TJDeMars]

sounds to me like a tube worm. I have 100's of them in my tank, they just keep popping out of the rocks. how long has the tank been going?

[Elena309]

I guess its been 7-8 months. I only have one tube worm, one damsel, one clown, one goby, one puffer, one starfish, one condy anemone and a few pounds of live rock. Tube worm is what it looked like to me, but what do I know? Do tube worms release "reproductive sprores" into the water? Because if so then that is most likely what it is. They mostly settled on the bottom of the tank, but theres a bunch on the glass, scattered all over the place. I wasnt sure if I should remove them or let them grow.

[jojo22]

I agree with tube worms. If you move something near them and they disapear that is what they are.

[Elena309]

well the crown like thing that i mentioned is very faint, barely visible. They aren't even an inch in length. What is that type of anemone that grows freely on live rock, considered to be a pest?????? It sorta resembles that, only the fuzz makes it look like a tube worm suicide!

[dakar]

Without a pic it's hard to guess, but sounds more like what we sometimes call pineapple or q-tip sponges, they would be quite common in a newer tank, they'll grow all over the place. They'll disappear with time and are compeltely harmless, actually helpful as the too will pull nutirents from the water column.

[Elena309]

ill try to get a picture tonight. It is so hard. I suck at tank pics. So I guess it isnt really possible for coral to form on its own huh?

[dakar]

Actually you'd be amazed at some of the animals that magically appear (hitched a ride in on live rock and such). But yes, it is actually possible, all it really takes is a few viable cells, the right conditions, and time.

[Elena309]

Thats cool. I really was thinking that it is a type of soft coral, or tube worm. But if it were a tube worm, I cant see it having such a tiny, and faint crown. Although, things have to start somewhere right? Thanks for the info.......its been great so far.

[Reef_Angel]

The one thing no one mentioned about a tube worm, is that these are just mini Feather Dusters that don't grow much bigger than an inch or so. The tube they comes out of is generally the size of a mini straw or swizzle stick like you'd get in a mixed drink....and it's generally white. The crown opens much like a big feather duster, but it is small.
My husband Dakar mentioned another option for you, and that's a little pineapple sponge with a little fluff of a V shaped fan coming out of it. I've taken a few pictures of the two different things that have been suggested to you. Unfortunately they are not the best photos as the tank is acrylic and there's some scratches in sides....of course, right where I needed the photo from.
The first 2 pictures are the pineapple sponges. Some have their little plume out, and the one doesn't have it extended at all, so you just see the hole where it comes out of. The other one has the V shaped plume sticking out.
The other 2 photos are of a mini feather duster with it's little duster sticking out. It will retract into the tube if you startle it, just like the big ones do. This one is sporting a white tube, but others can be light brown and also have a different color duster coming from the top. This is about all the bigger a mini feather duster can get when it grows on it's own in your tank. You can actually buy mini dusters in clumps from order catalogs, but I did once and wasn't happy with them. They just blew all over my tank, and I lost most of them for some reason. I'm happy with my little wild one's that grow on their own. They can appear in a range of colors in this wild version too! They were one of the first things to grow in our tanks when we first started them, and we found them quite exciting at the time! I still think they're cute. If these aren't what you have, I have a few more photos I can take for you of some other wild surprises.
Anyway, this is a sign of a pretty healthy tank! Most sponges are good things, and you'll start seeing more of all shapes, sizes & colors...especially underneath your rockscaping. You'll be amazed at what you can fine over time. I Hope I've helped you on this!