Black blob on my GSP....AGAIN!!

[ifirefight]

Heres a not so great pic...but maybe somebody can ID. It is a dark green/black mold looking thing....This is the second time it has grown on it. It comes of very easily with a toothbrush...I removed it and cleaned it. It only grows on this coral and it is nowhere else it the tank. Any ideas??? And if so...why does it grow ONLY on this coral??? Thanks

 

[hefner413]

I figure it is red slime algae - cyanobacteria. ??? anybody?

 

[isistius]

tell your kids to stop picking their noses and wiping it on the gsp

 

[ophiura]

Its possibly a sponge? Any chance for a closer/clearer pic?
Sponges will regrow from even a tiny bit left.

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by Hefner413
I figure it is red slime algae - cyanobacteria. ??? anybody?
That was my FIRST suspicion as well..

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by Hefner413
I figure it is red slime algae - cyanobacteria. ??? anybody?
It could be...but I have never had either red slime or cyano in my tank...so Im not familiar with the look of them....But if it is one of these things...Why would it only grow on this piece of coral and not other places in the tank???

 

[dugger]

I have had some black slimy sponge under some of my rock work its not like any other sponge it seems to grow then retract but it is a sponge for sure not cyano or redslime have had both in the past this rock came from what the seller called Florida rock! Even this this blurry pic it looks very close to what I have.

 

[dugger]

Here is some!!

 

[ifirefight]

That looks like my stuff. Why would you call it a sponge?? I have q-tip sponges....this did feel kind of firm when I touched it. It also came of very easily with a toothbrush. I wonder why it likes to grow on my GSP.

 

[ophiura]

It is a sponge, IMO.
A lot of sponges could indicate a lot of available nutrients in the tank. But even if you remove it with a toothbrush - any tissue left behind will regrow. YOu can basically put a sponge in a blender, and it will regrow.

 

[hefner413]

take a good look at it firefight. If it is pretty firm, uniform - most likely a sponge. If it has like hairy,wavy projections that move with water flow, more likely cyano. cyano will virtually disintegrate with any type of disruption.
I would say that ophiura and dugger are right - sounds more like a sponge.. harmless, but sometimes a hassle.

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by Hefner413
take a good look at it firefight. If it is pretty firm, uniform - most likely a sponge. If it has like hairy,wavy projections that move with water flow, more likely cyano. cyano will virtually disintegrate with any type of disruption.
I would say that ophiura and dugger are right - sounds more like a sponge.. harmless, but sometimes a hassle.
Yeah it was firm, no hair or wavy projections...and when I scrubed it off..it did not disintegrate...but it came off easily..with one piece actually being the size of a quarter. Thanks for everybodys help.

 

[paintballer768]

I recommend either fragging the GSP and putting it on a new rock, just so that if that sponge regrows, you wont have to worry about the GSP as much.

 

[40 galons]

maybe it could be placed it in a higher light area to kill the sponge off?