ID please on little slug like creatures

[mightyoxjuice]

I was hoping for an identification on these slug like creatures. They don't seem to move at all, in fact they have been on the outside of the overflow box for a minimum of 4 days.
I also looked into my sump and they are everywhere. I don't know how many I even have in their.
I wanted to know if these are good or bad. By the way nothing new has been added to this tank, except water for more than 6 months.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

I'll see if I can get a better pic of them.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

Here is another pic.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

These little guys are about 1/2" long at the biggest, at least so far.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

finally one more pic

 

[agro]

They look like syconoid sponges to me. I have them all over in the dark, high flow areas.

 

[frink]

I've had them for a couple months. Don't know what they are but they don't seem to be a problem. Mine haven't spread all over the tank if that is what your worried about.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

my sump and overflow boxes are full of these little things

 

[clarkiiboi]

Had them too, they are harmless filter feeders, it looks close to or actually are "pineapple sponges". I lost my info on it, but what I do remember was that sigh of relief when I found that these are ok, harrmless, and a sign of good water quality. Do a search on pineapple sponge(s), the info will most likely be there. HTH

 

[ophiura]

From the pictures, they do appear to be sponges, also called "q-tip sponges." But this is assuming they have one opening at the top that is surrounded by the longer 'filaments.' They are, BTW, an animal...and if it is a tunicate, it is an animal very closely related to vertebrates, in fact But most likely they are a type of simple sponge, very common in tanks (especially in younger systems). They, like many critters, will 'bloom' in response to variations in nutrient levels, and generally die off over time leaving perhaps only a few individuals. As mentioned, they are filter feeders.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

Ophiura
They are just like you described. Is there anything that will eat them?

 

[clarkiiboi]

My coral beauty angle had a field day, I was disappointed to see them gone in a matter of days, but other than that its left other things alone. It may very well be a q-tip sponge also. Like I said, I lost my in depth info on these, but either kind are harmless filter feeders.

 

[ophiura]

Yeah, they are harmless. Probably some things will eat them, but most will die off on their own (perfectly normal). I generally consider them good things to have. No worries

 

[mightyoxjuice]

Thank you everyone for the responses and information.