strange growth on rock

[mmedley]

i was feeding my fish the other day and i noticed was somthing on some of my rocks in the tank......the pieces were very small and spread out on different parts of the rock. The look like little pieces of Mysis shrimp...about an 1/8" long and white in color........does any know what these are? will they cause any problems in my tank? I was over my friends house today and he showed me the same thing in one of his tanks but we could not figure out what they are......

 

[alix2.0]

sponge?
can you post a pic?

 

[rcoultas]

You are probably looking at amphipods - they are beneficial scavengers and a supplemental food source for many fish and even some corals.

 

[yosemite sam]

If you don't have a photo, check out the hitch hiker thread in the archive to see if you can find a match.

 

[coachklm]

if they dont move look for hydroids.

 

[mmedley]

i will take some pictures and post later.....

 

[mmedley]

here'sthe best pic i could get of it....

 

[petjunkie]

Q tip sponges.

 

[kidreef]

o i got those 2 they r pretty cool i didnt no wat they were either

 

[mmedley]

Originally Posted by petjunkie
Q tip sponges.

any harm to the tank?
food for fish to nip at?

 

[earlybird]

I've got them also but in my sump. They are harmless filter feeders and will go away when there is nothing left for them to eat. Some nudibranch species are supposed to eat sponges but it's difficult to determine.

 

[paintballer768]

Yep, harmless. If you must kill them, take the rock out of the water and expose the sponges to air for 10 seconds.

 

[mmedley]

ok cool.......thanks for the info....

 

[reefmate75]

i used to have them when i didnt have enough flow, when i added flow they kinda just withered away in the DT...i have them in my sump though but IMO i wouldnt try and kill them off they are filter feeders and harmless