Problem ID please

[ordi260]

Hi!

My tanks has been running for a little while now and I came back from a 2 days vacation yesterday. 

I spotted these weird white honeycomb-like mossy sponge looking
thing...whats up with that thing?  It can almost only be bad...there is some on that zoo rock and now it wont open up...There is a little bit of it on the chalive frag im holding in my hand (im not sure you can see it properly tho...Also my torch coral is receding and not opening. 

I'm also wondering about the favia that's not looking nice eighter and the red lava chalice has those weird white spots that weren't there 2 days ago.

One last thing, those yellowish lines on the rock (pic 2 and 3) that was not there when i purchased the rock, any idea what it is???

Any thoughts?

Test to be done tomorrow...gotta leave for work now

Here is some pics!  I had no choice to resize them...sorry about that!

[nelson]

Likely some type of sponge

[Hookup]

That's what I first guessed... Not sure though, but it's a sponge looking thing to me also

[White Lightning]

Yep I would say sponge.

[ordi260]

What does it do???  Its ugly imo!

What about my corals?

[Hookup]

Most sponges do not last long in the display tank.  Often times they do not like light, mainly because they cannot fend-off from algae that would grow on them.

They are excellent filter-feeders and you'll have a bunch of them in a healthy sump where there's no competition from algae growth.

A sponge is often seen being consumed by hermits when it is dying, or there are dead parts on it.

In all cases that I know of, nothing happens, it goes away on it's own over time or finds a balance and stays put... but never considered a pest.

[ordi260]

I noticed some tiny bugs running around the sponges.  They hide as soon ad i light them with my flashlight.  There is some on the corals too.  Any ideas? They are too small for me to take pics of them...

[Hookup]

I noticed some tiny bugs running around the sponges.  They hide as soon ad i light them with my flashlight.  There is some on the corals too.  Any ideas? They are too small for me to take pics of them...

An immediate guess would be some type of copod.  Very good if it is, they are food for lots of things in your system and a sign of a healthy system.  Copods look like a cross between a shrimp and a cocroach, are clear/white bodies, scury around, but can swim like a shrimp, and are pretty darn fast when they need to get out of the way...  they are more active at night than day...

[ordi260]

Good to hear! look like that yeah! 

im worried for the corals tho! what should i look at?  they are not getting better... i have changed about 30% of the water yesterday!  salt/ro water, as usual...

[groupie02]

What are your water parameters? I would say that those are more likely to affect your corals than the sponges.

[Vincenzo.]

harmless filter feeder. sponges are signs of good water conditions. sponges are probably the best filter feeder being able to filter a very high turnover rate.