Brain coral has algae looking things growing out of it

[sawellem]

Hi everyone,
So today I got a free brain coral. My LFS got a new huge shipment of coral and needed to clear out some room for it. Anyways there was a pretty nice brain coral that wasn't doing so well that they said they were going to throw away. Instead they gave it to me for free. Anyways I put it in my tank and I noticed that there seemed to some reddish brownish algae growing out of some funnels that had formed in the coral. The algae doesn't look like your typical algae but has the shape of a tube anemone. Anyways here are some pictures and let me know what you guys think it is. Also, these strange algae formations seem to be on the unhealthy side of the brain.

http://imgur.com/vGd1IY7
http://imgur.com/L8wPxun

 

[sawellem]

I've done some research and the only thing I can find that seems remotely similar to what my brain coral has is.... tubeworms??
Could this be what is on my coral?
Do these tube worms spread?
Are they bad?
Is it possible that they are tubeworms or something completely different?

ANYTHING helps

 

[sawellem]

Also when I touch them they do retract immediately and quickly like tubeworms and/or feather dusters are known to do..
I am worried, will this spread throughout my corals and have parasitic relations with the coral?

 

[m0nkie]

tube worms are white and much bigger. you can see visible tubes. these are not tube worms.

I have never seen these red ones. However, I had seen similar ones, similar size, but green and retracts upon touch. Another reefer gave me a clam with those. those pest took over his tank, impossible to clean.. It wasn't that ugly since it was green, like grass patches, but definitely not desirable.

I took a few hours to pluck them all off and rinsed it good. They came clean off with tweezers.

 

[sawellem]

Yeah I have no idea what they are. I see a few vermetid snails on the coral too. I'm really tempted to just throw it out. Honestly I don't want to deal with a pest infestation right now as I am already keeping my tank fallow for a fish parasite that has gone through my tank. Do vermetid snails and whatever the hell these tubeworm looking things spread quickly? Are they good or bad? What should I do?

 

[m0nkie]

double post

 

[m0nkie]

do you see actual tubes? just read you have vermetid snails, they form tube like structures too, sometimes with little mucus nets on top.

you can use hypodermic needle and inject some kalk paste into it. or epoxy

if you see tubes, it's very different from what i saw. mine was a pest anemone of some sort.. I recommend kill these snails before putting it back into your DT.

 

[sawellem]

I don't see tubes like a traditional tubeworm would have. There are holes in the coral though. Kind of like tunnels. When I touch the tubeworms they retract into these tunnels. There aren't tubes but there are tunnels in the coral itself that these tubeworms (or whatever the **** these undesirable creatures are) retract themselves into

 

[sawellem]

I am talking about the tubeworms not the vermetid snails, I know it has vermetid snails. They have mucus flowing around them have two antennae and the tube. I'm just trying to figure out what the other thing growing on the coral is.

 

[cloak]

Check this out. (Serpulidae)

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rs/

This would be my guess.

 

[sawellem]

Are these good or bad?

 

[cloak]

Harmless IMO. I don't think these pose any more threat to the coral than a barnacle would.

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhiker.shtml

 

[sawellem]

So just some harmless filter feeders? I just find it weird that they are especially concentrated on the Dieing part of the coral...

 

[syngraves]

Ive got tons of tube worms? small feather dusters. harmless. if your tank is high in nutrients they may spread and look ugly in the tank but they are good for feeding on excess nutrients in the water column.