ID... maybe some kind of clam spawn?

[Ron Reefman]

A friend of mine has a tank that in the last week or so has started growing... something? They are small. They are tan/brown. They are 95% in the sand and 5% on the glass but always low, near the sand. They are round disks that seem to 'stand up' from the sand bed. They stand off the glass as well, but on the glass you can see how they attach themselves.

This is a shot of the sand and you can see the birdsnest and candy cane corals in the background for size comparison.




This is a closer shot.




This is a shot of the 'foot' that is attached to the glass and at a fairly extreme blow up. The vertical disk that extends up from this 'foot' is attached at the slightly blurry white patch near the edge. I assume that is the flesh of whatever animal this is.




They are thin and light weight. You can see how they wave around in the current.




My best guess is some kind of clam, mussel or oyster??? Anybody know for sure... or have any other guesses?

 

[ginpang]

Perhaps
https://www.google.ca/search?q=clam...UIBygB&biw=1024&bih=671#imgrc=J2FOT7g1N7HnqM:


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Breadman03]

ID... maybe some kind of clam spawn?

Check out Acro Al, Allan can Zijl, on FB. He breeds clams at his house and may be able to help with an ID.

He might even be on this forum.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks Breadman03, I found his website and sent him a link to this thread. I hope he'll look at it.

 

[Breadman03]

Ah, should be Allan van Zijl. Glad you found him!

Here's his RC profile

 

[Ron Reefman]

He sent me an email last night and said, "Some kind of invert, don't know what."

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

This is 100% Heterostegina depressa which is a foraminiferan.

You can see some representative pics and some similar species here:
http://www.foraminifera.eu/heterostegina.php

Clam larvae look much different.

 

[pagojoe]

*like*

 

[Ron Reefman]

Bongo Shrimp, I think that nailed it down pretty good. Thanks.

Now I tell my friend and let him figure out what to do about them. My assumption is that this is like an algae or bacteria 'bloom', they will propagate and develop until they use up the food that fuels them, and then die off. I didn't see that they were doing any harm in the tank.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Bongo Shrimp, I think that nailed it down pretty good. Thanks.

Now I tell my friend and let him figure out what to do about them. My assumption is that this is like an algae or bacteria 'bloom', they will propagate and develop until they use up the food that fuels them, and then die off. I didn't see that they were doing any harm in the tank.

You're welcome!

I'm definitely not an expert on them so IDK what to do to get rid of them but like you said, they likely are not doing any harm.