ID please

[Philly777]

Crummy iPhone pick, sry.

It appears to be growing and looks like it has mini polyps on it?

 

[divetoday]

If you are talking about the growth beneath the snail it looks like a sponge to me. Some encrusting sponges do have cilia around their incurrent openings.


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[billdogg]

I'm going to vote for encrusting sponge as well. Generally seen as a beneficial filter feeder and a sign of a healthy system.

 

[AlSimmons]

Can you take a picture of it without the blues on? It might be a sponge, but those little protrusions make me think otherwise.

 

[Philly777]

I've tried to take a better pic, but none are turning out any better. I'll see if my daughters digital camera is around later.

It does appear to have tiny, and I mean tiny, polyp like things tightly clustered across the surface. I can see the small movement with the current.

 

[DTeeVee]

+1 on the encrusting sponge

 

[AlSimmons]

It does appear to have tiny, and I mean tiny, polyp like things tightly clustered across the surface. I can see the small movement with the current.

Maybe some type of Montipora? While the corals in the link below do branch out, they don't always start off like that.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/1/aafeature2

 

[Philly777]

The tube looking pillars actually have holes at the ends. Could it be some sort of tube worm? Which doesn't explain the cilia or "hairy" polyp looking surface. I'm thinking the encrusting type pipe sponge might be right. I don't know, it's an odd one.

 

[AlSimmons]

Those protrusions with the holes at the end are probably Vermetid snails and whatever that thing is has encrusted over the shell.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

If you haven't already try using your fingernail and see if that spot will come off at all. If it's hard and won't budge then it's probably some type of coral. If it comes off fairly easy then it's most likely a sponge.

 

[Philly777]

This is about the best pic I can get of it

 

[Philly777]

Did some googling... possibly encrusting montipora? It definitely has little polyps all over it.

 

[Philly777]

Here's another odd one. This looked like a red mat and then after 6 weeks is now extending some little polyps. Star polyp coming back to life? The polyps are all white/clear.

Thanks for the help in ID'ing. Haven't had a reef tank in 20 years so I'm fascinated by the little things

 

[AlSimmons]

Here's another odd one. This looked like a red mat and then after 6 weeks is now extending some little polyps. Star polyp coming back to life? The polyps are all white/clear.

Thanks for the help in ID'ing. Haven't had a reef tank in 20 years so I'm fascinated by the little things

After looking at that last picture it might be an encrusting Gorgonian of some type.