Mystery Smear

[RDMVann]

Just noticed that my magnetic mount plug holder has a smear over about 1/4 of the bottom and up the side a bit. It was in my 13.5 gal reef for about a year before I moved it to the new 75gal reef about 4 months ago. I now suspect its been there a few weeks due to size and the fact that the cleaner shrimp are now in love with the underside of that feature. I was able to get a decent picture this morning as the lights and sun were coming up but not bright enough to cause issues. What I'm talking about is the sherbet orange thin coating. The puddy looking stuff is exactly that.

Any ideas of what it is and more importantly any idea if it's harmful? Have been fighting phosphates/Nitrates pretty much most of the 6 month life of this tank though most everything else has stayed about the same, readings below from Oct 15th except Nitrates and Phosphates Oct 25th.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 17
Phosphates .12
Calcium 491
Alkalinity 7.9
Mag 1450
PH 7.9
Salinity 1.025

 

[griss]

What does it feel like? Is it spongy, hard?

 

[RDMVann]

You know, that's a good question. I'll touch it tonight when I get home from work.

 

[kharmaguru]

What I'm talking about is the sherbet orange thin coating.

Looks like a sponge.

 

[RDMVann]

Looks like a sponge.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[kharmaguru]

Usually good. There are some parasitic ones but I believe orange is a good colour. Maybe @Timfish has some input.

 

[RDMVann]

What does it feel like? Is it spongy, hard?

I’d say soft but not sure if I’d say spongy definitely not hard.

 

[Reefing102]

My guess would be sponge or perhaps a type of Bryozoa

 

[griss]

That would be my guess also, sponge or Bryozoa.

 

[RDMVann]

Good? Bad? Should I take out the unit and scrub it? I’d have to try to remove the puttied in trumpets.

 

[griss]

I wouldn’t remove just yet. Can you post more pics? Would also like to hear @Timfish thoughts before advising

 

[RDMVann]

Two natural, about an hour before lights out and the rest with orange lense. All taken just now.

 

[Timfish]

It looks like one of the cryptic sponges I see in my systems and I'd leave it. Sponges are really important and essential to reef systems and the only time I'll remove them is if they're encroaching on corals. THey are easilty removed using steel straws and siphoning them out.

FWIW your PO4 is fine. Rich Ross, one of the research scientests at Stienhart Aquarium in San Francisco, has acros sexually reporducing in his home system with these PO4 levels:

 

[RDMVann]

It looks like one of the cryptic sponges I see in my systems and I'd leave it. Sponges are really important and essential to reef systems and the only time I'll remove them is if they're encroaching on corals. THey are easilty removed using steel straws and siphoning them out.

FWIW your PO4 is fine. Rich Ross, one of the research scientests at Stienhart Aquarium in San Francisco, has acros sexually reporducing in his home system with these PO4 levels:

View attachment 32392051

Thanks for all of this information. I'll leave the sponges and not sweat the phosphates as much. I basically use the how does things look for my 13.5 gal I have a work and it's served me well for a few years now. This 75gal that we put in at home this spring has me a bit more in knots due to the scale and chance to loose more $$ and sometimes even more importantly things I care about.