Need help identifying this

[Dalmerjd]

Found this in my tank. It appeared in a day,
never seen before. Sorry for the bad closeup. It's a tiny white
stalk looks like a calcerous tube worm about
3/4 inch long surrounded by a mass of very
fine purple specs that seem invisibly held in
place about the size of a grape. It holds together
in the moderate current. This thing stood straight out like a tree.
It is attached to rock near the substrate. The tube looks like a tube worm body but instead of hard and somewhat smooth it is flexible and looks like small bits of substrate are stuck to it, the same way you would glue substrate to an overflow pipe. All the purple specs are suspended by a gelatinous goo.(this is the highly technical terminology)
A friend suggested it might be the sac a cleaner wrasse builds when it sleeps, I don't think it is, not sure though.
Oh ya, it is in full light too so I think a sponge is out. I've been out most of the day and I see
it's gone now.
Has anyone seen this before?

 

[RRaider]

I don't know about the purple thing but that sure looks like the end of someone's finger protruding from the sand. Did I just find Jimmy Hoffa?

 

[redfishsc]

The thing that looks like a finger protruding from the sand, lol, is a snail shell upside down. Looks like a turbo snail.


The purple thing looks like normal coraline algae.

I don't see anything resembling a tube worm.

 

[airdog67]

Thats where the end of my finger ended up! :0

 

[Dalmerjd]

Better picture of this unknown life form

Better picture of this unknown life form

So, here is a better pic. Any ideas what this is?

And yes cyano is present. A new skimmer is on order!!

 

[Dtronic]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14664717#post14664717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RRaider
I don't know about the purple thing but that sure looks like the end of someone's finger protruding from the sand. Did I just find Jimmy Hoffa?

Ha ha ahaha

That's a good one.

 

[Dalmerjd]

Here is a video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Z8kO95ciY

 

[sanababit]

vermetid snail perhaps, tube worm, hard to see

sana

 

[fasteddie99]

Glad you put the video up, I didnt see it at first. This ones worth tagging along, I'm curious now.

 

[Dalmerjd]

I find them from time to time. No appearent effect on the system but who knows. When I come back to look in the afternoon the globule is gone and only the white stalk remains.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[afboundguy]

I'd guess vermetid as well based on the video... They make that "film" from time to time... Not a huge pest but don't let them get on clams as they are bad for them... 6lines are supposed to eat them...

 

[Anemonebuff]

If there are too many of them their slime net will make the corals around them close up. I have had to break them off with tweezers to cut down on them. My 6line doesn't touch them.