Something weird (really) growing on my corals

[-BlackJack-]

Can't figure out what these are, but from the pictures I've seen of the latter, it doesn't exactly look like spaghetti worms, but whatever it is, is beginning to choke out my Green Star Polyps little by little. I took this pic right after I turned on the light so the polyps would stay retracted and the culprit could be seen more easily. Whatever it is, it's the white stringy looking stuff at the bottom left of the colony. It's also beginning to grow at the base of one of my Hammer Coral frags on the other side of the aquarium.

 

[kirstenk]

That looks like a sponge. You can peel/pick/scrape it off.

 

[SHARKBAITNC]

Yep sponge, I have had the exact same thing if left alone it will choke out any coral

Nick

 

[-BlackJack-]

ok, I picked/peeled/scraped it off. Hopefully all those tiny little broken off pieces don't settle elsewhere and spread. I did this in a separate bowl with tank water, and rinsed/dumped several times before returning the coral to the tank. Lets hope.

I noticed also some clusters of bulbous tube-like things among the other white stringy stuff. No idea what that could be either.

Here's another close-up (before):

 

[Bifferwine]

Sponges like those tend to be short-lived in environments with high water quality. In nutrient-rich waters, they thrive. How's your water quality?

 

[-BlackJack-]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13287070#post13287070 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bifferwine
Sponges like those tend to be short-lived in environments with high water quality. In nutrient-rich waters, they thrive. How's your water quality?

For what little experience I have, it looks good, unless you can point out something otherwise. These are all I test for until I learn more:

pH 8.2
Nitrate ~ .5 (less than 1)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Calcium 460 ppm
kH 10 dKH
Phosphate 0

Anything that catches the eye and should be adjusted?

 

[Bifferwine]

Phosphate readings using dropper test kits are misleading, they can read 0 even when you are having a phosphate problem, but if you are not having algae problems, it's unlikely that you have phosphate problems.

Your water quality looks perfect to me.

 

[-BlackJack-]

No algae problems that I'm aware of, however I know what you mean, my 60 had mad breakout which allowed me to save my FOWLR tank. Heavy Nitrates.

I have so many snails though, I wonder if I'd get those tell-tale signs. There's 5 large turbo's, 5 nassarius, and at least 10 small-mediums that I can't identify. And they always look like they're starving