What's this red spikey stuff growing in my sump?

[fuzzy_dunlop]

I have this red spikey stuff growing in my sump, it's mostly on the rocks in the fuge and a little bit on the glass, I did a bit of searching but couldn't find anything similar. Any ideas what it is

 

[Flippers4pups]

Algae. Don't think it's coralline.

 

[Sk8r]

THat's Weird. And I've seen no few species of weirdness. Possibly a leather coral. Possibly---not too sure. Repost in Invertebrates.

 

[discusbram]

I have exactly the same type of growth in one of my tanks. The only difference is that mine are completely black. I think is some sort of sponge, but no idea what species.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

It's a pink encrusting sponge. I've got a big pink one in my DT and several others that are mostly green/yellow in my sump. But my pink one looks just like that. Not sure why mine has lasted so long in the bright lights of my DT but it has been there about 6 months so far.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Doesn't look much like a sponge to me, but then I'm no expert. If I had a guess, I'd say some kind of tunicate. But that's purely a guess.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Here is my encrusting pink sponge that I was referring to. Yes Ron, it is a sponge :beer: Tunicate it is not

 

[Ron Reefman]

Dkuhlmann, you may be right, I did said it was a guess. But on the other hand, I don't think your sponge (yes, that is a sponge, it has vent tubes) is the same thing as fuzzy dunlops' 'thing'. His doesn't appear to have any vents and your's doesn't have the same kind of 'spikes'. They may be the same thing, and I could be completely wrong, but I'm not willing to accept that as fact yet.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Actually it does have the spike things but they are most prominent when I am feeding and the color becomes a more intense pink. Normal is what you see in those pictures. Those little bumps you see are the spike things that protrude quite a bit when it's feeding.

 

[whosurcaddie]

Its a Pink Spiky Sponge. Callyspongia sp1

http://www.easterncapescubadiving.co.za/index.php?page_name=specie&specie_id=401

 

[billdogg]

Its a Pink Spiky Sponge. Callyspongia sp1

http://www.easterncapescubadiving.co.za/index.php?page_name=specie&specie_id=401

What he said. I've got it in the sump, in the DT, under overhangs, etc. IME, the size of the spikes also depends on where it is and what the flow is like.

 

[joeysreef]

Wow .. cool

 

[fuzzy_dunlop]

Its a Pink Spiky Sponge. Callyspongia sp1

http://www.easterncapescubadiving.co.za/index.php?page_name=specie&specie_id=401

Yup, that's it. That name couldn't be more accurate, could it, lol.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Very cool. Now I'm convinced!:thumbsup:

 

[btb72]

Yep sponge was my first guess. Sponges have a little of every shape possible.

 

[biecacka]

One of the great things about this hobby!! Finding new cool stuff!

Corey

 

[hogfanreefer]

Be interesting to know how it got in your tank. It's only native to South African waters. Do many corals come from there? Any live rock?

 

[fuzzy_dunlop]

Be interesting to know how it got in your tank. It's only native to South African waters. Do many corals come from there? Any live rock?

Yeah who knows, I started my 90g tank back in like March, I added about 70lbs of base rock, and about 20lbs of live rock that I gathered from various sources here around town. My guess is it must have hitchhiked it's way in on some of the rock.

 

[matthewkennaway]

I have something very similar in my tank but it's yellow