ID help on three things please

[SaltyGirlMom]

Did some online searching but still need help :)

One of my scallops died and when I pulled it out of the tank I found this large black spot on it. Did this part just decay? I also saw some info online abt ppl finding black sponges on their scallops and such. There are some small black spots on the bottom of a leather coral that was next to it and I’m wondering if something spread (altho the leather is still fine.)

Removed an internal filter and found a bunch of these things (slugs, snails?) on the back of it…

And are these fan worms? TIA!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

2nd is pineapple sponges, harmless filter feeders
3rd almost reminds me of a feather duster (any way you can get the photo under white lights)

 

[SaltyGirlMom]

2nd is pineapple sponges, harmless filter feeders
3rd almost reminds me of a feather duster (any way you can get the photo under white lights)

Pineapple sponges! I’ve heard of those. Thanks, that makes sense. And here are two more pics of the worm or duster. (Please ignore phone reflection).

 

[EnterName]

2nd is pineapple sponges, harmless filter feeders
3rd almost reminds me of a feather duster (any way you can get the photo under white lights)

Pineapple sponges! I’ve heard of those. Thanks, that makes sense. And here are two more pics of the worm or duster. (Please ignore phone reflection).

I would guess Serpulidae or Sabellidae depending on the material of the tubes. Most of them are harmless filter feeders, I think there are a very limited number of "bad" ones but as long as they don't dig into coral skeleton or tissue you are fine

 

[SaltyGirlMom]

I would guess Serpulidae or Sabellidae depending on the material of the tubes. Most of them are harmless filter feeders, I think there are a very limited number of "bad" ones but as long as thex Don dig into coral skeleton or tissue you are fine

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Hammy]

I’d be careful about assuming the black stuff is the cause until you can ID it. Since you already lost one scallop, I’d check ammonia and the rest of your parameters first and keep an eye on whether the black areas are actually spreading. A closer pic of the little slug/snail looking things would help too I wouldn’t remove all of them until you know what they are.

 

[EnterName]

Can you post an image of the leather coral with the black spots?

There are a few black shell diseases but those affect the whole shell and are not limited to one spot or at least fade gradually from what I have seen. Iron sulfate can also decolorize the shell if it's buried in anoxic substrate, but it should also be gradually and I'm not sure the conditions in a reef tank are right to make this happen.

An encrusting sponge should build spicules so scraping a bit off and putting it under a microscope would help with the identification, but if the growth is limited to the outside we have no reason to believe it's the cause of death.

Scallops seem hard to keep fed, how are you making sure the scallop gets enough food?

 

[SaltyGirlMom]

I’d be careful about assuming the black stuff is the cause until you can ID it. Since you already lost one scallop, I’d check ammonia and the rest of your parameters first and keep an eye on whether the black areas are actually spreading. A closer pic of the little slug/snail looking things would help too I wouldn’t remove all of them until you know what they are.

I didn’t remove any of the slug/snail/Pineapple Sponge things from the filter because so far they’ve been harmless I think. Parameters were fine in the tank at the time that I removed that scallop. I still have another scallop in there that’s doing fine. I’m not sure the black stuff was the cause. Just asking if anyone knew what it was. At this point I’m thinking it was just decay.

 

[SaltyGirlMom]

Can you post an image of the leather coral with the black spots?

There are a few black shell diseases but those affect the whole shell and are not limited to one spot or at least fade gradually from what I have seen. Iron sulfate can also decolorize the shell if it's buried in anoxic substrate, but it should also be gradually and I'm not sure the conditions in a reef tank are right to make this happen.

An encrusting sponge should build spicules so scraping a bit off and putting it under a microscope would help with the identification, but if the growth is limited to the outside we have no reason to believe it's the cause of death.

Scallops seem hard to keep fed, how are you making sure the scallop gets enough food?

When I picked the leather up to take the pic I’ve attached, I pressed on the black spots and they are hard, so I do not believe it’s a sponge. Up close they also look different than what was on the scallop. I have at least one scallop in each of my four tanks (not including QT) and they do well. I try and dose phyto every other day but am not super consistent honestly. I dose Copepods once a week. My nutrients are never too low either because I have all low tech reefs. I’ve found the Flame Scallops are easy/hardy but the Electric ones, which are a bit cooler, are not.

 

[EnterName]

When I picked the leather up to take the pic I’ve attached, I pressed on the black spots and they are hard, so I do not believe it’s a sponge.

While I can't confirm that this is a sponge from the attached photo, there are many sponges that aren't "spongy" at all and are actually quite hard. They build tiny "bones" called spicules (see page 5, post #82) from silicate or calcium that support their structure and make them hard instead of squishy and malleable.