ID Please-Growing on frag plug under Favia

[Rpaulin]

Hi there, I’m very new to coral (only a couple of months in) and need some help identifying what’s growing on the frag plug. This is my Yellow Submarine Favia. I noticed yesterday it appeared as if the coral was starting to lift up off of the frag plug but couldn’t get a good look at what was underneath pushing it up with my magnifying glass. So today when I did a water change I decided to take a closer look and lifted it out of the water and saw this….I’m not too thrilled with whatever this is since it appears to be causing an issue with the skeleton of the Favia and it seems as if it’s causing the coral to shrink. It’s also growing underneath the plug as well. If anyone knows what this is and what to do about it, please let me know.

Appreciate the help!

Thank you!

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Pineapple Spong

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Yeah, pineapple sponges- harmless filter-feeders. They tend to boom then bust in population, eventually going away on their own.

 

[Evil1]

Yep CD is 100% correct. Harmless and good cuc as they are filter feeders.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

looks like a sponge, it can be removed by scraping it off and exposing to air

 

[Rpaulin]

Yeah, pineapple sponges- harmless filter-feeders. They tend to boom then bust in population, eventually going away on their own.

Thanks! So even though it looks like they’re doing damage by lifting up the bottom of the coral, should I just leave it alone? At first it looked to me as if it were eating away at the coral…

 

[Rpaulin]

looks like a sponge, it can be removed by scraping it off and exposing to air

Thanks! Should I scrape them off in this case since it looks as if they’re lifting the coral up off of the plug? I don’t want to overreact and do something that will actually do more harm than good.

 

[Rpaulin]

Pineapple Spong

Thanks!

 

[Rpaulin]

Yep CD is 100% correct. Harmless and good cuc as they are filter feeders.

Thanks!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks! So even though it looks like they’re doing damage by lifting up the bottom of the coral, should I just leave it alone? At first it looked to me as if it were eating away at the coral…

You can leave them, or you can scrape them off - whatever you prefer. They shouldn't cause any issues if they stay though.

 

[Rpaulin]

You can leave them, or you can scrape them off - whatever you prefer. They shouldn't cause any issues if they stay though.

Thank you.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Thanks! Should I scrape them off in this case since it looks as if they’re lifting the coral up off of the plug? I don’t want to overreact and do something that will actually do more harm than good.

you can remove them, I don't see any reason it would harm the coral if you're careful