Tubes? growing on base of frogspawn (don't think it's vermetids)

Mattyreefs

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Any idea what's growing out of th base of this frogspawn?

I thought originally that it might be new heads growing but then I noticed tiny little hairs coming out of each "tube." If it's vermetids, it's very different from the variety I am familiar with...

It's hard to get a clear picture because the hairs are so small but if you look to the left side, you can see the spiky little hairs poking out. It looks like its growing directly out of the skeleton, not on it.
 

BostonReefer300

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The ones on the left look like feather dusters. Lucky you! My wrasses kill any feather duster that pops up unfortunately. That big one on the right might be a vermetid---although I can't tell for sure. If it is, dab some superglue in that sucker right away.
 
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Mattyreefs

Mattyreefs

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Don't think it's feather dusters. I have a lot of different types and different sizes and this is completely different from those. It's just two single "hairs" poking out of the base. Whatever they are, they are all the same but the one's on the right are a little larger.
 
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Also, my experience with vermetids is that they grow a tube seperate from whatever they are attached to. These are actually growing out of the skeleton. There is no transition at all from the frogspawn to the "tube"
 

Mikedawg

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I would research colonial hydroids altho two "hairs" is common for some vermetids.
 

Cell

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Not super clear, but looks like baby heads to me on the right and spionid worm on the left.
 
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I'll try to get better pictures. What is throwing me off is that it looks to be forming completely out of the skeleton like a growth, not a separate tube like you typically see with vermetids or feather dusters or spionid worms, etc.
 

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Mattyreefs

Mattyreefs

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Pulled the frag and took some video. Looks like there's a bunch of stuff going on here.

Noticed this white worm for the first time. Moved around on its own but didn't react to being touched. Couldn't tell where it was actually coming from but I pulled it out.


I think there's definitely a bunch of new heads around the whole base but I can see now that the little hairs aren't coming from the tubes like I thought. They're kind of just poking out of the base of the frag.

 

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Gl, there isn't much you can do about the worms, they are deep in the corals skeleton. But, they shouldn't further bother the frogspawn and young.

Edit: trying to cover up the tubes will force the worms to make new tunnels in the skeleton. I don't know of any predators.
 

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