Weird Thing on Octospawn Skeleton

[Glacern]

I have no idea what this growth is on the skeleton of the octospawn. When I first got it I scraped off some brown slime but now it seems like it’s back. Definitely doesn’t appear to be algae.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I have no idea what this growth is on the skeleton of the octospawn. When I first got it I scraped off some brown slime but now it seems like it’s back. Definitely doesn’t appear to be algae.

Did it come off in one piece? How long did it take to come back? Almost looks like a giant flatworm.

 

[Glacern]

I have no idea what this growth is on the skeleton of the octospawn. When I first got it I scraped off some brown slime but now it seems like it’s back. Definitely doesn’t appear to be algae.

Did it come off in one piece? How long did it take to come back? Almost looks like a giant flatworm.

It did not all come off in one piece

 

[Glacern]

I have no idea what this growth is on the skeleton of the octospawn. When I first got it I scraped off some brown slime but now it seems like it’s back. Definitely doesn’t appear to be algae.

Did it come off in one piece? How long did it take to come back? Almost looks like a giant flatworm.

Also I was thinking the same as it being a flatworm but it appears to not be moving and has been in the same spot

 

[EnterName]

If it is not moving and managed to regrow after being scraped off it might be a sponge. Not all sponges are beneficial, many produce toxins and can overgrow corals, especially if they grow fast and large.

They also have absolutely insane whole-body recovery mechanisms which allows them to fully recover from a few cells. You can read and actually see how this works in real time in Post #82 and #83 of my microscopy thread.

 

[Glacern]

If it is not moving and managed to regrow after being scraped off it might be a sponge. Not all sponges are beneficial, many produce toxins and can overgrow corals, especially if they grow fast and large.

They also have absolutely insane whole-body recovery mechanisms which allows them to fully recover from a few cells. You can read and actually see how this works in real time in Post #82 and #83 of my microscopy thread.

Thank you so much for the help! I’ve definitely had a decent amount of sponges from your #82 post in my sump so maybe it’s on the coral base as well now.

 

[EnterName]

If it is not moving and managed to regrow after being scraped off it might be a sponge. Not all sponges are beneficial, many produce toxins and can overgrow corals, especially if they grow fast and large.

They also have absolutely insane whole-body recovery mechanisms which allows them to fully recover from a few cells. You can read and actually see how this works in real time in Post #82 and #83 of my microscopy thread.

Thank you so much for the help! I’ve definitely had a decent amount of sponges from your #82 post in my sump so maybe it’s on the coral base as well now.

The sponges in my posts are harmless/beneficial, but I'm not sure the one you got on the coral is. I would scrape it off again. You could try dipping the skeleton (not the tissue!) in RO/DI for a few minutes afterward. The extreme difference in osmotic pressure might kill residual cells trying to recover the sponge. Just don't hurt the coral tissue in the process and the coral won't mind being out of the water for a few minutes.