Why are my zoas growing excess "flesh"??

[Tabbers920]

Why are some of my zoas look like they're growing excess flesh?? Are they just trying to move?? The purple fleshy part is growing and emerging between their heads??
What's up?

 

[Just John]

It's hard to tell under blues. Everyone will be asking you if you can please post a picture under white light

 

[IanK]

Maybe it’s a sponge?? I’ve had that happen before but it was white

 

[Tabbers920]

Under whites!

 

[Tabbers920]

Another that is similar

 

[GoTakeANap]

In the 1st photo you posted, it looks like a pineapple sponge growing in between the zoas. Completely harmless and good filter feeder.

 

[LuisPerez711]

Under whites!

Pineapple sponges. You can pull them off if you like. They shouldn't be that hard to remove.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

That's a sponge. They're notorious for growing between zoas. They're generally harmless, but in this case they're probably choking out the zoas. I remove them from my zoas because of that.

 

[Tabbers920]

Thank you everyone!!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its poriferan sponge- not pineapple or others. Expose to air and it will shrink and dislodge. You can cut away BUT do it outside of tank as there is risk of toxins.
Last option, inject with vinegar using syringe and it will deflate and dissipate

 

[Ef4life]

I can’t tell from your pics, but I’ve had some type of purple mat overtake part of my tank a few years back. It started in some zoas, I though it was part of the zoas but wasn’t.

it was like a semi gloss purple that was able to easily peel off the rock in some places. It literally grew over anything, corals, rock, hair algae etc. it looked like a smooth version of green star polyps purple mat.

I ended up muriatic acid washing all the rock it was on to get rid of it. I seen it again in my display about a year ago again in my zoas, but it never took hold like it did before.

 

[RedFrog211]

I’d say it looks like a tunicate based on that second photo- I have a colony that has a few tunicates growing within the polyps as well

 

[Just John]

Its poriferan sponge- not pineapple or others. Expose to air and it will shrink and dislodge. You can cut away BUT do it outside of tank as there is risk of toxins.
Last option, inject with vinegar using syringe and it will deflate and dissipate

What he said. Also, if pulling it off and need to get in between the polyps, wait until lights are out and zoas are closed. Otherwise some will not close even after you take them out of the water.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Red Frog said tunicates- I lookig at added pics do see sea squirt which is a type of tunicate which is a filter feeder and will grow larger. Tunicates are made of cellulose, not silicates as is the case with sponges. Best way to stop them is to starve them or add a dab of gel superglue to their opening

 

[Tabbers920]

I already attempted to rip them off the rock, they were sponge like, squishy, and released something as I pulled it apart. Is this a hitchhiker or something that just grew over time within the ecosystem?

 

[Tabbers920]

Since I ripped apart a sponge and there's much left behind, should I remove that zoa plug due to toxins being released??? Shooot

 

[RedFrog211]

I wouldn’t stress, but whatever it is, it is likely more sensitive to air/coral dip than zoas. You could try letting the frag have exposure to air for 1/2-1 minute, followed by a coral dip (if you have some available). That’s my recommendation, but there are countless ways to go about this

 

[Tabbers920]

I wouldn’t stress, but whatever it is, it is likely more sensitive to air/coral dip than zoas. You could try letting the frag have exposure to air for 1/2-1 minute, followed by a coral dip (if you have some available). That’s my recommendation, but there are countless ways to go about this

The sponge is dead, I just ripped it apart- I'm worried about toxins released in the tank now

 

[RedFrog211]

The sponge is dead, I just ripped it apart- I'm worried about toxins released in the tank now

What size is the tank and how old?

 

[Tabbers920]

It's 45 gallon display, plus sump. 8 months old. I've got a lot of LPS