Is this a pest?

[Greg B.]

So yesterday I noticed my gsp hasn't been opening lately. I decided to take the rock it's growing on out and dip it and clean it. When I put it back in under blue light I noticed something red on it the size of a pea. Today I noticed it on my zoanthids as well. So far it's just those two coral. Is it a pest? If it is what is it and how do I treat it?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Can you get a few white light pics of it and/or circle what we're looking at here?

 

[Greg B.]

Can you get a few white light pics of it and/or circle what we're looking at here?

I'm talking about all the red colored stuff.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Yes, please get white light photos. The blues make it hard to make out anything.

I find dying coraline algae typically turns this neon orange/red color but it won't cause corals to close. Better pictures will help us identify what you have.

 

[Greg B.]

Yes, please get white light photos. The blues make it hard to make out anything.

I find dying coraline algae typically turns this neon orange/red color but it won't cause corals to close. Better pictures will help us identify what you have.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Looks like it might be cyano or a sponge, but can you try turning the light off and just shining a flashlight or something on it? It's still pretty blue.

If it's cyano, it should blow off when squirted with a turkey baster; a sponge would stay on.

 

[Greg B.]

Looks like it might be cyano or a sponge, but can you try turning the light off and just shining a flashlight or something on it? It's still pretty blue.

If it's cyano, it should blow off when squirted with a turkey baster;

Looks like it might be cyano or a sponge, but can you try turning the light off and just shining a flashlight or something on it? It's still pretty blue.

If it's cyano, it should blow off when squirted with a turkey baster; a sponge would stay on.

Must be sponge then. I tried to brush it with a small paint brush I use to removed detritus from my gsp and zoas and it won't come off. Is it good or bad?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Must be sponge then. I tried to brush it with a small paint brush I use to removed detritus from my gsp and zoas and it won't come off. Is it good or bad?

To double check here, is it soft or is hard? Sponge should be soft.

Anyway, to tell if a sponge is good or not:

Most sponges are completely harmless/beneficial, but some can be invasive and/or harmful to corals (thankfully, these are rare).

To tell if a sponge is chemically harmful: if a healthy, established coral starts closing up or looking to be in bad shape on the side closest to the sponge as the sponge grows closer to it, and nothing else has happened (lighting changes, parameter swings, pests, etc.) that could explain it, then the sponge is probably chemically harmful.

Chemically harmful sponges are very rare.

For invasive sponges: unless it shows signs of being chemically harmful or starts actively growing over and smothering a coral's flesh/polyps, it's harmless. These can grow over the skeletons of corals, around the base/stalks of corals, even up into the water column above corals (where they're over the coral but not growing on the flesh or polyps themselves), etc. without harming the coral at all - as long as the coral flesh and polyps can get food, light, and flow, the sponge is harmless.

Invasive sponges are moderately rare.

Invasive and chemically harmful sponges are incredibly rare.

For removal in case it is a sponge, my post linked below has some ideas you can try - you may also be able to try smothering it using DIY reef snow or similar, but there's no guarantee there:

Growth id?

New to coral, noticed this a couple days ago. At first I just assumed it was the zoa spreading, but now I am not sure. Should I be concerned? It’s not really noticeable when they are open. The last pic is when I noticed it, the other two are this morning.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Greg B.]

To double check here, is it soft or is hard? Sponge should be soft.

Anyway, to tell if a sponge is good or not:

For removal in case it is a sponge, my post linked below has some ideas you can try - you may also be able to try smothering it using DIY reef snow or similar, but there's no guarantee there:

Growth id?

New to coral, noticed this a couple days ago. At first I just assumed it was the zoa spreading, but now I am not sure. Should I be concerned? It’s not really noticeable when they are open. The last pic is when I noticed it, the other two are this morning.

www.reef2reef.com

I will check the texture of it in the am. If.it is hard what could it be?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I will check the texture of it in the am. If.it is hard what could it be?

Possibly some kind of coralline or red algae; I'm not entirely sure.

 

[Greg B.]

To double check here, is it soft or is hard? Sponge should be soft.

Anyway, to tell if a sponge is good or not:

For removal in case it is a sponge, my post linked below has some ideas you can try - you may also be able to try smothering it using DIY reef snow or similar, but there's no guarantee there:

Growth id?

New to coral, noticed this a couple days ago. At first I just assumed it was the zoa spreading, but now I am not sure. Should I be concerned? It’s not really noticeable when they are open. The last pic is when I noticed it, the other two are this morning.

www.reef2reef.com

It is hard. Chips off when I scrape it

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

It is hard. Chips off when I scrape it

Yeah, I'd suggest trying for a clearer white light pic then. I can't really think of anything but coralline or a calcified red algae that might grow like this, but those shouldn't be causing coral problems - to my knowledge, they may take advantage of weakened corals, but they shouldn't harm corals directly (I haven't heard of any having that strong of allelopathy).