Pineapple Sponges or Something Sinister?

[justdeb1107]

Are these pineapple sponges under my crocea's mantle or something sinister? Also, the little worms starting...do I need to start scraping them off or are they harmless? I hate to stress my clam, but I have no clue how to distinguish between vermatid (sp?) snails and shell boring snails. I have a used system that was absolutely encrusted with vermatid snails in both the overflow and sump, and while we scrubbed it as much as possible, you know they still infiltrated the tank.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Looks like Pineapple sponge and spionid worms to me. Both are harmless filter feeders. If the sponge starts aggravating it, it should be able to be scraped right off. I've had to remove some from the base of my mushrooms before. Otherwise, it's harmless.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Voting on spionid worms

 

[Mark Goode]

Voting on spionid worms

+1

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I see what may be some pineapple sponges up by the mantle - the spiral-shaped worm tubes are Spirorbid Worms (Spirorbid worms are mini feather duster worms known for their spiral tubes; Spionids have two long palps [basically tentacles] and straight tubes; Vermetids send out mucus nets and at least the small species have spiral tubes).

Generally, Spirorbids are small with white tubes and Vermetids are larger, typically with red tubes.

 

[minus9]

I see spirorbid worms and pineapple sponges, both are harmless and shouldn't cause any issues. If the mantle is irritated by the sponges, as mentioned earlier, just scrape them off.