Hitchhiker ID

[bigsink]

I do not have a working camera, but I have these tiny little white fuzzy things that look like lint growing on my live rock. They are about 1/16" and grow on the top and bottom of a piece of Marshall Island shelf rock. Does anybody have any ideas?

 

[chineseknife]

Do they move? Have you noticed them anyhwere else? Are they abundant?

 

[bigsink]

They are pretty abundant. I do not see them move as they are very small. They are only growing on the rock, not in fuge, not on glass.

 

[mr_X]

do they have little plume-like appendages coming out of the tops of them? do they kind of remind you of a q-tip?
if they are what i am thinking of, these are harmless filter feeding sponges.

 

[bigsink]

Yes, that is them! Are you aware of exactly what kind of sponge? Thanks BTW!

 

[mr_X]

You may have a small species of sponge, probably Leucilla, Leucandra, Scypha = Sycon, or Clathrina. These small sponges are often missed in nature due to their small size, but they are usually seen in our small glass boxes. They are taxonomically found in Class: Calcarea.

 

[bigsink]

That does not look that much like them. The creatures in my tank are whiter and look more like wool lint from a sweater!

 

[mr_X]

yes..mine are whiter too, but i believe that's them. bad photography maybe...

 

[chineseknife]

Could it be a hyrdoid of some sort?

 

[mr_X]

here is a better pic...like this?
if so..it's Q-tip sponge, Scypha sp. Harmless

 

[bigsink]

That is it! Thank you so much for your help!