Something started growing.

[Self_made_sam]

So I put a piece of live rock in from my lfs about 3 weeks ago to help cycle my 12g nano tank and this morning I was doing some tests on the water quality and noticed this growing. Can anyone tell me what this might be? There's about 5-7 heads that I can see. They're all in that one spot on that white sponge. I didn't see it necessary to remove it at the time but now things are growing from it. Any thoughts or advice will help. Thanks in advance.

 

[John-Solo]

The sponge looks like pineapple sponge and maybe some aiptasia? Hard to tell from the pic.

 

 

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[Self_made_sam]

The sponge looks like pineapple sponge and maybe some aiptasia? Hard to tell from the pic.

 

 

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Sorry I know the picture isn't the best quality. At first I was thinking it might be newly starting branches from my Kenya Tree? Could this possibly be what it is? The Kenya tree was one this rock, but I put it in my other tank. I've just never seen anything this small before.

[mari.harutunian]

Could be hitchhiker yellow sponge and clove polyp. Or there is a smaller variety of star shaped polyp that i can't remember the name of.

 

 

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[Jon Lazar]

Looks to me more like an octocoral of some sort, rather than an aiptasia.  The tentacles don't seem to taper like an aiptasia.

 

Is that spot on the rock where your kenya tree was?  If so, that would be my first guess.  New polyps can grow out of the smallest amount of tissue.

 

If not kenya tree, I'd guess a sympodium or briareum.  It's hard to tell without seeing the tentacles from the top.

 

What are your plans for the tank?  Those corals aren't desirable in an sps tank, but they're cool for a softy nano tank.  You can watch it grow from a polyp to a full-grown coral.

[Rob A]

The little tree thing looks like some sort of clavularia.

[Self_made_sam]

Looks to me more like an octocoral of some sort, rather than an aiptasia. The tentacles don't seem to taper like an aiptasia.

 

Is that spot on the rock where your kenya tree was? If so, that would be my first guess. New polyps can grow out of the smallest amount of tissue.

 

If not kenya tree, I'd guess a sympodium or briareum. It's hard to tell without seeing the tentacles from the top.

 

What are your plans for the tank? Those corals aren't desirable in an sps tank, but they're cool for a softy nano tank. You can watch it grow from a polyp to a full-grown coral.

I can't get a good picture from the top of it. Each head looks to have about 7-8 tentacles they're all very tiny. They close up when the lights go out and open up during the day when the lights are on like a soft coral would do. I just wasn't sure my tank was fully established to grow corals yet if that's what these little things are lol and they are growing. yes, the Kenya tree was originally on this rock. I've just never seen a Kenya tree this tiny before. If that's what it is.

 

The plans for this tank is just something small and aesthetically pleasing for my bedroom. Nothing too fancy or high tech. some soft corals and a couple fish.