Help ID stuff on Liverock

[cale262]

Looks like sponge...

[MarkoD]

how did i get it? i've had this liverock for about 5 months and never had it before.

[MKLKT]

Sponges... I have those and the pineapple shaped ones in my sump (where it's dark) I also have a dark purple sponge on the live rock in my main tank. They're handy filter feeders!

[cale262]

They're dependent on silica levels in the tank. They should be self limiting, but if you're introducing silicates into the tank (usually done by not using RO/DI water), you may have the population continue to increase.

stolen quote...

[MarkoD]

i use RO/DI water religiously. but if they're good i guess ill just leave them alone

[christyf5]

I would just leave them alone. If you scrape them off the rock they'll just break into little bits with each little bit having the potential to settle and form a new colony somewhere. Like cale262 said, they are self limiting. Once they have nothing left to build colonies they'll start to disappear.

[christyf5]

pineapple sponges. they flourish under good water conditions and time. they like dark spaces and gentle flow. good for your tank. as your tank matures its likely youll see a few more critters show up.