Clear Pineapple Shaped Things???

[ebrewer]

Sorry for the bad pic but can anyone help me ID these. They seem to only be in the shade and are clear to milky white and in the shape of a pineapple. Any help with what they are and if no good how do I rid my tank of them. Thanks!

[Snookster]

they are pineapple sponges - harmless.

[teesquare]

"Pineapple sponges".....? They sure look like a form of tunicates to me.......

[David Jr.]

They are tunicates. Great to have, and common in healthy tanks . :)

[teesquare]

Don't know about the "healthy tanks" part either David - I find them commonly in areas where ther is less flow, and more prevalent in tanks with a higher amount of organics available for them to eat.
I think of them as an indication of more flow needed, and more cleaning/water changes and reduction in feeding or bio-load needed. Probably fine in a cryptic zone refugium.

[Falconeer]

Woops...is it bad to remove these guys? I didn't know what these were, so the last time I redid my aquascaping, I scrubbed them off.

[ebrewer]

Thanks! It must be a flow issue as the bioload consists of only one fish and a small cuc. I have however had nitrates at 15-20ppm and cannot seem to get it down to 0. I currently do 20% water changes weekly. The tank is only a month old, so I'm realistic and understand that it may not be considered healthy. But if they are harmless I guess I can just deal with them. Thanks again!

[teesquare]

Most welcome ebrewer!

Falconeer: no worries - you will have more if you have seen them in the tank!

T

[orion1]

I have those in my skimmer sump and display. I had a ton of them when I first started my tank now I have a few a lot of them have dissapeard. I was told they are filter feeders and beneficial to the tank

[teesquare]

orion - you are not wrong...but sometimes the "why" part is where we find the really interesting part of the answer Ex:

"Why are they beneficial to my tank?" - Because they help in the up-take and conversion of ultra-fine particles of suspended matter. This can be made up of planktoninc critters - but also fish waste, and general organic materials. So they help with water clarity - and probably to a lesser degree - water quality.

"Why is it even important to know that?" Because it can be an indication of real water quality - beyond what we can often measure via Nitrates, and Phosphates.

T

[Siviak]

orion - ...but sometimes the "why" part is where we find the really interesting part of the answer...

This has got to be one of the best explanations I have seen in a long time!

The "why" is also the reason that I find my sump/fuge to be every bit as interesting as my tank :)

[teesquare]

Thanks siviak - and you are right - sometimes the fan worms, sponges and tunicates that we find growing in the darkness or dimly lit areas of our sumps are intruiging for sure.
I bought a stero microscope last year, and I am going to buy the camera for it in the near future, so I can share some of the amazing things I love to look at in the aquatic envirement.
T