Good? Bad? Normal? what is it?

[Ikarus5150]

I have a yellow leather coral and at night I have noticed that it has a stringy substance extending from it. It almost looks like a silkytype spider web. Anouther thing is, on the underside of some my live rock closest to the sand, there is a cottony substance. I dont know but I was wondering if this was an early stage of some sort of life. I was just curious. Good? Bad? Normal? what is it?





[/i]He who knows not the world, knows not His place in it. ~ Marcus Aurelis

 

[Anonymous]

It is common for leather to associate with ctenophora. This is what the silky thing is.

 

[Meloco14]

Are the strings really thin and white, and limp enough to move with the current? Are they attached to the coral on one end and free floating on the other end? Are they always there or do they only appear sometimes. If you answered yes to the first 2 ?'s and they only appear sometimes, they might be nematocysts. I dont know anything about leather corals but most sessile inverts have nematocysts. They are a defense mechanism, and in some organisms a feeding mechanism. They shoot out and sting whatever they strike. Are you or any other little organisms aggravating the coral when you see these strings? If the answer is yes, then they probably are nematocysts. Does anyone else know specifially about leather corals?

 

[investigator1]

Without a picture it is hard to tell but my guess is that it is shedding. They tend to do that every once in awhile.

 

[Ikarus5150]

melco
yes it is stringy moves free floating on one end with the currant and is white. I only see it after my lights have been out several hours. As far as aggrivation the only thing that I can think of is a Blue Damsal that whips sand around near it once in while. ... The cottony substance on LR and at the base my Devils hand is purple and more of a patch form.



Myths are made for the imagination to breath life into. ~ King of Corinth

 

[tripsied]

The "slime" is pretty normal for umbrellas (I realize you didn't specify if the leather in question was an umbrella, these are what I happen to have, my pagoda does the exact same thing too, my finger leather has never slimed at all).

From what I can gather, leathers (umbrellas, like I have) tend to shed their skin. I was told that's what this stuff is OR that the coral is attempting to remove an irritation from the polyp where the slime is originating from (much like the pus surrounding a splinter in your foot).

If it is darker, it is usually the coral "blowing" xooanthellae (spelling??)

I don't believe leathers have nematocysts (at least in the same way that a frogspawn or bubble coral do), as they tend to be pretty peaceful, as far as I know.

I am not sure what the cottony stuff is. I have some on the base of some of my rock as well, though the rocks that it is on are mostly rocks that my carpet has attached to, so I guessed that it was some sort of waste product of the anemone.

 

[Meloco14]

It would definitely help if you could get a picture, but if it only happens after lights are out this may be tough. But if they are nematocysts, they should occur whenever it feels in danger, whether it is light or dark. You could always try gently poking at the base of it with a stick or something that wont actually hurt it, and see if they shoot out in response. If they do, they are definitely nematocysts. This is normal, it is their defense mechanism. They shouldn't hurt anything. If they aren't nematocysts then I have no idea :? . Good luck figuring it out

 

[Quigonsean]

I don't know much about Leathers, but could they be "Sweeper Tenticles" Alot of corals only put their sweeper tenticals out at night. Just 2cents

Sean

 

[Anonymous]

Nematocysts are present in all cnidarians (jellyfish, anemones, hydrozoans, corals). A "sweeper tentacle" is a specialized tentacle designed to defend the coral. I've never seen a leather coral with sweepers...if a picture was provided it would help a lot.

ck,
I've never heard of leathers and ctenophores associating together, do you have any more info on this? One way that you can spot a ctenophore (also known as "comb jellies") is the very thin tentacles they put into the current that look like a ladder split in half in the vertical direction.

 

[Carpentersreef]

Wow...lots of ..different answers! :wink:
Your leather coral is simply shedding a waxy mucus that cleanses its' surface every once and a while. If that mucus lands on other corals, and stays there, it could be harmful to the other coral. Make sure that you have sufficient water movement to blow it away.
It's a normal reaction from some leather corals.

For reference, have a look at the book, Aquarium Corals Selection, Husbandry and Natural History" by Eric Borneman, pg. 131.

Mitch

 

[Carpentersreef]

The cottony substance that you are seeing on some of your live rock is probably a sponge growing.

Mitch

 

[wendyzim]

does it look like this? is it harmful? I've got many of them, but I can only see them when i stir up the substrate.

 

[Anonymous]

Are the strings really thin and white, and limp enough to move with the current? Are they attached to the coral on one end and free floating on the other end? Are they always there or do they only appear sometimes. If you answered yes to the first 2 ?'s and they only appear sometimes, they might be nematocysts. I dont know anything about leather corals but most sessile inverts have nematocysts. They are a defense mechanism, and in some organisms a feeding mechanism. They shoot out and sting whatever they strike. Are you or any other little organisms aggravating the coral when you see these strings? If the answer is yes, then they probably are nematocysts. Does anyone else know specifially about leather corals?

leathers do not release strings of nematocysts-it could be a ctenophore, as stated above, or typical shedding, OR an 'infection' (bacterial/protozoal) of some sort.

the ctenophore will retract if subjected to a turkey baster squirt, and re-extend after, if a 'shed' of the typical waxy coating leathers periodically produce, it will 'peel away' with a baster squirt, leaving exposed healthy firm tissue underneath, and if an infection, will most likely show slimy or eaten away/diseased tissue when basted

hth

 

[Anonymous]

does it look like this? is it harmful? I've got many of them, but I can only see them when i stir up the substrate.

"whitethreads2" is the ctenophore, or comb jelly

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, I took this picture.