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white fuzzy organisms on tank walls

25 9:44:08

Question
QUESTION: I have a 29 gal, saltwater set up.  It has been running since around January.  It has live rock and fine sand.  I introduced two clowns and they are doing great.  I recently had an outbreak/bloom of a few different types of small organisms.  I have tiny snails and an outbreak of feather duster worms on my tank walls.  Along with these, I have an unidentifiable organism.  They are about 1 cm long and are the shape of a grain of rice. They are covered in fine white hairs and appear to be slightly translucent.  They do not move.  It appears that they are attached to the tank walls and everything else in the tank on one end, where the color is a light brown on the contact area.  They are taking over my tank, but I am afraid to remove them because they appear to be jelly-like and I don't want to smear them all over the walls.  I also do not want to be stung by an unidentified animal.  They are an eyesore.  I could not take a picture of it. Tank levels are normal, salinity about .28, temp is 76-78. Thank you for your help.

ANSWER: Hi there! Do your mysterious creatures look a little oval and are they attached at the pointy end not the long side and do they have one end of them that is sort of fuzzy looking? If so what you may be seeing is a kind of a sponge. Although they may be an eyesore they are very beneficial filter feeders and usually only reproduce under good water quality I will give you an address of what I am thinking you are seeing and let me know if that is it.
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchsponge.html
go to the group of pictures and look at the middle one on the top row. Does this look familiar?( They aren't always that round looking most of the time they are longer and a little thinner) It is called a pineapple sponge and often comes in on live rock and is very common to see in your tank. They are also harmless.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes, those are exactly what I have.  I also have some long white wavy threadish animals.  Are those fine as well?  What fish do you suggest to pair with my clown pair, that will keep my tank balanced?

Answer
Hello! Are these other creatures on the gravel? Or do they crawl on the glass? When you see them are they often in groups or by themselves? You may have some hair worms, spaghetti worms or spionid worms. These look like threads spread out over a surface where they filter feed and are closely related to feather duster worms. They usually keep their bodies buried in the gravel or a hole in the rock and the wavy parts you see are actually feeding tentacles. These are harmless filter feeders.(If that is what you have)
As for what would be a good match for your pair of clowns that may all depend on what kind of clowns you have and if you have an established pair or not(they can be very territorial when in an established pair). There are many fish that can live peacefully with clownfish and it would be a lot to name them all. Look for something that stays small due to the size tank you have and a fish that is peaceful and hardy. I like blennies, gobies, fairy or dwarf wrasses, grammas, dwarf angelfish, cardinal fish, and firefish just to name a few. Most of these fish stay small and are reef safe and peaceful with other fishes. The choice is up to you! I would not want to pick a specific fish for you, only to point you towards some good ones for your tank!