What is this!?

[lneesbye]

Ok, so today, I spent part of the day just looking at my LR. It has a whole mini ecosystem going! Based on the sticky note about hitchhikers, I have some micro serpant stars, a limpet, hair worms, bristle worms and maybe a feather duster.

I'm also pretty sure that I have one Majano and I'm headed to the LFS tomorrow to figure out what to do about that.

But I have something (I think) that I didn't find any mention of. It isn't exactly alive (or should I say moving). It seems that some of my live rock is getting these bright red, hard spots (they feel rock like). I don't think it had it from the start, but can't remember for sure. Some of these spots are actually taking on a stag horn shape. See picture.

Any ideas? Thx in advance.
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[lilrobb]

I was never able to actually confirm these were growing - I chalked them off as dead rock...

 

[hackman72]

I've had them too and never really knew exactly what they were. They almost seem to me like an SPS but they never hurt anything as far as I could tell so I never worried about them.

 

[fish scales2]

I always thought they were a type of hydroid. I am most likely wrong.</em>

 

[smoothie]

It's a variety of foraminifera

 

[smoothie]

Found the type. Homotrema rubrum. Harmless filter feeder. Here's an article on them

 

[smallblock]

nice read smooth

 

[lneesbye]

Thanks Smooth for the info. I can see that I will have to work on my latin I like the look of these things, but I didn't know friend from foe.