What is this? and why is it disapearing?

[Tay]

So I just got this live rock.. I placed it in my tank.. it has some florescent green spines running through the top of it all around the top. but now it is starting to recede and underneath is white rock which I am told means dead live rock.(if that makes sense) Im curious as to what exactly the green stuff is, and i like it.. so how (if possible) do I make ti grow back? and or keep the remainder of it?


ALSO, along the side of it are little tubes.. they are coiled, and have a cap.. and inside of the tube, is a little creature with two antenna i have no idea what they are called.. a name would be great. I have pictures of both the green stuff and the tube creatures.

first two pictures are the coral.. last one is the best i could do with the tube creature.

 

[AmberSunrise]

It looks like a dying/bleached brain coral. I dont know if it will come back or not what kind of lighting do you have over your tank?

Not sure about the tube creature maybe its some sort of worm. Its hard to see it

 

[Tay]

i have a coral life 10,000k high density super daylight lamp 20 watt <==reading right off package. lol

 

[AmberSunrise]

Well if its only 1 bulb thats only 1 watt per gallon over your tank so I dont think its going to be enough to really grow any corals. Even if it was 2 bulbs thats not enough.

You need at least 3-4 watts per gallon to do easy corals and plants and have them be healthy.

 

[Tay]

and i purchased the rock as a live rock. not as coral.. I just assumed it was something living ontop of the liverock. as far as I know the brain coral was already dead when purchased.. just a skeleton. it had a lot of living things on it.. thats y I got it.. and the green stuff ontop. it has some purple sponges on the bottom. it has some spaghetti worms living in it. and some small feather worms (small tube worms with red feathers coming out. I just dont know what these other larger tubes are.. they dont have a feather on top. they almost look like insects.. but they are too small to see.. and if u get too close.. they close the lid on top.

 

[bjohanson1234]

That is definantly a brain coral.

If you could get it under adequate lighting and in water conditions that it likes, it could very well make a come back. Brain corals are pretty resilient when they are in good conditions.

 

[Tay]

so it is a living brain coral?? wow

 

[bjohanson1234]

The parts that are white are dead. That is where the flesh has receded and died off. The parts with color are still alive, but definantly not doing well. Most likely they will die off also and leave you with just a coral skeleton.

 

[Tay]

OK.. I guess I need better lighting..

 

[ErinCahir]

Your tubes are vermatid snails, btw.
Harmless but annoying.

 

[Tay]

thank u