Help with identification

[pstock44]

I know this isn't the best picture but its the best one I can get right now. I got this live rock from Florida and last week I realized that there is a clam or oyster of some type on it. I never noticed it until I saw it clamp shut they other day. It only moved a very little bit so I watched it and its definitely alive! Anyone seen anything like it before? This has just got my curiosity going like crazy.

The brown patch next to it appears to be a type of brain coral which also came on the live rock. I have several patches of it and they all seem to be doing great.

[Burbarry]

I have had a few of these before. I am not sure what type they are. I just fed my corals and they seem to eat what ever is in the water.

[pstock44]

Thank you for your reply, I hope you don't mind more questions. Is it (the clam???) long lived or will it die off in a home aquarium? Do you recognize the coral? Is it a type of brain coral? I'm a definite newbie and if I don't buy it I have a hard time figuring out what things are.

Thanks again.

[Burbarry]

Not sure what the brown thing is. But to me it looks like it could be some type of sponge. Sponges are very common with LR. I have some green, white, and brown ones that came with my LR. The green ones I have seem to be getting bigger then the rest, which is fine with me since they look kind of cool. Also, The few free clams like that I have come accross seem to live as long as I have had the tank setup. But, I feed my corals well so that probally helps the clam out as well.

[pstock44]

I will try to get some better pictures of the brown critters. I know the one I posted is rather blurry but that because I was trying to focus on the clam. I am very surprised they grew at all because when I got the live rock in the tank they looked just like small dead white brain corals. They were very hard and I thought it was to bad they died. When they first started turning brown I thought it was algae growing on them but now micro bits of food do get stuck to them when I feed and they are covered in short fine "hairs". I wish I had a way to get an extreme closeup picture of them.
Thanks again.

[Parrothead]

Odds are that if its florida gulf rock it is some type of pipe coral, it may or may not last, I've had them on some rock some did good, others didn't, but I can tell you it is not a brain coral. Hopes this help.

Tanks,
Robert