Oyster-like organisms on drift wood!

[JATIN]

Hello All,

Last week a friend got a small piece of drift-wood lying on a beach. After a week or so, I emersed it in a bucket of water for cleaning. I saw some movement from it, and I noted a small colony of "oyster-like" organisms incuding their shells in small houses made of calcium-like material, all attached to the wood. The houses are such that the small animals cannot come out of them, at least for now as their shells are locked inside the houses.

My friend wasn't aware that he was carrying something live with him. Now since the wood is with me, please let me know if placing that drift-wood as it is will cause any harm to my aquarium or to the oysters?

Those animals look pretty sturdy, as they are alive even after storing the driftwood in the dry for initial few days before I took it up for cleaning.

Thanks!
Jatin

 

[Biollante]

Information Please; Photos Welcome

Hi Jatin,

Is this salt or freshwater driftwood? Where in the world?

Please describe what you saw “moving around?”

Can you see the creature inside? Is it worm-like?

Do you have any photos?

There are a large number of soft creatures that coat themselves in Calcium carbonate, including oysters and mussels.

Many have a parasitic larval stage, which is not healthy for fish.

Depending on the water parameters, these Calcium carbonate shells can wreak havoc on GH, KH and pH, particularly those that are high in organic material (when dried by they tend to crumble).:gw

Biollante

 

[Squidly]

barnacles?

http://bogleech.com/barnacles.html

 

[JATIN]

Thanks Biollante & Squidly. They indeed are blistering BARNACLES! (reminds me of Capt Haddock @Tintin).
This is a small salt-water driftwood from Goa (India). From what I read it would be better to leave it alone,
or place it in my outdoor lotus pond instead.

Regards,
Jatin