My Sea Squirt

[RiaanP]

Well, hope I got it right

And a filter feeder bi-valve hanging under the rock, just in front of the squirt

About 120 mm across in this picture

 

[viper357]

I would be more inclined to say it is a sponge.

 

[RiaanP]

I looked in the Coral magazine, Jul/Aug 2009 page 26 onwards, there they haze a nice article on Squirts. One feature is the double openings, one bigger than the other.
But always though it is a sponge, until I saw that article.

Anybody...

 

[viper357]

Cool, whatever it is it's a nice size, filtering your water nicely.

 

[Tobes]

Could be a tunicate as well.

Tunicate:

Responds rapidly to being touched (closing apertures/openings)

Two large openings (one atop and the other just slightly lower), or one large opening atop and many small holes around the body, systematically patterned

Inward and mobile tentacles lining the apertures

Sponge:

Slow or totally unresponsive to being touched (holes are not moveable)

Spiked outward projections around openings (spicules) but no inward projections

Rough or porous texture (sponge) and not slimy/mucous or smooth (tunicates)



Taken from Reef Invertebrates - Anthony Calfo

 

[AfricaOffroad]

Looks like an underwater sweet potato to me!

 

[RiaanP]

Responds rapidly to being touched

no reaction

and not slimy/mucous or smooth

slimy and smooth

I always though it to be a sponge. But lately, I doubt that.

 

[Tobes]

Sea squirts are the same group as tunicates. If it doesn't respond quickly then it tells me its a sponge, but you said it is slimy and smooth which tells me its a tunicate/sea squirt - maybe a hybrid?

 

[2balive]

I got lots of these in my tank, forming in all the shadow areas. Mine is smaller, only up to 2cm, but most much smaller.

Interesting, with some LR rescaping I exposed some to the "sun", thought they would die , but has turned brown and seam to be doing OK.

 

[Nur]

Damn I have colonies of these some bright pink and some red and green aswell.
I just thought its sponge so I let it be. As long as it keeps filtering my water I'm happy.