ID. Sponge?

[farid2544]

It came with my live rock and i cant figure out how to ID it. Can anyone help?
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj545/farid254/ID002.jpg

 

[farid2544]

This is a different view.
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj545/farid254/ID001.jpg

 

[jezzeaepi]

Its hard to tell from the picture. It looks like it could be a sponge/tunicate of some kind. It also looks like it could be the remains of dying coral of some type(or possibly one coming back to life depending on how its doing). What makes me think that it is a coral is that there is what appears to be feeding tentacles of some kind in the upper left corner. Dying bubble coral perhaps? I guess just keep an eye on it and see what if it turns in to something.

 

[kevnkev]

If there are no parts that move in the water current (like the tentacles of a coral), then the easiest way to tell if it's sponge or tunicate is to touch it.

If it's a sponge, it will have some give to it but will feel rough.
If it's a tunicate, it will have some give to it and will feel slippery.

Both sponges and tunicates are excellent filter feeders. Nice things to have hitching a ride on your rocks!

 

[user 26995]

It almost looks like remnants of a soft coral that was probably removed and left a fewi pieces behind. You could leave that rock with that side up to get light and some flow and see if anything grows from it.

 

[farid2544]

I'm a little color blind so please excuse my color references. The white and red ones are slippery. The white ones seem to have tentacles that glow under blue LED moon lights. There are also more that are blue and purple that are also soft to touch win a non slippery "skin" or rougher feeling.

 

[user 26995]

I am guessing the blue and purple ones are a sponge. They will be soft, but they will not be slimy. Corals will slime. I am guessing the white is a coral that has bleached due to no light. Hard to say what type of coral until it colors up and gets its shape back. It looks to have individual heads with tentacles and mouths to me.

Here is a little info on sponges
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/sponges.html

 

[farid2544]

It started as just on near the bottom left of the rock. In the last month, the rest have started to show up.

 

[kevnkev]

In that case I might doubt sponge or tunicate - they tend to be slower growing critters (at least the species I'm familiar with). IPisces is right - you'll have to wait for a little more coloring and growth to get a definite ID, I guess. It'll be interesting to watch them grow into whatever the heck they are!

 

[farid2544]

I will take more pictures when/ if it gets bigger or changes.