Id please

[kimzpets]

Just purchased a piece of live rock to start my tank with it had some great hitchhikers on it about 6 little stars and a mushroom. But this little guy in the pic is an unknown can anybody help? it is white and rubbery and almost looks like a seahorse but I do know its now a seahorse. Any help please.

 

[sickboy]

Sponge??? I'm not sure, sorry.

 

[kimzpets]

Hey any help is appriciated.

 

[spanko]

Looks like a sponge to me.

 

[michaeltx]

more than likely a sponge of some sort if I had to take a guess it does have a strange shape to it though.
Mike

 

[kimzpets]

Ok i was looking at the sponges on this site that are for sale. Why not expose them to air. When this rock was shipped it was not submerged of course so it was exposed to the air. Is this gonna hurt or even kill it? Thank you guys for all the reply's. Oh and there is a small hole like on the top and one at the bottom if this helps.

 

[bigarn]

exposing them to air can kill them. if this happens they will smell like heck ... i also think you have a sponge there.

 

[michaeltx]

deffinately a sponge of some sort with the 2 holes description.
the way a sponge feeds is suck water into itself at one hole and expell it from the other hole. if they are exposed to air it can cause an air pocket to get lodged in the internal workings of the sponge causing the food way to be blocked and slowly it will kill the sponge.
some of them that are hitchikers on rocks make it some dont but its a hit or miss on which of them will make it or not.
Mike

 

[kimzpets]

Thanks guys you are the best. There are two of them, and it looks like there was more but they have kinda like melted to nothing just a pale orange residue look. So I'm thinkin they did'nt make it. These have been the same since I recieved the rock on 10-1-08 so do you guys think they will be fine?

 

[big]

It is a odd shape, but IF it is a sponge no issues.... Watch it over the next severl days to see if it is detererating. They are common hitchhikers that show up..... As to exposing to air, yes even short air exposes kills them. The slightest bit of drying out of its tissue often will do in the entire sponge. But their spores can survive in the air. Many Reefers end up with many colors of them after a few years from the spores on the live rock..... I have the common white. red, blue, green, brown and yellow ones...... another of the little treasures of this hobby we see in time.......
Ohhhhh by the way....... Welcome to the Boards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!