Please ID

[nw2salt08]

OK, so I just noticed this today when I fed my fish. It's not a great pic but I'll post it any way. It's black and it looks like one of my sponges on another rock. It's to the right of my mushrooms. My shrimp, Jaques, was trying to get in the photo. lol His whisker is running through it in the pic. But do sponges come in another color or is this something completely different??

 

[yosemite sam]

It's impossible to tell what it is without a better photo, but to answer your question, sponges come in just about every color of the rainbow.

 

[nw2salt08]

Sorry, I know it's not a very good pic. I can't seem to get a clearer image of it though.

Let me go try again. brb

 

[nw2salt08]

Ok, I think this is as good as it's going to get with this camera. Hopefully this will help.

 

[yosemite sam]

Still hard to say for sure, but it looks like it's probably a sponge.

 

[nw2salt08]

I think I'm going to agree with you on that. It looks like the white ones I have just black.

Thanks for the help anyway

 

[bizzleb01]

If it's got two small mouths on it it's a tunicate, which is just a filter feeder. I had a couple that started that small and were about two inches after a year. Kind of neat looking and different.

 

[nw2salt08]

Cool, I can't really tell if it has mouths or not. It's really REALLY tiny. Probably about 1/2" in diameter...if that.

 

[renogaw]

look up skutus if it's black. (may be scutus...)
also, to take better pics put your camera on self portrait without the flash if you can.

 

[nw2salt08]

ok, I'll try that next time I take pics. Have to look that up.

 

[nw2salt08]

Ok, so after looking at scutus and tunicates....doesn't look like either. Hmmm.... more research I guess.

 

[cranberry]

Could be a black tunicate.

 

[cranberry]

Touch it... is it slimy?

 

[yosemite sam]

Here are a few red sponges from my tank. Do they look anything like what you have?

 

[nw2salt08]

Cranberry----Yes, it is a little slimy and right now it's deflated because my lights have been off. It doesn't feel like my white sponges.
And it really doesn't look like your red sponges. I have no idea what this thing is. It's definitely stationary. It never moves and is inflates/deflates. It's too small to see a mouth on it. Looks like a black eggsack when it's inflated. Strange.....

UPDATE: While I was inspecting it further a portion of it had broken off and is in the crevice below the original. They are both inflating and deflating.....maybe reproducing??? I think I'm going to have to ask my lfs on this one. Very strange...

 

[cranberry]

It sounds like a tunicate.