What might this be?

sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
This is on the backside of one of my live rocks. I can't imagine it's going to do very well since it never gets any light but it's been there for a few weeks now and seems to be getting bigger.
Any ideas what this is brown blob with yellow tip is?
Thanks in advance.
Sue

 
mscarpena

mscarpena

Member
Not a sponge. I think it is a plant that has not sprouted yet. I had a bunch on my LP and they grew into what looked like Kelp to me.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Hmmmmmm.... interesting thought - a plant. Next time I'm putzing around in the tank I will touch it to see what kind of texture it has or whether or not it's rigid or "squishy".
Thanks.
Sue
 
socal57che

socal57che

Active Member
Resembles Agelas conifera, the Brown Tube Sponge or Diplastrella megastellata, Red-Orange Encrusting Sponge from the pics I've seen.
What about...Ectyoplasia ferox, Brown Encrusting Octopus Sponge?
At any rate, I say sponge.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Wow.... all good leads, and they are all close - but no cigar. There is no "opening" or pore or hole in the growth, and the actual color is more like my first picture - a shiny brown, looks like leather.
Inquiring minds want to know . . . where/how did you come up with those possible identifications? Do you have all this information in your head from years of experience or do you know of a great website for reference and searching? Either way, thanks for the general direction. I'm watching it closely to see if it grows, dies or stays the same. It's not really getting much light - it's on the back/underside of a rock, so that should give me some clue in the future. I'm sure there are only certain things that can thrive without light, right?
 
socal57che

socal57che

Active Member
Originally Posted by SueAndHerZoo
http:///forum/post/2750107
Inquiring minds want to know . . . where/how did you come up with those possible identifications? Do you have all this information in your head from years of experience or do you know of a great website for reference and searching?
I'll have to send you a PM with my email for a link out of respect for SWF.
After a few years, you run across a lot of stuff that needs identification. Much of it I forget, but remember seeing it somewhere so it takes a little time to pull back up. Sometimes I recall a name, or part of a name.
If you have TONS of time on your hands you can visit algaebase. This one I can link to. They have tons of algaes listed, but they are hard to look up if you don't know exactly what you're looking for.
http://www.algaebase.org/index.lasso
Go to the search pulldown menu and select images.
Foremost, Google is your friend.
 
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