Black sponge?

[jahmic]

Assuming that's what this is...

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do I need to pull this rock and remove it? It's currently isolated to this one rock...aside from the portion growing onto the duncan skeleton, which is what worried me. Ignore the fact that the duncan is closed; I had just gone in with the turkey baster to clean off some sand and get a decent pic.

Anybody know how invasive this is? Or what it is for that matter...

edit: Originally title the tread as black tunicate, but looking at it again this morning then hopping on the computer at work, it actually has a structure that looks identical to this:

View attachment 7457

Black Bermudian Sponge...seems to be the closest ID I could dig up, but info is pretty limited. I'm guess I'll just have to be a guinea pig and keep an eye on it to see what happens in my system. When I first spotted it I thought maybe it was a dead/dying sponge, but it's definitely growing...

 

[jahmic]

Got a better pic now that the lights are on. Now I'm back to thinking it's a colonial black tunicate.

Just doesn't have as many pores as the photos of sponges that I found online. Haven't seen it pumping at all...but the structure around the openings is more of a raised conical shape like a tunicate.

Is there any easy way to tell the 2 apart that I may be missing?

 

[ReefCheif]

Are you certain its not some type of slime algea? Ive had globs of red slime in the past that devoloped air bubbles that popped and resembled "pores". Have you tried removing it?

 

[jahmic]

Are you certain its not some type of slime algea? Ive had globs of red slime in the past that devoloped air bubbles that popped and resembled "pores". Have you tried removing it?

That was my first thought...but I used the turkey baster to try to suck it up and it doesn't act like cyano or any algae I've seen. It definitely has a spongy, soft texture...if I squish it down it just puffs back up. I noticed it when I added the rock to the tank and assumed it was dead sponge. Pulled a little off but apparently it grew back...

 

[KhensuRa]

I think it is a harmless sponge, i have seen on a few other tanks. i think it looks cool.

 

[Dan s mixed reef]

Yup I have it on my candycane mine kinda have little spikes on it grows slow and never bothers the candycane. Looks sketchy at first but IME it harmless.

 

[chrislorentz]

It is ok I have it as well, if you cut it mysis (i think) and other unknown critters go scurrying out of it

 

[jahmic]

Thanks everyone...definitely relieved to hear that it's not as menacing as it initially appeared to be. I agree, pretty cool looking, and I'm all about biodiversity in the tank. I was really hoping I didn't have to pull the rock and remove it, as that rock came from a mature system and has seeded my tank with plating coralline, spaghetti worms, and strawberry anemones...now I can add this sponge to my list of acceptable hitch-hikers from that rock.

Chris, you're right about the critters. I poked around after you said that and some amphipods scurried out...no wonder my 2 wrasses are always "fighting" over that little area of the tank before the lights come on.