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View Full Version : What is this?


VeeDub
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 07:36 PM
We have a rock with an acro, pocillopora, and encrusting monti all growing on it. The pocillopora is making the acro bleach from contact.
Anyway, went to pull the rock out to resolve the problem and noticed on the bottom of this rock, there is a strange almost cocoon like covering.
We took a closer look and there appears to be eggs of some sort.
The egg looking items are very yellow in color and about 2.5-3mm each in size.
There are 2 clusters with about 10 of these egg looking things in each.
I tried to get pics but I just can't seem to get focus on them.
Here is a very bad pic- out of focus.
Anybody know what these might be?

Chris
VeeDub
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 09:02 PM
I knew that pic would be tough.
It does look like sponge in spots but there is definitely something that resembles eggs on this rock.
I will see if I can't get a better pic.
tgray
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 09:13 PM
maybe small tunicates?
VeeDub
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 09:42 PM
Weird.

Just went back to get another pic and what was perfectly round balls have now changed shape.
It may very well be sponge but I've never seen sponge form in tiny balls like that before.
Here is another, slightly better pic. I need another camera.
VeeDub
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 09:48 PM
The one thing that I can say is that, unlike the other sponge we have, the pores (for lack of better terminology) appear to be seperated from each other. All the sponge that I have in my tank appears to be a solid mass with the pores extruding from it.
Reef69
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 09:56 PM
looks like Sponge to me...the back of my rock work has tons of it.
VeeDub
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 09:59 PM
Sponges come in tens of thousands of different flavors. Looks like about three different types on that pic.

That certainly makes sense Joshua. Growing bright yellow under a rock should have been my first clue. I swear it looked like eggs initially.
I could identify that there was sponge as I was used to seeing it.
Just never seen the type that we have on this rock- I need to get out more. :)
Ram_Puppy
Thu, 28th Apr 2005, 11:26 PM
I had heard that some sponges form 'balls' that get blown off by the current, and that this is a form of reproduction, I have no idea where I read that though.. maybe in CORAL or something.