identify please

[cynder]

I recieved this LR yesterday and have not been able to identify this thing. It is up inside the rock, both the left end and right end grow out a little when the light is down. The ends have a little striping to them and they have a hole in each end. I apologize for the picture quality, my camera does not do as well as I would like. Thank you, Kim
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/cynder71/unknown010.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/cynder71/unknown002.jpg
[IMG]

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Ummmm. . . . . .borrow a better camera from someone? :D

Seriously though, can you maybe draw it? Or find a picture somewhere on this site or the internet that looks close to your creature?

[cynder]

I looked at all of the sites for hitchhiker I.D.s and didnt see anything similar. And it will not come down out of the rock for me to see the rest, believe me I was up all night with a red light begging the little guy to show hisself. The lower left corner and right corner grow out kind of like a tube worm pushing out and they both have a hole in them. It looked like they were picking at the rock but every time I turn the light on to see closer they go back up inside. I will try to get a better camera this evening but it may not happen.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

:D Reef tanks make us do crazy things, huh. The first all-nighter is a rite of passage - congrats, you're now one of us!

Does it look like it has feelers or hairs or anything? This site has some interesting snail pics:

http://www.pirx.com/gallery/mollusks?newlang=pl_PL

[cynder]

It does have a feeler type thing that came out of the hole just once that I noticed. I was a bit blurry eyed about 4:00 a.m. And I only left it long enought to check the hitchhiker sites, I have a bruised hind end from sitting in a Fisher Price chair with a red light and a magnifying glass all night but I dont think I could enjoy anything more than I am this.

[cynder]

It doesnt look like any of those on that site. The corners that push out are vertical stripes. It moves slowly unless you turn the light on.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Roughly how big is this thing? Has it moved around the rock at all, or just sat in the same crevice?

Are you sure it's not just a feather duster? Kinda sounds like one, except they are pretty distinct and easy to recognize so I don't think you woulda missed it..

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Oh and what model of fisher price chair are you using? :lol:

[cynder]

The base from corner to corner is about 1/2 inch wide then it starts narrowing, then I cant see a thing of the top. It has only moved up into the rock more but never all of the way in.
The chairs are the lovely yellow ones built for two year olds, circa late 80's early 90's I believe, with NO padding in the seats, tried a pillow but the seat isnt wide enough, I should have made the stand higher.......:(

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Well, I'm stumped!

Sell that chair on eBay - if it's 15 years old there's probably some crazy person out there that collects them!

[Holygrail45]

How old is the tank? I had a ton of strange looking hitchhikers and worms and all sorts of oddoties popping out of the woodwork, well...rock work I guess during the first few months.

[cynder]

It is a new tank, just put the LR in yesterday morning. Here is some new pics of the ?
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/cynder71/wierd3.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/cynder71/wierd1.jpg

[jayvee10]

can't really tell. Does it move or retract?

[cynder]

Yes it retracts from light and the bottom tends to move a little up and to the sides but very slowly unless you shine a light on it.

[MTB]

A sponge? Is it soft/hard?

[cynder]

It is soft.

[jaymz101]

Sponges dont move, have feelers/siphons/etc, or react to light. My guess would be some sort of polyp, anemone, worm or such.

[jaymz101]

Thats assuming that what you sam coming out of one of the holes was a feeler and not a piece of something else either being sucked into the blob or being blown out of it. The shape also looks like a tunicate (sea squirt) They usually have some sort of ribbing and two holes (an in and an out) that they use to feed (filter feeders).

Take a bit of food coloring in tank water (to get some contrast, pick a bright color that you will be able to see in your tank), turn off your pumps, turn on your tank lights, and squirt a little bit near the bigger of the openings (with a small turkey baster/pipette/syringe/etc.). Does it get drawn in? (you should be able to see it come out of the other hole and it wont hurt the little bugger either)

[cynder]

Ok I tried the food color thing, it closed up both holes and kinda got flatter. I turned the rock and took some new pictures from the bottom up.
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/cynder71/DSCF0216.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/cynder71/DSCF0215.jpg

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Oh wow, those are definitely better pictures. Still can't name it off the top of my head. Does look like some sort of polyp or anemone though.

Here's a bump back to page 1 in the hopes that someone else can name it.

[cynder]

I have been looking at Sea Squirts and it does have the two openings. Maybe someone knows for sure.....bump

[Travis L. Stevens]

Finally, a good picture. That's a tunicate! You had me stumped for a while.

[cynder]

Thank you, yeah we had to fiddle with the camera to get a better pic.

[Holygrail45]

tunicate seems like a good diagnosis