Algae, sponge... Alien attack orb?

[Ron Reefman]

I'm not getting a lot of help trying to ID this in the Hitchhiker Forum so here is a link to the thread and a couple of pics here. If you have any ideas, I'm open to suggestions.

20180811_142928 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

20180811_143001 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

It's not hard or soft but firm like a small dense sponge. It does not move on it's own but it can attach itself to things. I only set it on the surface you see it on a few days ago and it is quite firmly attached now. I don't see any incurrent or excurrent holes or pores, so I doubt it's a sponge. Although it was found and collected in an area full of sponges and was attached to 2 sponges (one purple and one orange).

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/algae-sponge-something-else.438175/#post-5013784

Any help will be greatly appreciated and thank you for looking

 

[Diesel]

Have you looked on the bottom if it has a mouth?
Looks kinda like a urchin and where you found it with all those sponges as urchins love sponges.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ball sponge I belive.
https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/2150

A wicked cool one too.

 

[mcarroll]

I think sponge based on the adherence...otherwise I might've guessed algae.

CRAZY LOOKING whatever it it. Love this hobby!!

 

[mcarroll]

It does not move on it's own

Wow...I never cease to be amazed...Ron, you may actually be wrong about the movement:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethya
"Members of this genus all have a spherical body form[2] and some are known to be able to move at speeds of between 1 and 4 mm per day.[3]"

 

[Ron Reefman]

Have you looked on the bottom if it has a mouth?
Looks kinda like a urchin and where you found it with all those sponges as urchins love sponges.

Absolutely! I have looked this thing over from top to bottom with a magnifying glass and there is no mouth. But it was worth a try! Thanks.

Ball sponge I belive.
https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/2150
A wicked cool one too.

It is very cool looking. As to being a ball sponge... please see answer to mcarroll below. And thanks.

I think sponge based on the adherence...otherwise I might've guessed algae.
CRAZY LOOKING whatever it it. Love this hobby!!

Wow...I never cease to be amazed...Ron, you may actually be wrong about the movement:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethya
"Members of this genus all have a spherical body form[2] and some are known to be able to move at speeds of between 1 and 4 mm per day.[3]"

I may be wrong, but I'm going to stick to my guns at this point and here's why:
1) I looked at a lot of ball sponges and none of the ones I saw were green. They were all yellow, orange and tan.
2) All the ball sponges I looked at are from cooler waters, not the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico. That's not to say it isn't so, but I looked at a lot and none that I looked at were.
3) All the ball sponges have more numerous spikes and the are a lot shorter than the ones on whatever it is that I have. In fact they were a very lot shorter.
4) Having looked the entire thing with a magnifying glass I see no excurrent hole or holes. Incurrent pores can be really small and in between the 'bumps' on the surface. But most sponges, maybe not all but most, have at least one good size excurrent hole.

I love a good mystery and I love the unusual, I just want to know what it is so I can know if it's sate to put in my DT. It seems to be just fine in my holding tank. BTW, the small rock flower anemone that is kind of under it doesn't seem to mind it being there and the anemone doesn't appear to be hurting this 'thing' either.

I've looked through a big ID book of algae and didn't see anything there either!!!

I appreciate everybody's interest and help. Now I'm starting to wonder what planet it came from?!?!?! ;Facepalm;Droid

 

[mcarroll]

Strike you as maybe an algae-encrusted something?

So strange!!!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Strike you as maybe an algae-encrusted something?

So strange!!!

Yes, yes it does. But in looking around we haven't found any green encrusting algae? But I'm betting that's what it is. Heck, I looked at over 200 green, red and brown Caribbean algae photos in an algae ID book and nothing was even remotely close! I've sent emails to a marine biologist and a zoologist (both at the Bailey Matthews Shell Museum) and I'll follow up with a call on Monday. I'll be happy if I even get a lead to follow! A solid ID will make me a volunteer there until I die!

 

[mfinn]

I've had several things like that in my tanks over the years, but mine were always a plain looking tan/brown.
I assumed it was some type of sponge.

 

[Diesel]

Not to worry, your green ball isn’t the only one.
Spectrum Corals in Miami has a few on display.

Why yours doesn’t have eyes ;Hilarious

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Here’s a green one

http://www.noaa.gov/news/noaa-discovery-of-green-deep-sea-sponge-shows-promise-for-cancer-research

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

http://www.diariodesalud.com.do/tex...nja-verde-podria-servir-curar-cancer-pancreas

 

[Katrina71]

Not to worry, your green ball isn’t the only one.
Spectrum Corals in Miami has a few on display.

Why yours doesn’t have eyes ;Hilarious

His is just sleeping

 

[Diesel]

His is just sleeping

Oh that makes sense

 

[KrisReef]

I hate to say this, but perhaps the hole is only open at night? Try shading it.

 

[Smarkow]

Did you ever get an answer? Do you owe volunteer time? Is it still alive? Are you now a pod person...?

 

[Stanzo13]

I once had something identical but black and with longer tendrils, everything down flow from it was closed... Ripped it off and 2 days later everything was fine