ID please

[cook77]

Can someone please ID what this is? It keeps opening and closing. (This with the spikes)

 

[morpheas]

No idea! Maybe someone from the #reefsquad can help. ttt!

 

[Shep]

I have no idea

 

[melypr1985]

weird..... No clue

 

[Shep]

@Lionfish Lair and @twilliard are pretty good at IDing critters

 

[Lionfish Lair]

It's a tunicate, like a Halocynthia igaboja.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Can someone please ID what this is? It keeps opening and closing. (This with the spikes)

get it out of the tank!!!
and send it to me!!!! I LOVE SPINY OYSTERS!!!!!

the last half dozen Ive found were bigger than baseballs one was bigger than a softball!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's a tunicate. A Halocynthia igaboja.

really?


is it hard? or soft?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Here's a couple of good images of one.

http://naturediver.com/gallery/index.php/Chordata/Bristly-Tunicate-Halocynthia-igaboja

http://images.marinespecies.org/resized/116658_halocynthia-igaboja.jpg

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Here's a couple of good image of one.

http://naturediver.com/gallery/index.php/Chordata/Bristly-Tunicate-Halocynthia-igaboja

http://images.marinespecies.org/resized/116658_halocynthia-igaboja.jpg

dang. still looking I guess. yea I googled right as you answered.
the op's look a LOT like the two empty shells on a rock I have. flat bald top w no or very short spines. I didnt see a tunicate "mouth"

well if he pokes it it should shrink like a squirt, or poke him like a spine

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I've seen these and the siphons aren't always evident on this type.

Not saying I can't be wrong, of course.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I've seen these and the siphons aren't always evident on this type.

Not saying I can't be wrong, of course.

You usually arent.
Wait, when have you been?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

double post

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Ahahaha! You are too kind. It could be this very time! Cook, can you give it a poke? If it reacts, I'm putting all my money on Bristly Tunicate. *Slides chips across the table and looks at Salty*

 

[cook77]

It's hard and it moves almost every time I touch it. Lol

 

[cook77]

Are they Harmful to my tank?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I don't know about tunicates that are hard, but it reacts to you? Hmmm....

Is it stuck in that one place?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

When you touch the spikes, are the pliable at all or rigid like calcium?

 

[cook77]

Yeah it's stuck in one place. Yeah they are kinda rigid. It's on a piece of dead coral that came with my live rock.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ahahaha! You are too kind. It could be this very time! Cook, can you give it a poke? If it reacts, I'm putting all my money on Bristly Tunicate. *Slides chips across the table and looks at Salty*

When you touch the spikes, are the pliable at all or rigid like calcium?

Yeah it's stuck in one place. Yeah they are kinda rigid. It's on a piece of dead coral that came with my live rock.