Oddity

Decay

Blue Ring
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Oct 19, 2008
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ive noticed a few things growing in my tank and wasnt sure exactly what they were so i avoided cleaning it until i knew they weren't eggs of something. as they have gotten larger they just seem to be simple filter feeding tube thingymajiggys whos name escapes me. but i thought id post a picture anyway because ive never seen one like it.

they are mostly clear but seem to have a small concentration of organs or something in them, which is what initially made me think something may have deposited them as eggs, though i no longer believe thats the case. does anyone know a species name or anything for them? ive been avoiding cleaning them off the side until i know for sure, which of course means massive algae build up.
 

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Tunicate would be my guess too but I am not well versed. The shape is similar to the ones I get on LR but mine have all been opaque and not fully visible. The ones I have now are a nice red but I have had plain brown and I know they come in a variety of colors.
 
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It looks very much like a tunicate to me too. I think they are relatively harmless. Unlike anemones they are not going to spread all over your tank if you break them up while cleaning, so you should be able to scoop it out without worry. They are quite interesting animals though, so unless its bothering you I would be tempted to leave it there. They have very cool light-sensing organs around the opening of their siphons I think, and are one of the closest relatives to vertebrates (desperately trying to remember Invert Biology here...)

I am sure someone will be able to give you more definite information.
 
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OB, Did you mean brachiostoma

The Annotated Amphioxus

chorus:

It's a long way from amphioxus
It's a long way to us…
It's a long way from amphioxus
To the meanest human cuss.
It's good-bye, fins and gill slits,
Hello, lungs and hair!
It's a long, long way from amphioxus,
But we all came from there!

A fish-like thing appeared among the annelids one day;
It hadn't any parapods or setae to display.
It hadn't any eyes or jaws, or ventral nervous chord,
But it had a lot of gill slits and it had a notochord.

(chorus)

It wasn't much to look at, and it scarce knew how to swim.
And Nereis was very sure it hadn't come from him.
The molluscs wouldn't own it, and the arthropods got sore,
So the poor thing had to burrow in the sand along the shore.

He burrowed in the sand before a crab could nip his tail.
He said "Gill slits and myotomes are all to no avail.
I've grown some metapleural folds, and sport an oral hood.
And all these fine new characters don't do me any good!"

(chorus)

He sulked a while down in the sand without a bit of pep.
Then he stiffened up his notochord and said "I'll beat 'em yet!
Let 'em laugh and show their ignorance; I don't mind their jeers!
Just wait until they see me in a hundred million years!"

"My notochord shall turn into a chain of vertebrae;
As fins, my metapleural folds will agitate the sea.
My tiny dorsal nervous chord shall be a mighty brain
And the vertebrates will dominate the animal domain!"
(chorus)
 
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It looks like a sea vase (only not the pale greeny colour we get up here). Can you tell if it has 1 or 2 siphons? 2 = tunicate, 1 could = sponge.

p.s. Great song :smile:
 
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Tunicate

From CONSCIOUSNESS EXPLAINED, by Daniel Dennett, p. 177 “The juvenile sea squirt wanders through the sea searching for a suitable rock or hunk of coral to cling to and make its home for life. For this task, it has a rudimentary nervous system. When it finds its spot and takes root, it doesn’t need its brain anymore so it eats it! (It’s rather like getting tenure.)”

Good quote although it doens't really eat it's brain.
 
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thanks for the info everyone. that is extremely interesting about them metabolizing their brains (or whatever they do). with that in mind i finally cleaned my tank and its looking fantastic. it completely revitalised my interest in the aquarium hobby :smile:. i even bought some coral and fish for my feeder tank (all crustacean friendly). many many thanks.
 
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