Squirts??

FL Knifemaker

FL Knifemaker

Arming the Free World
Oct 20, 2004
254
0
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Central FL
Danger Doll mentioned squirts in a thread in Chit Chat area. I figured I'd post my pics here for the sake of discussion. Some of the local reefers here call them sponges, others call them squirts. For all I know they might even be several very different things. What they have in common is is kind of soft mass with small tube shaped openings. The ones I have are different colors. Black, brown, purple, white, yellow, red and bright orange. All came on my local LR. Some died off, others are growing and slowly spreading. These shots are from in my Nano, now set up for about 7 weeks.

squirt1.jpg squirt2.jpg squirt3.jpg squirt4.jpg
 
My aquarium photography isn't improving. I need a digital SLR with more flash power and manual focus. I've convinced myself that spending a bunch of money on cameral equipment will automatically improve my skills :D I'll try for some better pics.

As far as the squirts/sponges I really don't know anything about them. Some of the reefers around here call them both. What confuses me is that they can start out looking like the one in the second picture, then more mass grows around them and they start looking more like a sponge! :confused: Some start out almost clear, then they turn colors. Lastly, NONE of them look anything like the sponges we sometimes bring up while grouper fishing. The kind they sell at Bed and Bath stores for big bucks!!
 
Sea squirts (aka ascidians or tunicates) and sponges are about as different as one can get biologically. Tunicates are actually quite closely related to us, while sponges are about as simple a life form as there is. Kind of amazing that they look so much alike, huh?

The simplest tunicates are easy to tell, they have two and only two openings, one intake and one exit. The colonial tunicates are tougher, often having a collection of small openings surrounding a larger one. Sponges generally have a large number of tiny holes for water intake, and one or a few large ones where water leaves.

Just as a guess, I'd say the first 3 are sponges (#1 definitely, it's an orange encrusting sponge), and #4 is probably a tunicate. I'll try to hunt around a little more for better IDs.
 
Thanks for the ID and info Dave. The white one and the orange one in picture 3 has two holes, one at each end. They are about 2" long, the hole is about 3/16" in diameter. When they first started to grow they were almost clear and looked like what most people call a squirt. Then one turned white the other turned orange! The orange ones in the other pics are are different and as you mentioned, having multiple holes, most being raised up.
 
I agree with Dave's I'd 100% . The "squirt" #4 is commonly refered to as a colonial strawberry tunicate in my part of the world. They and the sponges will both reproduce in your tank. If you like the sponge just take a little trimming and move it somewhere sort of shady and it will grow . These both don't have any symbiotic algae and live on disolved nutrients and bacteria from the water. The tunicate is supper cool sometimes ,"if you are fakeing seasons anyway", they will all lay eggs and sperm,"bisexual" the larvae look like little tadpoles. After a few days they will attach to a hard surface head first and grow first into an individual and then into a colony. They do it in my tank despite impeller blades it's really awsome ! They are the predecessor to all invertabrate light they are the ,"lowest", order to develop a notocord in their larval stage that's the precurser to our spines. Also their blood is based on Iron like ours not copper like most other inverts.
 
So I get home and pull out my best field guide (Humann and Deloach's "Reef Creatures") and was prepared to sound all smart by giving pointers on distinguishing sponges from squirts, but half the tunicates in the book just look like sponges to me.

The solitary ones all look like vases with two openings, so they're pretty easy (I'll shoot a few on my rock when my wife brings the camera back into the country).

The colonial ones often have a ton of little holes, just like sponges. Soem are easier to figure than others.

If you want to try identifying some of those guys, you might pick up a copy of Humann and Deloach (they also have great volumes for Caribbean/gulf corals and fish). If you have a dive shop nearby, they may have a copy you can browse through.
 
ugh.... I wish I could get a good pic of mine, they are just in too awkward of a spot. The are kinda yellowish and it looks like a colony of little volvano shaped things but with soft tissue. When I shine the flashjlight on them to get a good look, they sort of shrink.... it's so hard to explain..... I guess I can try to get a good pic, but you guys already know how well that might work ;)
 
If they retract in response to light, I think they have to be tunicates. As far as I know, sponges can't detect light. I guess they could be clam siphons or something.
 
the definitely have no shell though and they are placed under an overhang of some of the LR so I'm thinking tunicates too.... it's kinda hard to explain..... I'm gonna have to do what I can to get pictures..... you guys will just need to be a little easy on me cuz I am horrible at taking them :D
 
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