anyone seen this before?

[sunkool]

anyone seen this before?
I have a green / red encrusting algae looking stuff growing on a rock. It's hard like coraline algae.

 

[bluerug]

I have seen this stuff on Buna Live Rock before. My favorite rock by the way.

 

[reefrubble]

I never seen that before . Frag it , and sell it on Ebay . Ted

 

[cschweitzer]

Probably a sponge

 

[bluerug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10414403#post10414403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cschweitzer
Probably a sponge

Not if its hard like coraline.

 

[cschweitzer]

Encrusting sponges are pretty hard. Is it smooth and does it almost feel leathery. I stick with my original answer.

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

i agree with craig. pretty cool looking though.

 

[waterfaller1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10414403#post10414403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cschweitzer
Probably a sponge

Agreed, I have almost the exact same...sponge.

 

[bluerug]

Well i dont believe its a sponge for they are soft to the touch, hence the name sponge. He said its hard so that would leave a sponge out of the question.

 

[waterfaller1]

sponge (spŭnj)
n.
Any of numerous aquatic, chiefly marine invertebrate animals of the phylum Porifera, characteristically having a porous skeleton composed of fibrous material or siliceous or calcareous spicules and often forming irregularly shaped colonies attached to an underwater surface.


Hmm..does'nt say anything about being soft, in fact it says calcareous.

cal·car·e·ous (kăl-kâr'ē-əs)
adj.
Composed of, containing, or characteristic of calcium carbonate, calcium, or limestone; chalky.

 

[bluerug]

Its in phylum porifera, which means porous and should not be hard.

 

[InLimbo87]

Pourous:

1 a : possessing or full of pores
b : containing vessels <hardwood is porous>

2 a : permeable to fluids
b : permeable to outside influences

3 : capable of being penetrated <porous national boundaries>

I don't see "soft" or "hard" in the definition of porous. I would agree that it looks like a sponge, and although the common thought of a sponge is that which you clean the kitchen with, it can not be applied universally to the organisms known as sponges.

 

[bluerug]

Most sponges in the home are now synthetic which are not sponges as we know. I still dont think it is a sponge b/c i have never heard of a sponge being as hard as coraline. Do you know how hard it is to scrap coraline off of the glass? Sponges come off easily. Thus leading me to believe that it is not a sponge if it is as hard as coraline.

 

[InLimbo87]

I wasn't trying to say that sponges in the home were actually made out of sponges. Merely that you seem to be comparing all aquatic sponges to that sort of structure. Which is not true. If you read Carole's reply in which she posted the definition of a sponge, it details that there are several different levels of hardness that a sponge can take on.

Honestly, I'm no marine biologist, but you are just relying on the preconceived notion that all sponges are soft to base your argument.

 

[Aquaman]

someone take a slice of it off and take it to Sea in the City, they have a wicked cool microscope that will answer this question without all this postering.

 

[chrisstie]

Ever bathe with a luffa sponge? That's not soft >< granted its a plant ...

but hey who'd have thunk coralline would be algae.. One could say all algae is gross and slimey but hey there are some that're calcerous.. same idea.

 

[cschweitzer]

I should just ake pictures of the hundreds of sponges and squirts. There are all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. Trust me when I say that that is a sponge.

Blue, since you are the only one to disagree, what is it? You're sure it's not a sponge, but haven't given an idea of what it might be...I'd like to know what you think.

 

[cschweitzer]

Also, although sponges are now synthetic, the original spnges were made from the animal in the ocean, the sponge. When sponge contacts air, it begins to die and when it dies, it releases something to have it start almost unravelling and becoming what you would think of as a sponge(look and feel is almost exact to that of the synthetic sponge.

Anyone that has sponges growing in their tank, if you ever have a serious mess, just take one out and let it sit for a while. You'll have a makeshift house sponge in no time.