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FAQs about Sea Squirts 2
Related Articles: Sea
Squirts/Tunicates/Ascidians,
Related FAQs: Ascidians 1,
Ascidian ID, Ascidian Behavior,
Ascidian Compatibility, Ascidian
Selection, Ascidian Systems,
Ascidian Feeding, Ascidian Disease,
Ascidian Reproduction, |
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Polycarpa aurata 6/5/06
Hi Crew
My
tank is 100 gallon with 80 gallon refugium 1.5 years old. The parameters
are all ok
I just acquired 7 Polycarpa aurata
<Neat animals>
and I put it in my refugium full of kelp (the brown one)
<More, much
more than one...>
and the light is not intense. Everyday I shake the
kelp so the detritus fall on them and pour the Nanochloropsis. I heard
people says it is very difficult to maintain in aquaria. So my question
is how long the life span of this species actually?.
<In the wild,
years>
I've also read the Steve Tyree's comments about the zonal
required for the tunicate
<Not "the"... there are many species of
ascidians, of highly differing habitats...>
and I think my refugium
is semi cryptic.
<Polycarpa spp. are not cryptic by any measure...>
And also I've consulted Gretchen Lambert about this species and she said
it is not difficult to maintain them so now I'm confused.
So, today
in the morning several of them didn't want to open the excurrent opening
and I saw the mucus around the body, is that a sign that they will die?
Is this species are highly toxic?
<Not necessarily and not as far as
I'm aware>
Thank you for your input and your help
Best regards
Ignatio
<Perhaps a search of literature at a large college
library... Bob Fenner> 
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Coral or Tunicates? 11/9/05
Greetings crew (or Bob, of
course)
<Hello Sam, stuck with Josh I'm afraid.>
Thanks to the
help I've received from you folks over the past several months, I'm
now enjoying watching new critters appear from the recent addition
of live rock into what will eventually be a 125 gallon reef.
<Makes television seem overrated doesn't it!>
I awoke one
morning, and discovered the critter pictured below, and am wondering
if you can help identify it.
<I'll try.>
My best guess is
that it is a hitchhiking bit of Pocillopora (verrucosa perhaps?).
<Hmm...Structure seems too smooth (no fuzzy appearance).>
I
suppose I could just be patient and see what it turns into,
<I
doubt it will change.>
but my patience is currently being spent
on going fishless for 6 months to allow pods to develop.
<Good.
Stocking too quickly reduces much that comes with live rock (I'm
sure it's still torture).>
For what it's worth, this is a group
of three, with the bubbly appendages extended. There are several
other groups of single (polyps?), and I'm discovering more singles
everyday.
<Sounds like tunicates to me.>
<<DEFINITELY
appear to be tunicates to me. Very exciting, this means your system
is doing very well! Of note (explained in further detail in
the book "The Natural Marine Aquarium - Reef Invertebrates",
tunicates are actually members of the Phylum Chordata - chordates
are those with a spinal column (of sorts in a tunicate), Class
Ascidiacea Pretty neat, huh? Check out this site if you're
interested in ascidians
http://ascidiacea.com/.
Also of note: There seems to be a
difference in spelling of this class, I find 'Ascidiacea' as well as
'Ascidiacea'. MH>>
More photos available if it will help.
I don't currently have any with the appendages retracted, but could
endeavor to take some.
Any help you can provide would be greatly
appreciated,
<I hope it has.>
Thanks, Sam
<Welcome. -
Josh> |
Sponge/Asc. identification 9/29/05
Is there any chance you
could identify this splendid sponge for me? At
least I think it
is a sponge--it appears to have siphonophores. The
photo was
taken in the Red Sea
<A nice pic... of an ascidian, sea
squirt... Please see here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ascidians.htm
Bob Fenner> | 
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Tunicates?
Hi Gang,
<Brandon>
In doing my homework before
buying a tunicate, I see that various members of the board have a low
opinion of keeping tunicates. This is understandably so, but I have a
caveat to ask about. What if I am feeding live phytoplankton regularly
to my tank for my small clams and corals? The mix I use has 5 different
live varieties of phytoplankton in it. Would this cause you to change
your mind, or should no one keep them no matter what suspension foods
are fed?
Thanks!
<These ascidians are really neat organisms... and
a blessing to have "just show up" in well-set-up and maintained reef
systems... Most feed on more than small unicellular algae... but...
worth trying to keep individuals, a colony in a well-established,
otherwise un-crowded setting... with a good sized healthy refugium tied
in. Bob Fenner> Dismal survival: Lollipop "coral" Tunicate
3/14/05
Dear WetWebMedia, I've been trying to find information of
blue tunicate:
http://seadwelling.com/v-web/gallery/MarineInvertebrate/bluetunacate080904
. However, I have not found its scientific name or any information of
this species. Do you guys anything about it? Thanks a ton in advance,
Robertino
<commonly ascribed to the genera Oxycorynia or Neptheis,
this tunicate is referred to as the (blue) Lollipop "coral". It has an
absolutely dismal rate of survival in captivity. It escapes me why the
organism is even collected or offered for casual hobby use (versus
collected for scientific use, study or at least species specific home
tanks with focused care). Anthony> Sea squirt hitchhiker on LR
Dear All
<Peter>
Am a new hobbyist here in England. Your pages
are by far the best I've come across. Brilliant, educational and
encouraging stuff.
<Glad we have found each other>
Now the
question - hidden behind a (cultivated?) soft coral I bought recently is
a sea squirt - beautiful and interesting - but should I dispose of it,
due to toxicity etc, before it dies a quick death, as your FAQs imply,
or should I see how it goes?
<I would definitely leave it be...
these ascidians are almost never a problem in just "popping up"... and a
good sign of your good husbandry that they do so>
Would love to keep
it, but not if I risk a disaster.
Yours
Peter Hosier, London
<Bob Fenner>
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