Hitchhiker ID

[Chriscz]

Can anyone identify what this is?
Came as a hitchhiker on some rock from TBS (Tampa Bat Saltwater). red in color, soft. May have some purple sponge on it, in bottom photo, just above the snail. Also snail was able to move across it no prob.

 

[Chriscz]

Maybe a tunicate/sea squirt?

RED TUNICATE, Polyandrocarpa maxima

 

[Chriscz]

If it is a tunicate, any advice on what to do with it. From what I have read they are difficult to care for.
It’s a new tank, so another challenge.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@ISpeakForTheSeas

 

[Chriscz]

I’m reposting this question in this forum.
Anyone know what this hitchhiker is. It can with some live rock from Tampa bay saltwater.
My best guess is red tunicate, Polyandrocarpa maxima, but that’s just from a quick web search.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

If it is a tunicate, any advice on what to do with it. From what I have read they are difficult to care for.
It’s a new tank, so another challenge.

@ISpeakForTheSeas

Polyandrocarpa maxima is a solid guess (and with some sponge on it too).

I don't think I have any species-specific advice for this one at the moment, but for some general tunicate care advice:

If you want to try and help the tunicates do well, offering some phytoplankton would probably be wise. Isochrysis and Rhodomonas or a blend containing at least one of these would be my first choice. For a more intensive diet that would likely show better results, see "Table 3" in the link below:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7347631/

 

[Chriscz]

If it is a tunicate, any advice on what to do with it. From what I have read they are difficult to care for.
It’s a new tank, so another challenge.

@ISpeakForTheSeas

Polyandrocarpa maxima is a solid guess (and with some sponge on it too).

I don't think I have any species-specific advice for this one at the moment, but for some general tunicate care advice:

If you want to try and help the tunicates do well, offering some phytoplankton would probably be wise. Isochrysis and Rhodomonas or a blend containing at least one of these would be my first choice. For a more intensive diet that would likely show better results, see "Table 3" in the link below:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7347631/

Thanks @ISpeakForTheSeas!
Great information and I have been attempting to provide some phytoplankton from AlgaeBarn directly to the tunicate. Hopefully it will keep it happy.
I will also check into getting some more complex phytoplankton options to try out. I work with many shellfish growers here in the Pacific Northwest and know folks at their hatcheries where they produce their own phytoplankton blends to feed oyster, mussel, and geoduck larvae.
Thanks for highlighting the relevant table in the referenced journal article. I always chuckle at how scientific articles are written such that they make simple conclusions sound very complex. Basically, feeding a nutritious diet at medium concentrations is best. Low feed leads to low growth and possible starvation. High feed leads to fast growth but causes excess waste, which can create additional problems including mortality, especially in closed systems.

Probably the best sentence in the article is “the basic principles of filter-feeding are well-known and they have been confirmed here”.

Kidding aside, there is a ton of great information in the article for successfully culturing ascidians. Thanks again