ID of "growths"

lol ok, ok

 

poke it with a stick

 

There are some images that look somewhat similar here.

SpongeIDFAQs

There are 5000 different kinds/types of sponges and only about 20 here, the hunt begins.

 

cant be 100% certain
the syphon, tubing is throwing me a bit

but some of the growths in images 2 and 3 look like GSP mantle
IMO GSP polyps look to be starting to form on some of them

I may be wrong but I think that when GSP is growing on a rock with bare rock next to it
the mantle is flat

but in parts where its isolated the mantle grows cyclindrical like that for rigidity
( its basically creating a self supporting structure for itself)

But some of them do look like they are the syphon tubes of sponges which are living between the mat and the rock

Steve

 

How bizarre, I just emailed them about an hour ago. We shall see!

Very interesting.

 

ok ok it isnt sponges it it the GSP itself. Mine are doing it. That area has no where to grow so it is branching upwards. Give it time and the polyps will pop out. Dang gotta get a camera.

 

I was wondering the same,as mine has similar growths,but the tunnels make it look like a sponge as well,i was serious about a stick,if you pluck at it,a sponge would likely break away,if it's just the mat,you would be able to tell.

 

I didn't get back yesterday, I did poke, prod and try to pull one off with a tong and you can't which lead me originally to think it was part of the mat growing upward but like everyone else, the shape sort of fooled me.

 

Follow up; Here is what the guru Bob Fenner had to say;
Leon
<Ahh! The one pic sort of looked like some sort of Soft Coral/Alcyoniid,
but the second shows definitively that these are boring (as in mining,
burrowing) sponges. There are quite a few of these... w/ Ascidians making
up about half the biomass of what folks call live rock. Hopefully the two
organisms will co-exist, making for an interesting display, discussion
point. Bob Fenner>

 

well bob Is wrong it is GSP branching upwards. They grow as a flat mat I have some that I cut off and fragged. It is and I know GSP. Cut it off with a razor and attach it to a peice of rubble. Money on GSP, anyone else want in on this lol?