Incredibly Beautiful Tunicates in the Reef Aquarium

Tunicates or Sea Squirts are some of the most interesting organisms I’ve come across in the reef aquarium hobby. They come in an incredibly wide range of colors and shapes. The downside to keeping tunicates is often times they have very specific nutritional requirements that are not well documented. Heck, many of these tunicates are misidentified as sponges, that’s a bad start to understanding their nature. We’ve decided to feed them a combination of different foods and so far, it is working out. I hope these continue to do well in our system because these tunicates look amazing.
Music:
Tracks: “Night Cave”
Artist: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
License Terms:
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...
incompetech.com...
Video:
Camera information:
Canon C100
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro
Canon EF MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro
Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8
Free Fly Movi Pro Stabilizer
Copyright Information:
This video was shot and edited by Tidal Gardens. Tidal Gardens owns all intellectual property rights to this content.

[@InappropriateReefer]

Always have love for the tunicates! I kept those larger orange ones in the past and they did well for a year or so without extra feeding. Would love to pick up something hardy again in the future. Beautiful footage and very informative video, thank you!

[@tidalgardens]

Until I made this video I didn't realize there were so many kinds and how spectacular they could look. It feels like I'm discovering coral for the first time and being blown away by what's out there. I read there are over 2000 different types of tunicates.

[@InappropriateReefer]

Wow, I wasn't expecting 2000 different types. I sense that we may start seeing more tunicates in your systems... maybe even a NPS tank? ;-)

[@iamziano]

Would love to see these in your tank :)

[@speclucid_rmntc]

Inappropriate Reefer where did you get yours?

[@Davelembo]

I picked up a piece of tonga branch that was loaded with Tunicates, ascidians and mini feather dusters. It attracts more attention then any other coral in my tank.

[@tidalgardens]

There are some seriously amazing centerpiece tunicates out there. That "tiger sponge" variety is incredible.

[@bentraeger230]

awesome 😍 +that music in the background was a perfect choice 👍👍👍

[@susie360]

Thank you for such a fascinating film of such incredible beautiful creatures, very humbling.

[@Chris.from.1950]

Wonderful photography! Nicely done! Thanks.

[@ec6362]

I love tunicates - always have. We used to have some in my uni aquarium, i didn't realise how delicate they are!! ❤️❤️ tunicate love ❤️❤️

[@smokymtreefer8480]

Good video sir. I learned something new today and I have u to thank. Can’t wait to see your new wear house finished.

[@jjiron706]

Than, you are the man! Love the informative video. Keep them coming !

[@Mindyourownbizgoog]

Awesome video! Thanks Than! You are the Best!

[@jonhillman871]

i really love your footage and the music. i'm not an aquarium hobbyist but this video was very pleasant.

[@TrashPandaFTW]

Awesome video! Thoroughly enjoyed as always! Your quality is top notch and something that i"ll strive for it the future! Thanks !

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks!

[@abrad3061]

Love your videos,you are always so detailed in your explanations thanks

[@duckslinger999]

Great video as always Than, thank you

[@マンダリンチャンネル]

I really love it mysteriously!

[@hustlecoralvlogs7675]

They look so awesome the orange one reminded me of a snake! Another awesome video Than! Thanks :D Looks lke Im going to have to try some KZ products !

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks Josh. Sponge power is pretty interesting stuff. Some folks here that have used it for longer say it helps out all sorts of things in the tank other than just coral.

[@mvpath7536]

Appreciate every video you put up here. Everything is much informative and so much research. Thank you Than :) oh btw, I have few of these in my tank, as u have mentioned it came as hitchhikers with liverocks. I personally collect all the liverocks from sea.

great work

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks!

[@AlexraptorAquatic]

Quite fascinating! I once had one of the plainer varieties that were hitchhikers and nestled in among a star polyp colony I had bought, although they sadly wasted away after a couple of years.

[@ironman20725]

Great video as always

[@angelf289]

I really like this sponges and when I was more younger I search in internet squirt types and that ruin my childhood ;-;

[@micahwhalen3866]

Absolutely fantastic video! Great information and presentation. Really enjoyed watching!

[@tidalgardens]

Thank you for watching.

[@ArrickthaRed]

Be careful with sponge power it really does work. For whatever reason aiptasia love it too. I had all kind os sponge and feather duster growth and my water was a lot clearer cuz the filter feeders went into overdrive but the 2 tiny aiptasia turned into a dozen big ones quickly.

[@jesusguerrero6961]

What's the red algae/coral at 2:20 behind the fish

[@kingadhireeftank8688]

niceeee super niceeee video and details

[@CLK5090]

Another excellent video. Thank you

[@tidalgardens]

Thank you for watching.

[@Superbl0bby]

Tunicates are my favorite! I have 4 in my reef tank

[@corsair371]

Super, do you have pics?

[@Superbl0bby]

Carlos Seaman omfg, my friend Scott stole my phone and left this comment. I’m terribly sorry but I don’t, in fact, have tunicates in my tank. I only have a freshwater tank

[@myreeflife7072]

beautiful! love the detail of your videos!

[@ChinaBossChinaBoss]

Thank you for sharing!

[@mariharutunian6987]

I got a large all clear colonial tunicate and it started out as one ball and is now about five smaller balls. No idea what it is eating in my tank but it started growing after I started to feed mysis daily. I also have orange and clear single tunicates all over my rocks.

[@clintjohnson7500]

Great information, my guess is phyto as the food source.When I dose phyto, a large amounts of sponges and tunicates survived. Also I do not use a skimmer.

[@kylesuda2429]

Recently discovered two trochus snails with hitchhiking tunicates attached to their shells. A brown/gray variety I am not positive of an id. Possibly Polycarpa. When I first saw one I didn’t have the slightest idea what they could be. Glad to find out these guys aren’t going to be harmful

[@lawiez]

wow beautiful! never even heard of these before

[@tidalgardens]

Yeah, they are not too common and a lot of people don't have much success with them unfortunately.

[@franklinmichael671]

Where can I find info on probiotic filtration methods? Any books? Thanks

[@spsdominant7090]

I use the full Zeovit System. Sponge Power has pretty much replace Zeofood. Sponge Power is also one of the products you do not need to run the full system. It is a nitrate source with a vinegar base like most Zeovit products. As advertised it contains ingredients to feed filter feeders and sponges. My flower pot corals really bounced back after I started dosing Sponge Power. Great video Than!

[@tidalgardens]

I've heard that product helps Goniopora and some SPS like Acropora. It seems so counter intuitive to want to keep low nitrates and then add it right back into the tank.

[@spsdominant7090]

Even dosing nitrates it's hard keeping them off zero running zeovit. One good thing about it, your fish and corals won't go hungry.

[@cablemike01]

I had a beautiful purple and white variety that grew out of my live rock. when I first noticed it it was the size of a quarter and in two years it became the size of a softball. I've always been big on feeding my corals so it had alot to absorb from the water column. phytoplankton, zooplankton, oyster eggs and liquid from frozen food. there was no reef roids or anything like that on the market back then, marinesnow was the best coral food on the market then in 2008-2010

[@tidalgardens]

The oyster eggs might have been really good for them. One of the scientific journals I read showed that one type of tunicate ate eggs like that aggressively.

[@speclucid_rmntc]

What was the one at 7:20

[@TheBobby416]

Thank you for your time.

[@tidalgardens]

Thank you for watching!

[@honey-barrel6905]

I am very interested in any updates you may have on this invert. I recently found a bright orange sea squirt in my tank that I did not know I had. I have been feeding a mix of different foods since I have LPS, SPS, tube anemone and clams in my 29 gallon tank. Was wondering if you had any long term luck with any Particular food.

[@tidalgardens]

Not with that variety unfortunately

[@williamchamberlain2263]

Tunicate larvae are used as an example of why we have brains at all - the larvae move so they need a brain, but when they transition to adult and settle on a surface they don't move, so they don't need a brain to coordinate behaviour and just reabsorbe their brain to avoid wasting energy on it.

[@JLards]

Upon takedown of one of my sps systems, i discovered that i had quite a few of these hitchhikers hiding in my rock-work. Could these be an undiscovered cause of spikes in ammonia/nitrate ect if an unfavourable change in water parameters cause a mass extinction of a colony that the reefer doesnt even know they have?

[@Sedona_FD3S]

Mussels are filter feeders. Can I use this to gauge if I’m ready to invest in filter feeders?

[@roguesnail5713]

Hello I have unrelated questions. I've been looking at your tank supports. How flat does a surface need to be for a tank with the plastic frame? I just bought a brand new Marineland 180 (72x24x24). Built my own stand months ago, it was perfectly flat with a 3/4" premium plywood surface covered with Arborite . Come to find 4 months latter I put the tank on it and I can stick a piece of paper here and there between the tank and the surface... It's not flat anymore... Apparently the expensive plywood was not completely dry... And...They don't recommend foam of any kind between the surfaces with the plastic framed tanks. Is the thickness of a piece of paper bad or will it squish down when I fill it? I 'm thinking to buy a slab of Granite to replace the warped plywood. I'm scared to fill it. Please let me know your thoughts/comments on this matter. Thank You.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

some creatures have adapted to feast and famine routines and both feed and grow in spurts seasonally or throughout the year

[@Stephanbitterwolf]

would it be easier to keep filter feeders if you get rid of the protein skimmer and have a high bioload?

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

i had a hitchiker tunicate that was transparent and shaped like a human heart! about three quarters of an inch tall, i just kept it in a jar with sand and seawater at 55Ffeeding it splashes of greenwater and copepods. lived nearly a year like that til i knocked the jar over moving a bunch of stuff around my basement. never seen another, he was fun.

[@anchor4346]

Have been considering starting up my fish tanks again.. Have been watching both fresh and salt vids to see what has changed. For fresh its just a growth of planted tanks it seems. For salt it has been HUGE changes. Looking to do a couple mini reefs. 10 to 20 gallons. Want to do one that is all of 1 type coral.. I like a challenge and would love to consider tunicates.. Just cause I am well crazy. maybe I can make some discoveries to write about like my old days. Been at it since the 80's and need something to focus on.. what might your opinion be?

[@jasonedwarddoucette]

One idea for why the ultra low nutrient tank did better would be because it's so low nutrient the owner probably does more feedings or at least feeds more to offset the "clean up" of the nutrients in their tank. and so the tunicate would have more food to grab... where as a tank that is not low nutrient, the owner usually restricts the food amount... Just a thought :)

[@DeeFromBrooklyn]

do you have this in a display system or a frag tank? looks very beautiful

[@tidalgardens]

They are in the tank we use for photography. It's a 60 gallon tank so we can keep a closer eye on it.

[@ReefDudes]

That Tiger one is beautiful! In general i have been doing well with filter feeders...however I had a heart shaped tunicate for about 6 months until it solwoly started to parish on me... I was supplementing the tank with phyto but it sadly it still didnt do the trick... but it sounds like it may have not been its primary food choice.

[@tidalgardens]

It's hard to guess what makes them happy and satisfied. Just have to try a mix of things until something works.

[@pookie7194]

fascinating!

[@f0rsakens0uljah]

what kind of fish is that in the beginning?

[@aarohazel]

Wonder if you can feed the tunicates water kefir (probiotic drink)

[@EddiesReefAquaria]

I used to get them at the Miami LFS, but here in Orlando so far I haven been able to see them at the Orlando LFS. When I have purchased them over at Miami I personally liked them, because of the behavior they show. Eddie

[@Vrow66]

I was trying to kill one in my tank last week thinking it was a pest before I found out what it was... I beat the thing up for three days trying to kill it and it still didn’t die and now it’s actually healthy as ever

[@PlantSpam]

Same here. 😂

[@ec6362]

Lol!!

[@ICOOKIE69I]

Do you know any good filter feeding inverts that will filter feed heavily? I'm thinking about maxima clams or tunicates.

[@Entety303]

tridactna clams are the best becase of their size

[@ericj1500]

thanks for sharing friend have a great day brother man

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks!

[@roguesnail5713]

Wow... awesome macro as usual. 1 like from me. My question is : Can you frag them?

[@tidalgardens]

It might be possible to propagate the colonial ones, but the bigger hurdle is getting them to stay alive and grow.

[@HerringZFish]

Filter feeding is something that I have been very interested in for many years. It doesn’t look like you sell any Tunicates. Do you have an update on your NPS and/or filter feeding tanks?

[@tidalgardens]

We won't be selling any of our until I'm comfortable with their care requirements. Right now, it's up in the air. Some are ok, others are iffy.

[@jase123111]

Mine like eating cheese sandwiches and pork pies. Only problem I have with them is when they get out of the tank and stick to the walls... really hard to prise off... and they ate my hamster.

[@TrashPandaFTW]

Hey Than, I was curious if you would be interested in doing a video on cryptic sponge filters, and the other life that occupies them. I am strongly considering one for my build... I know you you do the subject justice.

[@rc2300s2r]

@3:20 there’s a smiling skull. :)

[@jbean530]

What will eat these? I've got millions or thousands, multiplying in my tank, refugium and protein skimmer. Still small but growing.

[@jase123111]

They are nice in a casserole.

[@Atalantum]

I keep a system loaded with many colonies of goniopora, sponges, and some tunicates. Nothing special to the set-up: lots of live rock, 20% weekly water changes, no mechanical filtration, and heavy skimming 24/7. I also run carbon and GFO in reactors. Nitrates hover around 2-5 ppm and phosphate is at .03. The only foods I dose specifically for the corals and filter-feeding inhabitants are KZ sponge power and KZ coral vitalizer. All inhabitants are thriving and I can only attribute that to KZ sponge power and coral vitalizer as those are the only two types of food I dose. Hell if I know what's in them.

[@tidalgardens]

20% weekly water changes is great. I wish I could do that, but that would be 1,000 gallons per week which is extreme even for me.

[@Atalantum]

Agreed. I can get away with it because I only have 130 gallons total volume give or take and the tank is plumbed into a prepared saltwater reservoir doing automatic 4 gallon water changes every day, compared to god knows how many thousands of gallons you have to maintain :). Of course given your situation I would probably do things differently too.

[@hermeticmoon8448]

Can we please get an update

[@420skidrow]

i love the science

[@grooveykans]

you can buy rim pods if youre live in indonesia to feed them

[@BeaChapman]

These weird things are likely the closest living relative of vertebrates. Maybe if I keep some I will finally understand them.

[@cherrelle3231]

Reef-roids answered my prayers for filter feeders

[@Entety303]

I kept salps (free swimming tunicates sometimes in groups) they died in a day D;

[@stefanakosmar]

thats so sad

[@Lyle-xc9pg]

SEA SQUIRTS!!!

[@ibidamolafayemi5439]

The videography in this is insanely good, and your narration started off really strong, but one little gripe I had is when you say things like "who knows" or "it could be anything", technically no, it IS something and it IS knowable haha you just dont necessarily have the means to mimic nature. Im studying for the DAT right now and this was a nice little break to help learn one of the important phyla. If you got a bit more informative with this you would have a nice niche in the KZbin science community

[@haileygreenwood8269]

Ants do not shed their exoskeletons.

[@victorhernandeztriana5311]

the pulsating holes makes me uncomfortable.

[@jackson7962]

Virgin

[@elonmusk959]

Someone copying part of your video, you can report to youtube if you want...this the link : kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKaWp4Bufb-SnNk

[@elCONQUEROR81]

I’m here from Patgeo #patgeo

[@Me-fh2ye]

سبحان الله 🥺

[@FartyMcgooo]

ever heard of anyone propagating non colonial tunicates? ive only seen large individuals such as gold-mouth or royal tunicates available in shops, but these seem like a waste of money with their limited lifespan. it would be a different story if i could have a tank dedicated to tunicates specifically where they would be propagated, but information about them is very limited

[@michaelrhizal3519]

i think the hardest thing about owning a tunicate is teaching it new tricks. Why, i'm not certain. Maybe it's because they don't seem to recognize a reward when they see one. Any pet that doesn't appreciate a dog treat is probably not worth having.

[@emuakpoakpovoka1193]

So creepy! Ewwwww yuck! Those holes opening and closing! Gross!

[@williamchamberlain2263]

Rule 34 ...

[@TheThetruthmaster1]

I know right. Gross! Not in my house!

[@hecate40]

日本人でこの分野やってる人いますか？

[@elCONQUEROR81]

#patgeo

[@sunsetsarah-8401]

Corals aren't Cnidarians, they're Porifera