What is this strange thing in my gas tank?

[Mark B]

Tonight I had to remove my sendor unit which is faulty. Pulling it up out of the tank, I found the float hung up on a strange hose. It is about 2" diameter; has a deteriorating black rubber cover; under the cover it appears to be a soggy or spongy orange material which is also deteriorating. From what I can see it is longer than a couple of feet. It appears too big to pull out through the sender whole. The tank is almost empty, and this hose feels very heavy. What the heck is this?

Oh yeah, this is the standard tank in the cab. It may not be original.

thanks
Mark