2017-11-27 Poll of the Day - Sponges

[Mark Shelly]

Some people (Europe) won't start a reef tank until sponges are growing. Some like encrusting sponges are pests. Others add color or unique interest to your tank. I recommend you use this poll as an opportunity to learn a little about the mushrooms in the poll.
Here is one sponge photobombing a harlequin shrimp. Feel free to post yours below.

 

[Mark Shelly]

Here is one that may be encrusting. I also have lots of small white sponges and a few jelly bean sized black sponges that I don't know what they are. I remember seeing some at Feng's Reef that had very long tubes and suspect the yellow on the anchor was an encrusting sponge.

 

[Jeremy Brito]

I have a piece of red sponge someone gave me it's small and originally most of it died off but a small section still looks alive and healthy I say this because we're the rest of it turned dark and color and kinda desolved away the part that remain stayed bright red and full.
Regarding the comment about European reefers not adding coral untill they have sponges growing how does one get spontaneous sponge growth in theregards tank when no prior sponges exist

 

[Mark Shelly]

I have a piece of red sponge someone gave me it's small and originally most of it died off but a small section still looks alive and healthy I say this because we're the rest of it turned dark and color and kinda desolved away the part that remain stayed bright red and full.
Regarding the comment about European reefers not adding coral untill they have sponges growing how does one get spontaneous sponge growth in theregards tank when no prior sponges exist

If you expose many sponges to air, it will kill them or make them die back. But often, if there is a little left and conditions are good, it will come back. When salt water tanks were, and perhaps still are, started with rocks from the ocean, sponges and algae would be part of the hitchhikers even when shipped around the world. Frags can contain all sorts of hitch hikers. Many are minute as most reef life starts as small plankton. I have no idea where most of my hitchhikers or sponges came from. I did however win a frag at a raffle with a visible sponge. I wanted it for the sponge, not the frag. I believe some of the man made reef rock is exposed to different controlled aquatic flows to seed them with desirable reef life. Live rock really meant rock that had life on it in the past, not rock that is exposed to ammonia to cycle it to get the bacteria required to remove ammonia, nitrite and nitrates from the water. You could get crabs, worms, starfish and other items. Fish can even hide in rock holes and be transported to other tanks. I believe the reason some get sponges is they seed their tanks with known material. I also believe that some sponges directly remove ammonia from the water which limits nitrate buildup; so if you wanted an SPS tank, you waited to get cleaner water.

 

[Mark_C]

Picked up a sponge when I started.
Told not to expose it to air.
Lived and grew very well.
Big water change mild rock rearrange.
Accidentally exposed about 30% of it to air for 10-15 seconds.
Skeletal within 2 days.
Sponges suck, but when they suck air, its not a happy ending.

 

[diana a]

Never had a sponge. How do you mount them?

 

[Mark Shelly]

Most grow naturally as seeded from frags. The one I got on a frag I left on the frag and it grew and connected to the rocks around. Another I placed in a crevasse on my rocks. Although most prefer decent water flow.

 

[horseplay]

I have a lot on the rocks, the yellow variety. Angelfish are supposed to eat them but I never see one does.

 

[diana a]

I was reading up on them today. The info said not to expose them to air or it would die. I sometimes have fine air bubbles in the tank. Would that cause it to die?

 

[Mark Shelly]

I wouldn't think so as many reefs are highly oxygenated with crashing waves. But then again, all pictures I have seen of them are in deeper water.

 

[diana a]

Thanks Mark! I never looked into them until today. I have always liked the red tree and red ridge sponges. I discovered today the orange lace. I guess the only place to purchase sponges is online. I never see them at ACC or Tropiquarium

 

[Mark Shelly]

ACC has them occasionally. I got the Orange one from them. I got the blue one from Anthony (The Raffle King or something similar. If you stay in the hobby, things keep on showing up that you would never expect. Lastly, I thought some starfish ate sponges, which is part of the reason you didn't put them in tanks less than a year old.

 

[diana a]

Yes there is something new to always discover. I have been reefing since 2001. Before that I had a cichlid tank in the early 1990's