Sponge Question

TAZ · #1 12-23-2003, 06:06 PM

Merry Christmas all,

We were in J&L on the weekend and they had these really vibrant blue sponges (sorry but I forget the name of it), My wife loved the color so we picked one up. Unfortunately, now that it is at home it has lost most of it's color and I am not sure why. I have it in a high flow area of the tank, somewhat shaded from the direct light. On top of the problem with this coral, the day after I added the sponge I woke up to a very cloudy tank. I am running carbon right now to try and clear it up, but it is talking a long time. I did a round of chemical tests this morning, and everything looked good. I am just wondering if the cloudy tank has anything to do with the health of this sponge? I have been searching the internet for info on sponges, but am not finding a ton of information. I plan on doing a 20% water change in the next couple days (mixing water tonight), but am worried that the sponge is hurting the tank. Has anyone else had any similar experiences with sponges? Any feedback would be really appreciated.

Thanks
Martin

Samw · #2 12-23-2003, 06:15 PM

If it is turning white, chances are that it has died. I'm no expert on sponges but I have had 2 blue ones. The first one turned completely white in less than a month (I threw it out) and the 2nd one is shrinking (but not turning white) and is still alive (after several months). I found out that they can kill acro millepora as the part of my millepora that was touching the blue sponge has died.

Hopefully, you didn't expose it to air as I heard that this would kill the sponge as well.

Namscam · #3 12-23-2003, 06:54 PM

did you expose the sponge to air while accimilating them...because once you take them out of the water even for a second they lyse which means the cells explode and they die

TAZ · #4 12-23-2003, 08:24 PM

Unfortunately, I did expose the sponge to air. At the time I did not think anything of it as the guys at J&L did this when they bagged the coral up. It was only after I started doing research did I discover that they should not get exposed. Is there any chance this coral will come back to life? Or should I cut my losses and get rid of it now? If it is dying, does anyone know if it releases toxins into the water (which might explain the cloudy water).

Namscam · #5 12-23-2003, 08:28 PM

it might still have a chance of recovery because sponges being at the cellular level they are good at recovery....but not too sure about the cells lysing...you could try to put it in a blender and blend it up and put it in a hospital tank of some type it might grow back because just from one cell they can grow back into a colony again but it ll take time.....dont try this unless you are sure that it is dead cuz i dont want to be responsible for telling you to kill you sponge like that...

Samw · #6 12-23-2003, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAZ

Unfortunately, I did expose the sponge to air. At the time I did not think anything of it as the guys at J&L did this when they bagged the coral up. It was only after I started doing research did I discover that they should not get exposed. Is there any chance this coral will come back to life? Or should I cut my losses and get rid of it now? If it is dying, does anyone know if it releases toxins into the water (which might explain the cloudy water).

Hi Taz. Sponges aren't corals. But I'm kind of surprised that they took it out of the water when they bagged it up for you. I think I read that 60% of sponges are toxic. I do believe that my blue sponge is toxic as it killed part of my millepora (just the part that was touching the sponge). I don't know how big your tank is but if its fairly big and you have carbon running, it might be OK to leave it in there.

Aquattro · #7 12-23-2003, 09:07 PM

I keep hearing this air thing, but all my sponges have been exposed to air and they're all still fine. Go figure...

TAZ · #8 12-23-2003, 09:07 PM

Thanks for the feedback. For now I am going to leave it in the tank and see if it comes back at all. In terms of placement, what would the best place be. Do they like a lot of light or do they prefer lower light levels? Right now I currently have it placed in a high flow area at the back of the tank, but up high. It is partially shielded from my 250W MH, as it falls in the shadow of my centre brace of the tank.

Chad · #9 12-23-2003, 09:09 PM

[quote="TAZ"]Unfortunately, I did expose the sponge to air. At the time I did not think anything of it as the guys at J&L did this when they bagged the coral up. [\quote]

I would talk to J&L, perhaps they will compensate you, since they exposed it as well. Also, a good mantra is to always research before you buy anything

Something to keep in mind for the next time you feel that impulsive buy coming on.

Hope it works out for you.

Aquattro · #10 12-23-2003, 09:18 PM

Chad, it's likely that J&L knew this species wasn't affected by air. As I've said, my 4 sponges have all been exposed several times over 3 years and are doing fine. So air is not bad for all sponges.