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Encrusting sponge? Light - low, medium?


non-photosynt

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non-photosynt

On the first photo things are contracted - just from the LFS, left bottom - red sea squirt, center - red with white spots - may be encrusting sponge, right - hard to say, like milky-green radially striped mushroom, all on one piece of rock.

 

On the other photo - pinky fingernail sized pink mass with holes, no other growth on the rock.

 

And without photo (hard to reach area) - fingernail-sized lilac fuzzy mass, looks like pink above, but fuzzy. Growth inside dead montipora (?vase-shaped, inside) skeleton, together with Q-tip sponge of the red color with white tentacles.

 

What grows with what - hopefully can give a clue to the light or flow requirements.

Where in the tank should I put them - high light, low light? Same to the flow. Any specific care, other than they are filter feeders?

Thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pink is bleaching, had to add rock for a shade over it.

Fuzzy lilac sponge is here.

Strange, that 3 sponges have different requirements for a light - fuzzy lilac at the left is most exposed, yellow is in total sahde, and pink (right down corner) in between is bleaching.

Red with white sponge is already dead or reduced to minimum - light or hermits, who knows.

BTW, red Q-tip sponges also desappeared - in the shade. May be flow (low by reef standards)?

 

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Sponges tend to do better under lots of flow for one main reason. They are Filter feeders. The more flow they get, the more food they get. But dont think they HAVE to be under high flow. They will feed with med or low flow as well.

 

As for lighting, its a crap shoot. From experience, I will tell you that my large tank is always growing new sponge(s). I have White, Green, Pink and Yellow, with pink being the predominant color. Some grow under rocks, on top of rocks, mid-lower level of the tank, under PC's and even under MH. Depth plays a key as does bulb Kelvin rating.

 

My recommendation; let them grow on thier own and where they want to. In time, they will spread to areas of your tank under suitable conditions for themselves. I know i've been very general here, but that's the way sponges are. :)

 

Tang

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A lot of them is dying, may be something is wrong. This is why I'm asking. Diificult to find - easy to kill. In the same tank corals are doing fine, feather dusters too.

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The Propagator

although common and filter feeders, most colored sponges ( save for the white and dull yellow ball) actualy require excellent water parameters.

 

 

I think I see red slime algae behind the blue sponge so I am guessing your phosphates and nitrates arent under controll yet.

Thats probably why they are dying on you.

 

Is your tank fairly new? Or is/are the rock/rocks they are on rock fresh?

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if you let them touch the air you may have done some irreversible structural damage to them. i'd let what dies off die off, skim the tank well in the meantime, and see what grows back on its own.

 

ive seen many people try to buy and maintain sponges but the best bet is to keep your tank free of sponge eaters and let what grows on the rock go.

 

GL

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Fresh rock, each sponge/or colonial turnicate (who knows?) is on own big piece.

On the good side, the pink thing has another colony, under the same rock - it's alive and well. Moved them to a darker tank.

Red with white dots was eaten by hermits, probably - they spend a lot of time on it.

Fuzzy lilac is OK exposed to the light and some flow, grey too - but in lower light.

Pity about red Q-tip sponges, but either light, either hermits and mintraxes got them. :( Another colonial turnicates were killed by the hammer coral.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, trying to get some knowledge about encrusting sponges and colonial turnicates care and ID, not just go by the trial and error. Web search helps not much.

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