Boomerblaster Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 Hey everyone! I finally got it! My first TBS shipment of the package.... and i got AMAZING rock, the shape is better than i have ever seen... NOW... I got one rock, with a really big blue sponge on it. I did my best to get it in the tank asap ... but i know people say that they cannot be exposed to air at all. SO... should i remove it now, and avoid the problems with amonia.. or should i let it be and see what happens? It looks alright but the ends of it look like they are deteorating (for lack of a better word), but overall it looks fine... so what to do?/ Thanks everyone, i just cannot mess up, since i have so much $$$ invested in the rock! Thanks so much for the help! -JOnathan Link to comment
xxaquanutxx Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 I WOULD SAY PUT A RUBBER MAID CONTAINER IN THE TANK AND THEN PUT THE SPONGE IN IT AND LIFT IT OUT AND KEEP IT IN A QT TANK FOR A FEW DAYS UNTILL YOU ARE SURE THAT IS NOT DEAD. Link to comment
Boomerblaster Posted February 29, 2004 Author Share Posted February 29, 2004 But, i dont have my quarantine tank yet!! Ahh.. i dont know what to do please, anyone else have opinions!!?? Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 Just wait it out and see what happens. I understand that typically the sponges are the first to go but several people report success keeping them. Keep an eye on Ammonia and if it spikes harder than you like (or if it's obviously dying) then scrub it off. Link to comment
akula Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 the only sponge that is surviving on my 3 week old TBS rock is a yellow ball sponge, and it is very healthy. all the other sponges turned white withen the first week of the cycle and died. amazingly, the pods ate up the sponges overnight as they died, so I dont think it was a proble leaving them in. I had two dark blue sponges, refered to by others as chicken liver sponges that initially survived buy have since disappeared buy I didnt see them turn white, so maybe something ate them. Link to comment
snookface1 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 I have two blue sponges that make it though the cycle. They didn't seen to be harmed by the ammonia spike. I just left them alone. Link to comment
mogurnda Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 It really depends on the sponge. I got the package about 2 years ago, and some of the encrusting sponges did well right off. A lot of the others took months to die off, like the bright blue and a very large dark grey colony. They just slowly shrank away. I think the prolonged die off is one reason my NO3 stayed high for about 6 months. Since then, a lot of sponges have been recolonizing new spots, usually in dark areas. Whatever the grey stuff is, it is starting to thrive in one cave. The calcareous sponges also seem to like the tank a lot. Maybe the best advice I could give is to watch them and remove them if they start to shrink. According to what I've read, the death from air exposure can take months in some cases. Another thing I learned was to remove the any keyhole limpet hitchhikers if you like your sponges. They are good herbivores, but eat sponges like candy. Link to comment
movingshadow Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 depends if its a filtering sponge or only zooxanthellar. the small connectiong tubes in a filtering sponge will trap air and not allow water to go through = sponge dies (careful!!! sponges can release trapped toxins and antibiotic matter when decaying!!!) sort of the same thing happens when you put these sponges in too much light. algae clogs the siphons and they croak... best bet is to put the sponge in a cave or other shady spot until you're sure it's dying or bleaching out. if it's a chickenliver or similar kind it may well survive... hth Link to comment
Withers Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 if i'm correct in assuming that your tank is just about to start cycling, then why would a sponge dieing off be a problem, ammonia spikes are good during a cycle thats what is supposed to happen. i vote for leaving it be. Jason Link to comment
mogurnda Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 >ammonia spikes are good during a cycle With the TBS rock, you don't get much of a cycle, and people try to keep ammonia low so that the life on it doesn't die. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.