What Eats Sponges?

[PinkDamsel]

I've got these milky-white sponges all over the tank, and lately w. increased feeding they're getting to be a plague. They're not attractive at all, look like pimples of puss all over.

 

How can I get rid of them?

Edited September 15, 2011 by PinkDamsel

[Alkamist]

i think some angel fish will eat them but they may eat your coral as well, it could be a hit or miss if you get one.

[PinkDamsel]

i think some angel fish will eat them but they may eat your coral as well, it could be a hit or miss if you get one.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I should have mentioned my pico is only 3 gallons, so an angel wouldn't be a good fit.

[ry05coupe]

You can pull out the ones that are obvious and you hate looking at, but I'd leave them in there. They are pretty decent filter feeders, and obviously they have something to consume in the tank if they're growing so well..

[PinkDamsel]

You can pull out the ones that are obvious and you hate looking at, but I'd leave them in there. They are pretty decent filter feeders, and obviously they have something to consume in the tank if they're growing so well..

But they're so ugly!

 

So maybe I need to aquire a prettier filter feeder, like a fanworm or something?

[Alkamist]

the fan worm may help, idk i would give it a try and see. but pulling out the ones you dont like sounds pretty good also.

[PinkDamsel]

the fan worm may help, idk i would give it a try and see. but pulling out the ones you dont like sounds pretty good also.

Wish it were so easy, they're in hard-to-reach places, that's why I wanted a predator. Even though not accessible, they're still very VISIBLE - ick!

[Dani3d]

Lower your nutriment and they will disapear in no time. After your system mature and is stable, they will disapear. I have all sort of sponges growing in my tank but those small white pinaple sponges disapeared quite fast.

[PinkDamsel]

Lower your nutriment and they will disapear in no time. After your system mature and is stable, they will disapear. I have all sort of sponges growing in my tank but those small white pinaple sponges disapeared quite fast.

Dani, how do you keep nutrients low enough for sponges to disappear and still get coral growth?

 

No question, this is in response to increased nutrients. I used to feed once a week followed by major WC, but few of the corals were growing (tank is just over a year old). So in recent weeks I've been doing additional feedings & trying different foods, monitoring nitrates & phosphates, which don't get above 10 and 0.15 before getting reset thru WC (before, my nitrates were ALWAYS 0; I think the anthelias really appreciates having some).

 

Many corals are responding and starting to grow.

So are algae, digitate hydroids & ugly sponges.

 

Thus far I've been managing the algae by nipping it in the bud: plucking, lots of snails, spot treatments w. peroxide. The Horrid Hydroids get zapped w. ESP messages to die, Die, DIE!!!! Sometimes I pull on them but it's like pulling chewing gum, they just streeeeettttttcccchhhh out.

[kgoldy]

Small syringe with the hottest RO water you can manage... Like the syringe that comes with Aiptasia-X. That's my preferred method to get rid of pests.

 

Where is you tank thread, pink?

[PinkDamsel]

Small syringe with the hottest RO water you can manage... Like the syringe that comes with Aiptasia-X. That's my preferred method to get rid of pests.

 

Where is you tank thread, pink?

 

Don't have one. Didn't think anyone would be interested in the struggles of a super-n00b w. a homely little tank when there are so many really gorgeous reefs to admire.

 

Thanks for the hot water idea - I'll try it!

[kgoldy]

Don't have one. Didn't think anyone would be interested in the struggles of a super-n00b w. a homely little tank when there are so many really gorgeous reefs to admire.

 

Thanks for the hot water idea - I'll try it!

 

 

I appreciate the picos! Start a thread plz.

[adinsxq]

just siphon them out.

[Builder Anthony]

Im not 100 percent positive but i think my emerald crab ate a white sponge i had.It cleans off my yellow ball sponge and doesnt bother any other sponges i have which is like 5 other colored ones.But he was hanging out there and i dont know what else would have ate it and it was growing.

[brandon429]

esp messages die die die makes me lol!! I like the hot water injection idea during a tank drain. you could microwave some water just before the tank drain and use a little syringe to shoot em down good idy.

[Formula462]

I know someone who acquired a bunch of really pretty, fairly large blue sponge that had some slime algae growing around the rock they were attached to. He held them in front of a Vortech to blow the gunk off of them. Turns out the tiny needle like fibers that sponges are composed of are quite damaging to the gills of most fish. He had fish with bloody lips and gill slits swimming around for weeks until they healed. That is something you will only do once.

[wombat]

just siphon them out.

 

What Adin said.

 

Do they look like this?

http://www.marlin.ac.uk/imgs/o_syccil.jpg

If so, these are Sycon sp. sponges.

 

I've found they are only able to grow where grazers can't get to. Constant licking of rocks will prevent a lot of things from growing even if snails don't outright eat them.

[PinkDamsel]

What Adin said.

 

Do they look like this?

http://www.marlin.ac.uk/imgs/o_syccil.jpg

If so, these are Sycon sp. sponges.

 

I've found they are only able to grow where grazers can't get to. Constant licking of rocks will prevent a lot of things from growing even if snails don't outright eat them.

 

If I could REACH them I could siphon or squirt/inject hot water, but the problem is they're in places I can't reach without taking everything - including the main rock - out. Snails can easily get to them, and I have an abundance just now (100+ dwarf certihs in a 3-gallon, thanks to the generosity of ReefCleaners, lol). They don't seem to be preventing the sponges. Maybe I don't have the right kind of grazers to stop the sponges? I have nerites, Florida ceriths, Dwarf ceriths, trochus, nassarius vibex.

 

In this picture you can see some white blobs in the lower left of the rock. They're much more abundant now, in all the underhangs & rock tunnel.

 

http://picturehosting.com/images/katmajid/fts9911.jpg

[Seadragon]

On 9/16/2011 at 1:38 AM, Builder Anthony said:

Im not 100 percent positive but i think my emerald crab ate a white sponge i had.

 

I just witnessed my Ruby Emerald Crab (Ruby) eating a Pineapple Sponge with ease while having a stare-off contest with my Porcelain Anemone Crab (nicknamed Alpha crab, long story..) as it munches down on the sponge.  Pretty cool because my reef tank has a ton of Pineapple Sponges all over the place.  I did notice before that my Tailspot Blenny bites and spits out Pineapple Sponges whenever there are some in his favorite resting holes, but I've never seen Blenny eat any of the sponges yet.  Perhaps they can tag team in the future.

[mcarroll]

On 9/14/2011 at 9:13 PM, PinkDamsel said:

I've got these milky-white sponges all over the tank, and lately w. increased feeding they're getting to be a plague. They're not attractive at all, look like pimples of puss all over.

 

How can I get rid of them?

They are healthy for your system and a sign to you that you're on the right track.

 

Maybe grow more corals so you can't see the soinges instead of trying to get rid of them?

 

Or just see them with a different eye....they are beautiful in their own right.

 

Whatever you decide, don't break what doesn't need fixing!!  😉