SpgIDF7

FAQs on Sponge Identification 7

Related Articles: Sponges in Marine Aquariums

Sponges? Syconoid 01/02/08 Happy New Year to all of the Crew: <Thank you! And to you and yours! Mich here.> I hope all of you are warm. <Yes, thanks to Mr. Holmes my portable space heater... I'm feeling hot hot hot'¦> We have an inch of snow here in Surrey BC Canada <I can raise that and then some! Big fluffy flakes currently falling on top of the several inches of their friends that are currently covering things here in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The weather outside is frightful'¦> I have these "critters" in my 2 year old 50 gal. <Critter can be good! All got a place in the choir'¦> They might be sponges, <Yes, they are.> but I could not find any pics of these on your site. <They're here, they're there, they're everywhere: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spongeidfaq3.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf5.htm > Hopefully you could identify these and tell me if they are friend or foe. <You've got a friend'¦ harmless filter feeders, Syconoid sponges.> At first I had one and found it interesting. Just before he died, <Oops.> There were about 75 little ones on the glass and a few scattered around the LR. <Can be a sign of excess nutrients in the water, you may want to watch your feedings.> They are now in my 10 gal where I just have live rock and Caulerpa growing. <Careful with the Caulerpa. Don't let it get on any of your LR. You won't be able to get it off easily.> I fill this aquarium with the 2 week old 50 gal water. So they transferred in with the water. <Or came with the LR.> must be 100 of them there. They seem very prolific!! <They're multiplying'¦> I am worried that they will take over. <And I'm losing control? No, they usually they reach a balance on their own, with populations waxing and waning. They are usually self-limiting unless your nutrients are totally out of control.> A siphon hose easily pulls them off however. <Yes, but they are doing a service for you. I would let them grow where is convenient. I have attached 3 pictures. #2 is about half an inch long. Below that is a mass that might be a sponge with 2 siphons. It is about half an inch in diameter and half an inch high. This is along the back wall and I have not seen it before. #3 ,the downward angled one is about 3/4 in. long. #4 is a cluster of the smaller ones, 1/4 inch long, growing on the glass. Should I keep them in check, or let them be? <Speaking words of wisdom'¦ Let it be'¦> Thank you very much. <Welcome very much.> Worried
Dietmar
<No worries Dietmar'¦ be happy'¦ Mich>

Yet Another ID... Yet Another Sponge... 11/17/2007 Good morning crew. <Good morning Chris.> Chris here with another ID question. <Mich here with another ID answer.> I've spent the past two days looking for this critter on your site with no luck. <It's there.> I'm not a computer wiz but I was thinking. What if you had pages with nothing but submitted pictures that you could click on to be taken to the appropriate page. I don't know if that is in the realm of possibilities but it's just an idea. <And a good idea at that! Will discuss with RMF.><<A good idea... but... the real problem... It's just me who places all... seven days a week... and I am currently just able to keep up with what I do... RMF. IF we were more commercial, we COULD hire folks (we do this for free) to greatly improve the sites>> Now on to my question. This guy is some kind of hitchhiker. <Yup.> It lives in my LR. <Yup.> Is not mobile but does have what seems to be a feeding tube that stick out a little farther than it's tentacles <???> and pulls it in when hit with light. <The tentacles that pull in are unrelated... Perhaps something else nearby, like the tiny feather dusters off to the left in the pic.> I've attached a picture to help. <Is a sponge... a Poriferan, identification to the species level usually requires microscopic examination. Is nothing to worry about. This is a harmless filter feeder, though an excessive amount could indicate a nutrient problem. Some similar pictures here: Enjoy!
Mich>

Help With Identification of Something Growing on Rock... A Sponge 11/9/07 Hi, <Hi Carlos, Mich here.> Thanks for the great web site... <On behalf of Bob and the crew, you're welcome!> it has been a great source over the last year with my reef thank. <Glad to hear!> My tank is doing quite well and appears healthy, but I have had this rock with mushrooms on it for about 9 months. I have noticed over the last few months a yellowish green substance filling some of the crevices. It is semi-transparent almost gel like in appearance. I tried to scrape it off a couple of weeks ago while cleaning the tank but it is actually quite hard to the touch. I have enclosed a photo and outlined it in blue. As you can see there is a tubeworm that is being covered by this substance. Any ideas on what it might be? <Yes, is a sponge. Impossible to identify much beyond this without microscopic analysis.> My tank is about a year old. 36-gallon corner tank. 65 pounds of live rock 30 pounds of live sand refugium with Chaeto and two small rocks with zillions of Mysis shrimp and pods. <Yay!> 2 Montipora 1 Acropora 1 small hammer coral 1 frogspawn pearl bubble coral xenia sp open brain plate coral 3 Ricordea mushrooms tube worm...going on a year 2 small percula clowns 1 Royal Gramma 1 Randall goby with pistol shrimp <Lots of potential for allelopathy in such a small system! Hope you're doing frequent water changes!> pH 8.1-8.2, temp 79-80, ammonia, nitrite at 0, nitrate fluctuates 0-15, Calcium at 390-420, Alk at 4.0, sp grav approx 1.027 <A bit high> <Welcome! Mich>
Carlos

Worm ID... maybe a Poriferan 10/29/07 Great site! Have found answers to almost all of my questions. The one question that I have today deals with a worm ID. I found something similar at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/wormidfaq3.htm but you said that the picture was not clear enough. I have taken a few of my own and hope that you can help me figure out what these little creatures are. Thanks, Staff Sergeant Chris Shannon <I see where you allude to... the second reply from the bottom... I think these are sponges however... Do they stay attached permanently? I.e., are non-moving? I would just leave them be... are useful filter feeders... Bob Fenner>

Re: Worm ID... poriferans -- 10/30/2007 They are non-moving. Unless my psychotic Kole Tang bites one off and spits it out somewhere else. Thanks for the help. <Ahh! Do look on the Net with the term Syconoid sponges. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Mystery Coral... No, Is a Sponge 10/21/07 Hello All, <Hi Jonboy! Mich here, not on Walton's Mountain, but in the Pocono Mountains.> I've used your website for the last couple of years and have found a wealth of knowledge on it. <I'm very glad you have found it helpful!> This is my first email since I usually can find answers to my questions from your archives. <This is wonderful to read.> My problem is that I can't identify the coral in the picture attached to this email. <Heehee! That's because it's not a coral!> The LFS told me it was an 'orange sea fan.' <Nope, is not a Gorgonian either!> Though it is orange it doesn't resemble any sea fan that I've been able to locate. <Is not a seaman. Is a Poriferan, Looks like an orange tree/paddle sponge, a Clathria spp. to me. You have been sold an inappropriate creature for captivity as most Poriferans are. This is not a good genus to keep in an aquarium. This sponge can be toxic and may harm other animals... particularly if it dies, which is a good likelihood as these animals are difficult to keep in a home aquarium setting.> It stands about 5 inches and has incrusted on the rock. It also has a very bumpy exterior that I believe is a way for it to catch organic matter. <Yes, is a filter feeder.> I've never seen this coral before and the LFS told me that it would do great under my PC's. <No, it won't. It prefers dimly lit conditions and may actually be harmed by brighter lighting.> I hope the picture turns out well enough for you to identify this for me. <The picture is fine.> Thanks in advance, Jonboy
<Welcome! Goodnight Jonboy! Mich>

Sponge ID, Anemone getting healthier -- 10/12/07 Crew, <Hello Andy, Brenda here! I have received both of your e-mails, and will answer both here.> Hope all is well. I have two questions and have attached three pictures related thereto. <Okay.> First: I purchased a piece of Tonga Branch with 4 greenish mushrooms on it. At the bottom of the LR is what appears to be some type of hairy sponge. When I tried to reposition this piece of LR, I noticed that it has become attached to the piece of LR on which it rests. On closer inspection, it appears that this sponge (or whatever it is) has grown and bonded to the underlying LR. Any thoughts on what this is? <It is hard to tell with a picture and there are so many different sponges.> Second: I have had a BTA for 5 or so months. When I got it, it was tan. Since then, it has gotten progressively darker and is now a purple/brown color. <Congratulations! Your anemone is getting healthier.> I feed it 1 frozen cube of Mysis (thawed and soaked in Selcon) 2 times per week, and it is a very eager eater. <A full cube may be a bit much. I would also mix up the diet a bit with some Silversides, Lance fish, raw shrimp, etc. Portions should never be bigger than the anemones mouth.> My Gold Stripe Maroon Clown is in love with it. <Yes, I bet! It is a wonderful relationship to witness.> In any event, as you'll see from the attached photos, its tentacles have lost their bubble tips (which it only had for a month or so), which I know is typical/normal/not indicative of problems. <No, it is not a problem, and also not completely understood yet why some have bubbled tips and some don't.> What has me curious is why the tentacles sometimes look like curly-cues and whether it is normal for the anemone to go concave on me (first picture). Its mouth is very tight. It has not moved from that spot since I added it to the display. <Is it expelling waste when it looks like this?> As background, I have a 110 gallon display (48" x 18" x 30") with about 80 lbs of live rock, a 30 gallon LR/Chaeto/DSB refugium, a wet-dry filter, and a Coral Life Super Skimmer. Lighting is six 54W T5 HO (four 10,000k and two 460nm actinics). <Do you have individual reflectors?> The BTA is positioned almost on the bottom of my tank. Parameters are: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate all 0; pH is 8.2; Salinity is 1.024-1.025. <I recommend increasing salinity to 1.026 for anemones.> Temperature is 78 -80 degrees. I do 10% weekly water changes with aged RO/DI water (Instant Ocean). Other tank inhabitants are Sailfin Tang (I know . . .), Gold Stripe Maroon, Brown Combtooth Blenny, Royal Gramma, Filament Flasher Wrasse, Yellow Wrasse, Clown Goby, about 15 mushrooms (various types), 2 unidentified tree corals, 1 Lemnalia, hermits, snails, and two Sally Light Foot crabs. I appreciate your time/thoughts. Andy Crew, Sorry to cause confusion and delay, but in re-reading my e-mail below I realized that I asked about my BTA's oral disc being "concave" from time to time, when I meant to say convex. Sometimes, it turns outward/upward to fully expose its oral disc. <It may be trying to reach for light. From the pictures it looks healthy.> Just so I'm clear, it never turns itself "inside out"--just appears to reach for the stars. <It is reaching for light.> Because it has never moved and has great color, I can only assume that it's not in need of more light, but I am just a reader of law and no specialist of inverts. <It may be that the anemone has positioned itself in such away that it is partially shaded, and needs to extend in order to reach the light. It does not mean that you need to add more lighting. The anemone appears healthy. If you have individual reflectors on your T-5s, I would leave things alone.> Thanks! <You're welcome! Brenda>

Re: Sponge ID, Anemone getting healthier -- 10/12/07 Brenda, <Hello Andy> Thanks for the response. <You're Welcome!> I don't think I have individual reflectors. I know that some T5 bulbs actually have internal reflectors, but I don't think my bulbs (SlimPaq T-5 HO) have this characteristic. <Without the individual reflectors, T-5 bulbs are comparable to PC lighting.> What I do know is that my fixtures are Current Nova Extremes (I have one 4 bulb fixture and one 2 bulb fixture). The product information states that the fixture has "A German parabolic reflector increases light output up to 99%". <With the use of individual reflectors, lighting can be increased up to 300%. I am really surprised that the anemone remains so low in your tank, yet appears healthy after 5 months. I suspect that your clownfish constantly feeding it, and the use of Selcon, is making up for the lack of lighting. The 'reaching' out that you see, is the anemone trying to get as much light as possible. Keep a close eye on the anemone. Keep all intakes protected in case the anemone decides to take a walk looking for more lighting. If its health decreases, it may be time to upgrade lighting, or find the anemone a new home. At this point, I am not seeing any immediate concerns. Brenda>

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