Yellow sponge taking over Zoa!

Jovreefer · #1 07/12/2005, 08:09 PM

Well I've been fighting this strange yellow sponge for a few months now and I'm at a loss I hope someone knows what to do to help me out.

The sponge started growing beside my red zoa's and then spread over the top of the mat...the zoas still break thru the sponge to open but they cant spread because of it, I've tried picking the sponge off the zoa's but a tiny bit remains in this hole I cant get to and 2 weeks later ...its covered the mat again! I've tried giving the zoa's a fresh water bath thinking...sponges are sensitive...did nothing to the sponge...tried leaving the frag out of water for 5 min .... did nothing to the sponge! I've had a few pieces of the sponge float away when I try ripping it off the rock and a few weeks later I have sponge growing on my sand...and back of the tank and rock! its like super sponge...

Yes I'm sure its a sponge of some sort...it feels like sponge...its porus (would that be the right word?) and has little syphon things. I just moved so I dont know what box my camra is in or id take a pick.

Avi · #2 07/12/2005, 09:04 PM

It's hard to imagine that this is a sponge even though it feels like on since you did the things that would have killed it....taking it out of water for 5 minutes should have killed it for sure if it's a sponge. This stuff seems to be playing hard ball so you might have to frag the zoanthids to give them a fighting chance of survival.

BrokkenTWolf · #3 07/12/2005, 11:58 PM

Not all sponges are succeptible to getting air trapped in them. Only deep water sponges are. There are sponges that grow near the coast and in tidal pools that 'slime up' to protect themselves when the water recedes.

How about trying a little bit of peroxide in the water next time you dip your zoas - about 5 - 10% and the rest RO water?

Montrose58 · #4 07/13/2005, 12:22 AM

If it's not too big of a hassle, I would like to have a smallpiece of this sponge that's giving you a problem.
You can Email me at: davisplasterart@charter.net
Thanks,
Steven (Monty)

bobafett · #5 07/13/2005, 10:05 AM

If it remains in the hole remove the rock from the tank and try some of these methods to kill the sponge:

Get a syringe and inject peroxide directly in the hole filling it
Do the same as above but use Lugols
Make a thick Kalk paste and fill in the hole

Leave the rock out for about 30 seconds and then rinse it off before putting it back in the tank. If all else fails frag the rock and throw away the piece that has the sponge on it.

TroyPierce · #6 07/13/2005, 02:26 PM

Believe it or not, I use a strong lye solution to kill unwanted growth. It doesn't take much and organic matter will disolve like it was dunked in acid.

I mix a stong solution of powdered Draino (100% lye) in a small GLASS container (Careful, it gets HOT) and use a small syringe and needle (used for injecting cats with insolin). Take the rock from the tank if you can, inject a very small amount into the 'thing' and rince off with RO/DI water. Any lye that gets on the surface of the rock will kill whatever's there but after a few months, it'll fill in again.

It's sodium hydroxide and If there's a little left on the rock, it won't harm your tank.

BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO GET IT ON YOUR SKIN OR IT'LL DISOLVE YOU AS WELL.

Works great for aptasia, Mujano, migrating Green Star Polyps, etc.

azrednex · #7 03/21/2007, 06:13 PM

A few months back i had the same problem with a orange zoo colony and a @#$%^ purple sponge. I fought it tooth and nail for months. It consumed about half of the colony. I was simultaneously fighting a phosphate/nutrient problem. I started dosing for phosphates, added more flow to my fuge(my cheato was falling apart and dieing) and added a tiger tail cuke. My nutrients went down. The sponge didn't go away but it turned back into a "normal" sponge again.