Blue Sponge question - sick or ???

[BCReefer]

I have a blue sponge for about a month. It looks fairly healty but when I was cleaning the tank today i accidently nudge it and it fell off it's rock. At this time I noticed what looks like it was losing some of it out skin and becoming white. This was only on the underside. The top looked healty and showed no signs of stress.

I check all my perameters (calc, alk, nitrate, nitrite, amonia, pH) and nothing was out of sync. My water measured 1.026 and I did a 25% water change today. All my other corals are doing well and I have the following stock:

1 - 6 line wrasse
1 - goby
2 - percs
1 small montipora digita
1 large acropra plate
1 1.5" maxima clam
1 bubble coral that is 5" from the sponge
1 yellow devils finger that is the closet coral at 2" away.

I do not see any parasites and non of the inhabitants, that I have seen, picks on it.

Equipment

33G tank - 8 months old
175W MH
2 30 W actincs
2 power heads
1 bak pak skimmer


I have tried to find some information on the net but most searches only brings up stores looking to sell them.

If it was not for me dislodging the sponge, I would notof thought that it was sick.

So is there any recommended reading? I have your book but I am not able to find anything on it.


Should I reattach it to the rock using some adhesive or let it take hold itself?

Any help in this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks

[EricHugo]

I'm capable of answering this one, but think it belongs in another forum...so I am sending it over to Dr. Ron. :-)

[BCReefer]

Thanks Eric.

Patrick

[EdKruzel]

Sponges are filter feeders and require a ton of food.

I believe that if it was exposed to air it would rot from the inside out and this may take quite a while.

I don't have a lot of insight into this topic, however I joined your thread because I'm curious and would like to see what the good Doc has to say.
If I don't get the automatic email responses I forget to go back and read the replies.

Ed

[BCReefer]

When the LFS gave me the sponge it was always in the water and when I added it to my tank I dipped the whole bag in. I was told never to expose it to air so I didn’t nor did the LFS when he gave it to me. Now what happened before that I am not sure.

Is there anything I can do to make it better? I really can’t see the whiteness since it is on the other side of the tank, and I prefer not to touch it is possible to stress it even more. Anymore help would be appreciated.

Thanks All.

[EdKruzel]

I feed DT's several times a week. The sponge in my tank looks great. However it all came on the rock.

Ed

[BCReefer]

Ed,

I add 3 - 5ml of DT's everyday to a 33G. would you suggest me to increase?

thanks

[EdKruzel]

It does seem like a small amount, however you have to determine the bioload to consumption ratio for your needs.

Almost no filter feeders in a huge tank with no DSB or much rock and that amount may be fine.
But a nano reef packed with filter feeders would require considerably more.

Tough call without knowing the specifics.

Good Luck,
Ed

[rshimek]

Hi,

Well... first, you cannot reattach it. It will have to attach itself.

The conditions you describe are consistent with starvation.

Sponges need a lot of fine plankton, DT's is good, but they often need more than this, generally bacterioplankton or the smallest size of BSD's "Golden Pearls."

More than that, however, many species need a water flow pattern that is difficult to duplicate in our tanks, and without it, they often cannot feed correctly.

If I were you, I would wedge the sponge tightly between some rock in the area of your tank that gets the steadiest, and stongest current. They generally are not animals that do well in areas of turbulent current nor in areas of variable current.

Then I would feed the tank well with the materials I have mentioned above. If you have a deep sand bed and if is set up well, it should generate a lot of the necessary bacterioplankton, particularly as you feed the whole system more.

Good luck!

[BCReefer]

Thanks Doc,

I will make necessary changes this weekend and start some direct feeding until it becomes healthier.

Cheers,
Patrick

[BCReefer]

Just an update:

I moved it as you indicated. It kept slowly starving but then it moved against some of my base rocks. Well it started attaching to the base rock and slowly expanding , but some of the parts has fallen to the bottom of the tank. For the past 2 weeks I have left everything as is.

I have also increased the DT's and lessened the skimming a little so I am not sucking everything out of the water.


Should I continue to do this or pick the small pieces and place them on the rock?


Thanks
Patrick

[rshimek]

Hi Patrick,

I would put the small pieces on rocks and hope.

That it is attaching sounds good, now let's hope that it starts to grow more noticeably.