cool ball sponge

[Shablin]

Hi ya'll

I just got this strange ball sponge at Something Fishy last weekend. Any body ever see anything like this? It has all these deposits on the surface which look like it was splatted with latex paint. TIA for any info. or an ID.

[tnyr5]

keep it in a dark spot where it won't get covered in algae

[JonK]

It would probably be a good idea to dose DT's as well. It is a really neat sponge though. Good luck with it.

[Shablin]

I have this thing placed in a low cave visible from the front and with good circulation so (hopefully) algae and tissue damage from air bubbles wont be an issue. Im also using DT's and some Marc Wiess Black powder. My other sponge has been doing well in a more lit area for about a year.
Anybody have any idea about these deposits on the surface?

[R33f3r]

Very nice, is it one of photosynthetic ones?

[Shablin]

Are there photosynthetic sponges??

[tnyr5]

they aren't deposits they are part of it's coloration.

[Shablin]

Maybe deposit isnt the right word but the texture of them is different (ie. glossier & less porous) than the red part of the sponge.

[tridacna5]

The yellow spots are Parazoanthus, a commensal polyp occasionally found on sponges. The stinging polyps usually come out at night time to capture food.

Hope you enjoy the sponge!

[Shablin]

Thanks! I went downstairs this morning before the lights came on and there were short little reddish polyps sticking out! Here's a pic; sorry about the polyp resolution but they are very small (only a few mm) and in the back of my tank. If you look to the right you can see the pores are reddish and larger. Also, there are no polyps on the left side of the image because my hawkfish was resting on that side.




Thanks again for the info!!

[rmesola]

i just saw a similar sponge at tfp this weekend and it had polyps extending out from it...