Sponges

[Aescleah]

Posted: 02 Aug 2002 00:30 Post subject: Sponges

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hi everyone
i am real interested in doing a deep reef tank mainly sponges where can i get more info on this subject?i would love some websites. When i am ready is there any place that might be good to buy them online if that is a viable option? I have a 105 oceanic tank running for a year and a half i think i will be set after i get about 40 more lbs of live rock and get more info.
Also any advice would be welcome at this point. Btw i have been in the hobby for about 4 years.


= )

 

[skylsdale]

I notice that a lot of people are starting to have their interests perked by sponges, which is good since there is a lot of misinformation out there about them. I have been doing research on a deep-water tank for the last 6-7 months, so if there is any specific questions you have I can try to answer them for you.

As far as sponges, the single best website is www.dynamicecomorpholgy.com A month or two ago I ordered Steve Tyree's The Porifera: Living Sponges and I think it would be just what you're looking for. Lots on physiology, natural history, filtration methods, requirements and care, etc. This would be the best place to purchase them as well, since many vendors don't provide the proper care required to handle and ship them(i.e. not exposing them to air.)

Good luck!

 

[Luis]

I'm very interested in sponges too and I just start propagating mine.... I like them a lot cause they are beautiful and they filter the water too then we can stop using protein skimmers and filters :wink:

Yesterday I've read that is very bad to expose sponges to air (as Skylsdale mentioned ) .... but let me tell you something; before I know this fact, I have exposed mine to air many times 8O ( I didn't know before yesterday) and my sponge never reacted, Now it is on the sandbed but long time ago I had it right at the top of my aquarium and sometimes the water level had been very low and my sponge had been exposed to air for hours ( just about 1 inch of the top). In short i will never let her "suffer" this again but "she" survived ! . Maybe I'm so lucky or my sponge is very hardy.

 

[Aescleah]

how often do you feed them and how much current is going? and where have you gotten the info you have now.

Ashley

i tried that link it did not work

 

[beerbaron]

in general, are sponges difficult to keep? would they be ok for a well educated begginer?

 

[Luis]

I got the information from two books: "The conscientious marine aquarist" by Robert M. Fenner and "invertebrates a quick reference guide" By Julian Sprung. My sponges prefer strong current and good light (no too strong) I feed them with DTS phytoplancton on daily basis, and I add iodine, strontium, calcium, "black powder" , "Reef vital DNA" and "coral vital" every week 8O ... I know; it's a lot but they love it! I think that the perfect tank is a conbination of everything in order to build a comunity where all the individuals are doing something to help others.... look; i have some fish, corals, Xenias (they really filter the water) sponges ( they do the same) scavengers, macroalgae, bristle worms, seastars, amphipods, copepods, etc.... try to do what mother nature is doing...create a ecosistem (A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms), don't try to put only sponges in your tank because something is going to be missing. I don't have protein skimmer and filters in my system and I do a 5% water change once a month, that way my sponges have a lot to eat !

 

[Len]

You know, in the duplicate thread ( http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17301 ), Rob was good enough to chim in with a response. If you have questions about sponges, Rob is as good a person to ask as anyone I know.

Like Rob stated, questions such as "in general, are sponges difficult to keep" is very hard to answer. It's the same as asking "in general, are fishes difficult to keep?"

FWIW, at one point, I was fascinated with sponges and tunicates (something entirely different). Aside from their bizarre and exotic looks, I was taken with sponges because of their chemical diversification. I've since lost interest in buying decorative sponges because most don't fare well in my aquarium. Conversely, the cryptic sponges that have grown out of my live rock have been wildly successful, covering entire undersides of caves and tunnels. Goes to show you that it's impossible to answer a generalized question of whether sponges are easy to keep.

 

[danmhippo]

Luis, you may be surprised if you decided to cut back on a few of your additives, you may not see the differences at all. IMHO, stuffs such as black powder, Iodine, Strontium....etc does not need to be dosed, and unless you know what's in the bottle, and have test kits to back you up, you may have overdosed your tank unknowingly.

No pun intended, but I think you should check the level of the chemical concentration of the additives you throw into the tank, that is if you know what's in it in the first place.

 

[Luis]

I understand what you mean Danmhippo. 5 years ago I tested the water every 15 minutes, I checked everything, I called manufacturers to find out what I was throwing in my tank I spent a lot of time doing this until I got tired (xenia crashed, dead invertebrates, algae blooms, high nitrates, etc) .... Now I'm empiric ; corals are so sensitive and they react faster than our "test kits" and they are more accurate if you can "read" their reactions! . When I add something new into my tank I keep my eyes open to see what happen and I can see if my guys like it or not. by trial and error. I prefer this method and since I followed it; I have not killed any coral ... It can work for you or not, like I told you before; I use to be "scientific" and it did not work for me but it can work for you.

 

[SPC]

Posted by Luis:

I called manufacturers to find out what I was throwing in my tank I spent a lot of time doing this until I got tired

-Luis, what did Mark tell you was in "black powder" , "Reef vital DNA" and "coral vital"?
Steve

 

[Luis]

I'm sorry but I stop calling manufacturers since 1999 and I start using Mark's stuff four months ago. Good question I don't have any idea what is in these products, i started using them because a friend of mine told me about their attributes, I tried them and I liked them. I will not start all over again calling manufacturers 8O but if you call them let us know :wink:

 

[danmhippo]

LOL.......

 

[SPC]

Posted by Louis:

but if you call them let us know

-No need for me to call Louis, I won't be using the product. Now if I decided to use it then I would find out what it contained before I just dumped some in my tank. :wink:
Steve

 

[skylsdale]

Spelled the site wrong so the link wasn't working. It's www.dynamicecomorphology.com

As has already been stated, there isn't a blanket care sheet with sponges or tunicates. You need to do research at least on the genus level of the sponge in question to know its requirements. Also, most of the ones you find in LFS's usually come from bright areas on the reef and can be difficult to keep(they can also engage in chemical warfare, which has given many sponges a bad name.) The cryptic sponges are a little safer to try in your tank and generally do better given the right conditions. You usually won't find them at an LFS, but Steve Tyree specializes in dealing cryptic sponges, which is another reason I suggest checking out his site. The above literature is good, but Steve has done specific research and work in the filtering capabilities and natural histories of sponges, so there is a little bit of an edge to his works, IMO.