Blue sponge

[auqua man]

Ok I think I am understanding the problem I have been having with the tank.
I had a blue sponge which I got at the lfs I did not do my homework first or I would have not bought it. I was told the sponge is reef safe and no problem to keep but some reasearch later I discoverd it was toxic. 3 weeks ago I noticed the sponge turning white but I didn`t think anything about it.Boomer do you think this would cause any problems like bleaching all soft corals in the tank. I have had electric problems with the tank before and did not see any effect on anything. I trust that that is not the problem I am having, if you say so. but I can`t seem to find anything wrong with the water. Any ideas Boomer would be great thanks.

 

[The Apprentice]

but some reasearch later I discoverd it was toxic

Hi Auqua: I have had 2 Blue sponges One was purchased and the second one showed up as a hitch hiker This current One is in a tank full of sps and I have see no ill side effects Sponges do very well under no to little light Is yours Under direct light?
I pulled some rock work off to shoot this shot I can't get any closer or a clear shot is yours like this?

Ok I think I am understanding the problem I have been having with the tank.
I had a blue sponge which I got at the lfs I did not do my homework first or I would have not bought it. I was told the sponge is reef safe and no problem to keep but some reasearch later I discoverd it was toxic. 3 weeks ago I noticed the sponge turning white but I didn`t think anything about it.Boomer do you think this would cause any problems like bleaching all soft corals in the tank. I have had electric problems with the tank before and did not see any effect on anything. I trust that that is not the problem I am having, if you say so. but I can`t seem to find anything wrong with the water. Any ideas Boomer would be great thanks.

 

[auqua man]

View attachment 18533Yes very close and yes mine is in the light. My question is if it dies in the tank will it poison the tank? I think the light may have had somthing to do with it. I am glad you have had no problems with yours.

 

[MCSInc]

Is it possible that it is dying back because it was exposed to air when you purchased it. Many sponges do not take well to exposure to air.

 

[DonW]

I realy doubt a sponge that size would hurt your tank if it died.

Don

 

[auqua man]

Is it possible that it is dying back because it was exposed to air when you purchased it. Many sponges do not take well to exposure to air.

No I was very carefull not to remove it from water plus it has been in the tank 9 months now. It never did very well but just recently it turned white and died. and two diffrent pieces in diffrent places of the tank at the same time.

 

[The Apprentice]

Cover up

auqua man can you cover it up with some live rock,coral???
I bet if did It may recover. I also agree with Don a sponge that size would not hurt inhabitants in the tank. Just test for Nitrites Or Nitrates How big is this Tank?

View attachment 18533Yes very close and yes mine is in the light. My question is if it dies in the tank will it poison the tank? I think the light may have had somthing to do with it. I am glad you have had no problems with yours.

 

[auqua man]

I realy doubt a sponge that size would hurt your tank if it died.

Don

The sponge was much bigger around the size of a baseball, I removed the dead parts, the picture there is a small piece left over. I am not shure one way or another why, I am just thinking out loud.

 

[auqua man]

How big is this Tank?[/QUOTE]

The tank is a 110 30 gal sump 12 gal ref. I will cover it up an see if it comes around thanks

 

[Boomer]

No, I doubt the sponge it the issue. The sponges in question appear to be Adocia sp or Haliclona sp. These blue sponges are not toxic, it is the Amphimedon compressa, which is toxic to fish.

 

[auqua man]

No, I doubt the sponge it the issue. The sponges in question appear to be Adocia sp or Haliclona sp. These blue sponges are not toxic, it is the Amphimedon compressa, which is toxic to fish.

Thanks Boomer. Do you have any Ideas why my softies would start to bleach? My water seems ok to me I am not shure what happened to them yet but I would like to know what I have done wrong. I am converting from soft to sps do you think having both would cause a problem?:?:

 

[Sk8r]

I have a threadlike blue or purple sponge that hitchhiked in and now is pretty prolific. It anchors to rock like branching veins, occasionally grows extensions, is very limp and about the diameter of ordinary twine. That wouldn't be one of the offenders, would it?

 

[The Apprentice]

Amphimedon compressa,

Boomer & Gang I wanted to Copy this post from SK8r. As I have a sponge that is the same as his except mine is Pink??
Boomer could you enlighten us On Amphimedon compressa sponges please???? Thanks ...Jeff

I have a threadlike blue or purple sponge that hitchhiked in and now is pretty prolific. It anchors to rock like branching veins, occasionally grows extensions, is very limp and about the diameter of ordinary twine. That wouldn't be one of the offenders, would it?

 

[Sk8r]

Apprentice, I was able to google amphimedon compressa, and what we have is not it: amphimedon compressa grows in fingers with pore-holes and the picture I found showed a red sponge. I call mine blue or purple, but it compares well to coralline, and I'm using Ushio 10000k lights, which might mean you with your pink threads and me with my purplish are actually looking at the same thready sponge. I do know mine took off like crazy when I started feeding heavy doses of phyto for my clam and to increase pods for my mandarin. HTH. I'll be interested to hear if Boomer has an id for this stuff we have. BTW, in my search, involving www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/stonycorals/pachyseris/pachyseris.htm there was one much scarier sponge listed that comes from the Caribbean and causes 'chest swelling' and really bad symptoms in people who brush up against it. On another forum, someone apparently acquired some Haitan rock and ended up in hospital from something like this. The lesson I get from this is: know the provenance of your live rock!

 

[The Apprentice]

Good to follow And good point on the lights. I am currently running 20,000 Aqua Medic Aqualine 20000 AB HQI bulbs so this may changes it a whole lot :0
Ok Boomer anything new?
Jeff

 

[Boomer]

There are a number of blue-purple sponges. To include Collospongia, Dysidea, Adocia and Sigmadocial ap. One needs to see a good pic. Your "coralline " looking sponges may be

Collospongia sp.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=...G=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi


More blue sponges
http://images.google.com/images?q=sponges&ndsp=20&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&start=40&sa=N

Pink sponges
http://images.google.com/images?svn...snum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=pink+sponges+&spell=1

Bleaching. No idea really. Try some iodine addition sometimes that helps. On another note both the sponges and softies seem to be bleaching. Has there been a marked increase in water temp buy any chance. When all else fails large water change

 

[auqua man]

Bleaching. No idea really. Try some iodine addition sometimes that helps. On another note both the sponges and softies seem to be bleaching. Has there been a marked increase in water temp buy any chance. When all else fails large water change [/QUOTE]

Thanks for the links Boomer. Boomer do you think it could be a delayed reaction to the power outage? it was 1.5- 2 weeks after when I started to have problems. My power was out 13 hrs and the temp fell to 73. I had a small power head running part of the time. Around the same time I upgraded the main pump and refugium. Could it be pcv glue? I am going to do a large water change today 30 gal is all I can do at a time. But I could do two in a row.

 

[auqua man]

On another note both the sponges and softies seem to be bleaching. Has there been a marked increase in water temp buy any chance. When all else fails large water change [/QUOTE]

No large temp increace except after power out back to norm.72 back to 80 in one day. Yes all softies have lost some coulor and the sponge went white at the same time. This was from the first storm with the snow. I havent lost power since that day.

 

[Sk8r]

more like paragorgia, but very thready. Looks like my live rock acquired a venous system.

 

[Boomer]

72 back to 80 in one day

There lies your answer