urgent guidance required

[wildshagger]

Hi, i baught this new sponge from the fish market. After placing it in, without following water acclimation guide on how to introduce a sponge i actually just placed the plastic bag in my aqua for 20 mins to make the temperature same. After that i totally forgot on how to actually introduce it to my water, with the "drip technique" or "adding water every 5mins" from my aqua into the plastic bag which contained the sponge. Now after reading the sponge`s profile i am actually really worried becuase it mentions that it should not be mishandeled and proper acclimation should take place. And that it is sensitive `n all.
I am really worried but to my relief it has not shown any sign of distress or decaying so far. Can anyone help me with what i should do next. What should i feed it? since for sponge the fish guy gave me a Liquifry Marine bottle and i am thinking of feeding it once a week. Secondly, is there anything else that i can feed it? since the article mentions dissolved food. Vitamins and trace elements, are they also its feed?
Please guide me As soon as possible.

 

[DonW]

Not much you really can do now other than leave it alone. Some sponges require light for feeding other dont. Not sure about yours, but they also require that you never expose them to air. Did you expose it to air?

Don

 

[NaH2O]

Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

An article for you with information on flow requirements, lighting, feeding, etc.: Sponges, Phylum Porifera

Here is a quote from the article: Sponges, out from under the counter...

Secondly, sponges need to feed. Although this might seem obvious, it is an amazing discovery to some folks... Large sponges can filter the bacteria out of an amazing amount of water; in some cases several thousand liters per day. They are very effective at removing bacteria; sponge beds have even been designed and used to detoxify sewage outfalls. Most aquaria have moderate amounts of bacteria in the water, but not enough to support that kind of filtration. Large sponges will likely die in most aquaria unless those sponges have zooxanthellae or some other supplemental food source. For most sponges, it is probably impossible to provide much in the way of supplemental food. There is little we hobbyists can add to the water that is either of the appropriate size or composition. Consequently, my advice would be to stick with small sponges and start sparingly. If the animals do well, perhaps add others. Small sponges often are found growing on live rock and these may be a better way to start with than a specific purchase of a larger animal. Sponges will also compete in our systems with other bacteriovores. These other animals would include tunicates, some clams, and many SPS corals. There will be a finite limitation to the number of these animals that any one system can have. So assess the array of organisms in the system before purchasing additional animals.

And another quote from the article: Some Truths about Sponges

Sponges may easily be kept in reef and freshwater aquaria, if a few precautions are followed. First and foremost, sponges should never be exposed to air. If exposed to air, even briefly, many of the very small passages in the sponge's water system become filled with air and effectively plugged. The animal has no way to clear the air from the tiny tubules, and cells adjacent to air die, decompose and produce gases that plug other tubes. This effect cascades and the sponge dies. Air is deadly to sponges.

Second, be aware of your reef's water conditions. If you use water that has been treated to remove silica, most sponges will not grow well because they require silica for their spicules. Calcareous sponges will do alright under those conditions, but remember, like corals, they depend on the amount of calcium in the water. They also compete with the corals for calcium, so you need to monitor the calcium levels closely.

Third, sponges need to feed. They absorb dissolved organic material from the water, but also need to have a source of bacteria or nanoplankton. This source may be maintained by having a good sand bed with sufficient infauna to cause some rapid turnover in bacterial productivity. Sponges will compete with other bacteriovores, such as tunicates, and potentially some small-polyped scleractinian corals for this resource.

Monitor the sponge's condition in your tank. If it starts to have a gray or white film growing over it, at least some of the cells are dying. Most sponges that have this film will not recover. If you wish to try to keep the animal alive, transfer it to a separate tank so that it will not foul the water of your main system.

If the animal seems to get smaller or otherwise deteriorate, move it. Some of the variables to consider with sponges are light intensity (most don't like really bright light — but a few do), currents (most like strong currents), potential competitors (don't place it too close to either hard or soft corals; they fight with chemicals, too) and potential predators in your tank (keyhole limpets will graze on some sponges). Once you have found a good spot and your sponge is growing well, you will have a beautiful and interesting addition to your system.

 

[wildshagger]

yes i took it out and suddenly placed it in. It is not decaying. Do you think its doing ok?

 

[shallowreef]

Looks okay to me.

 

[NaH2O]

How long have you had it? I'm not sure how long it takes for sponges to show issues from air getting trapped in their chambers.

If you would like, I can move this thread in Anthony Calfo's forum for his opinion, as well.

 

[MarineTeng]

just look for airbubbles, i think they can retain water for at least a bit out of water, but try to keep them in as much as possible if not all the time, i only have small live rock sort of sponges and i've exposed them to air with no problems