Aussie Spider Sponge care tips?

[skr791346]

Anyone have any long term success with them? (6 months to 1 year+) If so, could you please share what you're feeding, how often, optimal placement / PAR & flow? I'd like to try one again but the last one did well for about a month before slowly withering away.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

The spider sponge is a difficult invert to care for... The thing about them is the white "polyps" are actually a parasitic Zoa that encrust on the sponge. If the Zoa is doing well and starts growing it will eventually suffocate the sponge. But if you can somehow get the sponge to grow fast enough they can be a beautiful addition to the aquarium.

In all I wouldn't recommend getting one.

 

[skr791346]

Oh wow, I didn't know they are parasitic. Are the zoas then photosynthetic and does not require feeding? I've been target feeding the zoa polyps with Reef-Roid / Oyster Feast / Fauna Marin about twice a week but should I strictly be feeding the sponge only instead with phyto?

 

[Kamden Uelton]

The Zoas are non-photosynthetic, I would recommend using KZ Sponge Power (for the sponge) and feeding you're current mixture 3-4 times a day for the Zoa. Good Luck!

 

[Kamden Uelton]

Oh and keep in mind sponge cannot take in phytoplankton, They feed on bacteria that are about 0.1 - 0.5 microns in size.

 

[skr791346]

I will definitely incorporate sponge power moving forward! Some are suggesting that zoas not be fed at all to prevent overgrowth killing sponges, thoughts? (Uhuru)

 

[Kamden Uelton]

The Zoas will not open if not fed regularly (like most NPS corals) and will just die, without the Zoas it's just normal Red Tree Sponge

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Oh and keep in mind sponge cannot take in phytoplankton, They feed on bacteria that are about 0.1 - 0.5 microns in size.

Idk where you got this, but it’s completely untrue. Most sponges are considered detritivores and take in many different types of particles depending on the size of their ostia. There are some that feed on bacteria, some that feed on other plankton, and some that are carnivorous/predatory.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@Bongo Shrimp This is what I gathered from EXPERIENCE I once fed Phytoplankton to my tank and had nothing but deterioration from my sponges. As Soon as I started feeding a Bacteria Source the growth sky rocketed and their was no more sponge death in the tank... (I keep Red Tree Sponge, Red Ball Sponge, Black Dysidea Sponge, Pineapple Sponge, and some random white encrusting sponge.

Happy Reefing?

EDIT : It may just be my sponges, idk but that is what I have gathered over a year of growing sponges... I even have a reaggeration container for sponges that I grow them in

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Kamden Uelton ... don't mind sharing some of your sponges experiences/research? That's cool!!

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@Sea MunnKey Sure why not!

First Sponge : I learned most of what I know when I decided I wanted a Nudibranch (sponge eater) a few months back... My first sponge was a Red Ball Sponge that did TERRIBLE but I managed to bring it back. After a week I realized that Phytoplankton wasn't doing anything for my sponge and most of the sponge was grey while some parts were red. I started dosing an Aquaforest Probiotic, It's essentially just beneficial bacteria that helps break down Nitrate and Phosphate (which i had issues with at the time) about 2 weeks later I could see the gray dead parts falling off and another 2 or so weeks later the small sponge started to grow back... I have many different sponges and plan on getting more as time goes on.

Reaggeration : Still craving a nudibranch and my main sponge colonies not growing fast anymore... I looked up how to frag sponges and stuff like that. I found this on youtube (Link)and just followed the steps that the guy in the video performed and left the container alone for a week. In no time there were small spongelings on the bottom of the container... fast forward to now they are no longer spongelings they are small sponge colonies, I will add a picture to the post when I get home to photograph. If what I do doesn't work for you you can also try SnapeMasters way of doing it here

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Pretty interesting and I love the Red and Orange sponge balls but they're not for the inexperienced reefer. Another question for you .... is it true that sponge shouldn't be exposed to air when it's been bagged at the lfs? Thanks

Will check out the links ...

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

@Bongo Shrimp This is what I gathered from EXPERIENCE I once fed Phytoplankton to my tank and had nothing but deterioration from my sponges. As Soon as I started feeding a Bacteria Source the growth sky rocketed and their was no more sponge death in the tank... (I keep Red Tree Sponge, Red Ball Sponge, Black Dysidea Sponge, Pineapple Sponge, and some random white encrusting sponge.

Happy Reefing?

EDIT : It may just be my sponges, idk but that is what I have gathered over a year of growing sponges... I even have a reaggeration container for sponges that I grow them in

That’s cool that it came from experience! Just make sure you mention that along with the info cause otherwise people like me may interpret your statement as broad sweeping and from some other source (as I did). And in response to your statement (now knowing that it came from your experience)- I think it’s important to note that there are tons of other variables present in a reef tank that could have cause the recession of your sponges and the addition of the phytoplankton was likely a coincidence or had an indirect effect. There’s just no way to know and it’s not really fair to draw a conclusion based on such little evidence.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@Sea MunnKey I take all my sponges out of the water when I propagate them, They are usually out of the water for 1-3 minutes, there have been no ill effects. They will float on the surface for a while but no die off. I think people that say "sponge died from being out of water" just didn't have enough food for the sponge to eat.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

@Sea MunnKey I take all my sponges out of the water when I propagate them, They are usually out of the water for 1-3 minutes, there have been no ill effects. They will float on the surface for a while but no die off. I think people that say "sponge died from being out of water" just didn't have enough food for the sponge to eat.

Actually exposure to air can indeed kill or damage a sponge and it depends on the species and where it is found. Sponges that occur in the intertidal zone have adaptations that help them deal with air entering the ostia. Other sponges that normally live deeper, where they are never exposed to air, may or may not have this adaptation and cannot get the air out once it get's deeper inside.

@Kamden Uelton, I think you should try to back up your experiential claims with some research as it will help you and the community learn.

Here's a great article about sponge biology that talks about death from air exposure and starvation:
https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/6/inverts2

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@Bongo Shrimp So Deepwater species shouldn't be taken out of the water? Makes sense thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

@Bongo Shrimp So Deepwater species shouldn't be taken out of the water? Makes sense thanks for clearing that up for me.

If any of us want to make an educated guess about which types of sponges might better tolerate exposure to air than others, yes, I'd say to avoid it with species we know are not normally exposed to air in nature. Check out that article, I think you'll like it.

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Sponges are cool and not many of us do not have the kind of experience or knowledge to even come close to keeping alive let alone grow sponges as the very few of you have done/accomplish ... so far

 

[molinast]

Was looking for more info on this sponge and ran into this informative post. After reading the back and forth, I am disappointed to think, what I thought was healthy signs might actually be a quick demise.
The first image was this evening (third day) and the one below that is the second day in my tank.

The polyps are covering the sponge more and more, which I believe is from the target feeding with reef roids. I’m going to hold off and see what happens.

 

[cristata.reef]

I explained this to another member in detail on another post
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sponge-theory.454262/#post-5112558