Has anyone tried a red ball sponge?

[Miami Reef]

I went to my LFS to specifically pick these sponges. I got two of them.

My tank seems to be very successful at growing sponges and I really like all sponges (except the super invasive ones) . These red ones are so beautiful and add so much contrast to my tank.

Has anyone tried them?

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I haven’t but I’m sure u will find a way to make it successful. Just keep it fully submerged. Keep us posted on progress. Good luck

 

[Miami Reef]

I haven’t but I’m sure u will find a way to make it successful. Just keep it fully submerged. Keep us posted on progress. Good luck

That’s sweet! Thank you so much! :D

 

[dennis romano]

I have a baseball sized one that is a couple of years old. Keep in a low light area. Light causes algae to grow on them which will smother it. Moderate current. They feed on microscopic foods. The tank that mine is in is over twenty years old. I stir the substrate to get the microfauna into the water column and my sponges do well on that.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Although beautiful and make a mixed reef scene they may not do well as
Additions to mixed reef systems and be counter productive to coral growth.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have and lost it in a couple of months despite doing everything right. Same applies to Red finger sponge

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Second thought, they may do best in a
Dedicated system for Nps and not in our mixed reef systems.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

https://reefbuilders.com/2018/04/02/five-reasons-sponges-are-bad-for-a-coral-reef-tank/

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I have a baseball sized one that is a couple of years old. Keep in a low light area. Light causes algae to grow on them which will smother it. Moderate current. They feed on microscopic foods. The tank that mine is in is over twenty years old. I stir the substrate to get the microfauna into the water column and my sponges do well on that.

Yeah, doing a bunch of research into sponges, as best as I can tell most sponges seem to eat a bit of tiny foods like phyto, but from what I've seen so far (I am, admittedly, fairly early on into my research on this topic, so I'll try to remember to comment here if I find out otherwise with my further learning) it seems they primarily eat bacteria and organic nutrients in the water. So, stirring up the substrate (which is a bacteria-rich environment in most cases) would probably be a great way to get some good bacteria into the water column to feed the sponges.

 

[Miami Reef]

I have a baseball sized one that is a couple of years old. Keep in a low light area. Light causes algae to grow on them which will smother it. Moderate current. They feed on microscopic foods. The tank that mine is in is over twenty years old. I stir the substrate to get the microfauna into the water column and my sponges do well on that.

Hey! I think I saw a similar post of yours from a much older thread! Good to know you still have yours!

Did yours grow any more since adding it?

 

[dennis romano]

My red ball, as well as several encrusting red sponges, have not grown at all in the time that I have had them. I have three elephant ear sponges. Two have not grown. The third is pretty unique. I had it for about a year and was doing well. One day it got knocked into an unreachable spot in the rocks. It faded to the size of a pinky nail, then I lost sight of it. About six months later, one of the shrimp or crabs must have moved it from the spot and it had grown back to original size. I have a blue sponge in another tank. It started as a blue vase that faded fairly quickly down to dime size. Seven years later, it has taken over a rock, grew over a gorgonian and almost overran several ricordea. Recently, it has faded down to small size again. I have no clue why. I have found that even if a sponge dies back to even 5 % of original size, there is a good chance that it may recover. It is my belief that when a tropical storm hits a reef, sponges get blasted apart. These pieces help recolonize the reef.

 

[Miami Reef]

My red ball, as well as several encrusting red sponges, have not grown at all in the time that I have had them. I have three elephant ear sponges. Two have not grown. The third is pretty unique. I had it for about a year and was doing well. One day it got knocked into an unreachable spot in the rocks. It faded to the size of a pinky nail, then I lost sight of it. About six months later, one of the shrimp or crabs must have moved it from the spot and it had grown back to original size. I have a blue sponge in another tank. It started as a blue vase that faded fairly quickly down to dime size. Seven years later, it has taken over a rock, grew over a gorgonian and almost overran several ricordea. Recently, it has faded down to small size again. I have no clue why. I have found that even if a sponge dies back to even 5 % of original size, there is a good chance that it may recover. It is my belief that when a tropical storm hits a reef, sponges get blasted apart. These pieces help recolonize the reef.

Can I please see pictures of your sponges and your reef tank?

 

[dennis romano]

Can I please see pictures of your sponges and your reef tank?

 

[dennis romano]

The elephant ear in top left is the one that "died" and came back. This tank has been set up for over twenty five years. The green mushrooms in lower left, plus several hairy mushrooms and a blue octocoral that are out of frame are all over twenty years old. The Banggai is eight years old.

 

[Miami Reef]

So beautiful! This tank is AWESOME!

Great job! Absolutely amazing! Thank you for this picture.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yeah, doing a bunch of research into sponges, as best as I can tell most sponges seem to eat a bit of tiny foods like phyto, but from what I've seen so far (I am, admittedly, fairly early on into my research on this topic, so I'll try to remember to comment here if I find out otherwise with my further learning) it seems they primarily eat bacteria and organic nutrients in the water. So, stirring up the substrate (which is a bacteria-rich environment in most cases) would probably be a great way to get some good bacteria into the water column to feed the sponges.

Here is the sponge in all its glory.

Might be one of the coolest things I’ve purchased…and brightest.

I really hope I can keep this guy long term. He’s that pretty!

 

[chopdrop]

This is one of the coolest tanks I've ever seen

 

[george9]

Any update on how your sponge is doing? @Miami Reef

I'm kinda interested in trying my luck with one but not sure