I love TBS rocks

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JoJosReef

There's some lovely filth down here!
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Years after introducing them, they continue to surprise me. My TBS rock has really ramped up sponge growth over the past couple of months!
1746214354275.jpeg
 
That’s awesome! It looks like a big fat cartoon octopus.

I seeded my sump with TBS base rock and sand, my lights stayed off for 8 months and I legitimately had coraline going within 2 to 3 weeks after turning on the lights. I can’t wait to add some premium stuff.
 
Years after introducing them, they continue to surprise me. My TBS rock has really ramped up sponge growth over the past couple of months!
1746214354275.jpeg
Sweet Sponges!
 
Years after introducing them, they continue to surprise me. My TBS rock has really ramped up sponge growth over the past couple of months!
1746214354275.jpeg

Do you dose anything like phyto or bacteria or organic carbon to help feed them? Or silicate?
 
Do you get natural diatom growth?

It could be a sign of silica from the source water. It isn’t a problem at all, but it would imply the sponge can get silicate without intentionally dosing it.

I’m curious how you get to maintain that growth. Following!
 
Do you dose anything like phyto or bacteria or organic carbon to help feed them? Or silicate?
Silicates and bacteria? Way too much work. I do add phyto almost daily, but these were growing long before I started doing that. Admittedly , growth has increased since regular phyto dosing. I akso run an Avast Plank feeder that dispenses "Reef Jerkey".
 
Do you get natural diatom growth?

It could be a sign of silica from the source water. It isn’t a problem at all, but it would imply the sponge can get silicate without intentionally dosing it.

I’m curious how you get to maintain that growth. Following!
sand bed can get a light dusting (very light), which is what the three "bear" conches are for.
 
Years after introducing them, they continue to surprise me. My TBS rock has really ramped up sponge growth over the past couple of months!
Nice. I notice crazy amounts of pineapple sponges after feeding with selcon
 
Does ChaeroGrow have silicates? I casually add 5-10mL every month or so.
Nope.

If you have silicates, and you don’t dose, it’s likely coming from the RO/DI. Silicate is one of the weakest ions to bind, and easily gets knocked off by other strongly charged ions as the DI gets depleted.

Silicate is not a problem and is good for diatoms which feeds pods and corals.

FYI Not every sponge will use silicate. Some use organics or calcium carbonate to build their spicules, or a combination of the 3.
 

WHICH PART OF YOUR SETUP IS HARDEST TO REACH OR REMOVE FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE?

  • Glass behind or beside the tank

    Votes: 8 26.7%
  • Powerheads or wavemakers

    Votes: 3 10.0%
  • Sump or rear filtration chambers

    Votes: 5 16.7%
  • Skimmer or other filtration equipment

    Votes: 1 3.3%
  • Overflow or plumbing

    Votes: 7 23.3%
  • Lights or lids

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mine is pretty easy to access!

    Votes: 5 16.7%
  • Other—tell us what I missed

    Votes: 1 3.3%
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