Invasion of the sponges!

[Pete_the_Puma]

Hi guys,

Pix below

Long story short my 140Gal tank seems to be on the verge of being overrun by what I believe to be some sort of sponge. I'm pretty sure I have had these before but never in such numbers!

The tank is about 4-5 months old, running triton method and barebottom. The other unusual thing is I seem to have BILLIONS of pods running around! See pix. I do have a six line wrasse, thinking about adding a Mandarin (although not sure he will be able to handle the high flow)

Anyways, if someone knows exactly what type of sponge this is and whether anything needs to be done about it.

Sorry about crappy iphone pix, didnt want to break out the DSLR

Pod overload:

Sponges:

Any input is appreciated!

 

[Pete_the_Puma]

Here are the same pix in higher res if that helps

 

[joseserrano]

Those are good guys. Wouldn’t worry about them.

 

[lcj2046]

sponges clean your water. signs of tank coming along.

 

[GooseCommander]

My 45 gallon looks about the same without the overpopulation of pods. Lots of sponges. I've heard they are more of a new tank cleaner, but reduce in number as your other macrofauna/flora take off. Wouldn't worry about them, but if you can't stand the eyesore, maybe look into a dwarf angel? Think they eat sponges.

 

[Paullawr]

Pineapple sponges. Tend to appear if you have higher nitrates/nutrients.

 

[Cnidoblast]

test your silicates

 

[mta_morrow]

Pineapple sponges are very common a a sign of a healthy tank. They come and go regardless of nutrient levels. I wouldn’t change a thing because of them.

 

[Katrina71]

Agreed. Don't change anything imo.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Although safe can be unsightly. If they are to you. pluck with edge of a credit card. You can place in sump to help with ecosystem down there

 

[Auquanut]

Yep. I would have to agree with everything already mentioned. As my tank has matured, the amount of sponge has reduced. They're still there. Mostly in shadowed areas, but they don't cause any problems. I wouldn't worry too much about them overrunning the tank.