New Sponge has light/white spots

[tbaum101]

I just got this little fella 3 days ago. He did not touch air after I got him home and did not when he was being bagged at my LFS. I have moved it a couple of times trying to find a good spot so it would get enough food in the flow. It seems to be working as my tank seems to have much less matter floating around. Is it dying? It had them when I bought it but am thinking it may be getting worse. Opinions?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Dennis romano's posts in the third link quoted below may be useful here - spreading white spots are bad, but a few white spots are expected, particularly with recently handled sponges.

The rest of the info in that thread and the two others linked as well may be helpful for trying to keep ornamental sponges, so I'd suggest reading those too if you haven't already:

For keeping sponges, I'd suggest reading through the following threads (and any links to other threads in my posts in them):

Sponge Tank

Does anyone have experience keeping a sponge only aquarium? If so where can I purchase sponges. I've only found a few online.

www.reef2reef.com

How hard/easy to grow sponge?

I want to be able to grow sponge for my angelfish. Could I do it in a tank I grow macro algae. It's very nutrient rich water, it's my molly breeding tank. Macro algae grows well in the tank with no doesing. The mollies keep it prestienly clean of unwanted algae and only nip here and there on the...

www.reef2reef.com

Is This Ball Sponge a Goner?

Hi all! First of all, I know the typical spiel - sponges are nearly impossible to keep and feed. Despite this, at the end of December I decided to try one. I feed phyto daily and blast it with frozen food juices and kick up microfauna in the sand for it but not sure it’s enough. I had it...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[tbaum101]

Dennis romano's posts in the third link quoted below may be useful here - spreading white spots are bad, but a few white spots are expected, particularly with recently handled sponges.

The rest of the info in that thread and the two others linked as well may be helpful for trying to keep ornamental sponges, so I'd suggest reading those too if you haven't already:

Thank you for the reference. I have not seen this. I looked briefly for something and in a little bit of panic, posted immediately. I'll read up. Ironically, this is the first critter I've purchased on a whim with no research. All I knew was they can't touch air and need to filter so put them in a medium flow!

 

[Glenner’sreef]

I just got this little fella 3 days ago. He did not touch air after I got him home and did not when he was being bagged at my LFS. I have moved it a couple of times trying to find a good spot so it would get enough food in the flow. It seems to be working as my tank seems to have much less matter floating around. Is it dying? It had them when I bought it but am thinking it may be getting worse. Opinions?

So “food in the flow” ? Are you feeding it anything? Phyto/zooplankton? A healthy amount of microorganisms is important for sponges to survive and thrive. Also lower lighting is ideal as brighter light can cause algae on the sponge smothering or suffocating the sponge. The photo looks a bit bright. Good luck.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thank you for the reference. I have not seen this. I looked briefly for something and in a little bit of panic, posted immediately. I'll read up. Ironically, this is the first critter I've purchased on a whim with no research. All I knew was they can't touch air and need to filter so put them in a medium flow!

Oof - tough choice for an impulse buy, as ornamental sponges are notoriously difficult to even keep alive, let alone grow out.

The air thing seems to be either not true or only true for some species:

I've heard this too, but I strongly question the validity of it because numerous sponge species are found in the intertidal zone and are exposed to air with every low tide (see the link below). That said, it's possible that it may be able to cause problems for some species (see the quote below), but your method of releasing the air bubbles is what I would've done/suggested anyway as a precaution.

Again, I personally doubt this is actually an issue. This subject reminds me of the confirmedly false myth that starfish die when exposed to air; in reality they only die from prolonged air exposure, similar to how we humans die from prolonged water exposure (submersion). For starfish, a quick trip through the air won't kill it, and I'd imagine the same holds true for most (if not all) sponges.

So, I'd assume that as long as your tank can provide the proper environment and care for the sponge, it'll recover from any problems.

Splendid Sponges (Intertidal)

An interactive guide to the intertidal sponges of New Zealand.

niwa.co.nz

Agreed - it seems to be a very nicely colored sponge.

With regards to sponges dying when exposed to air, my understanding is that they essentially get air trapped inside their structure and slowly desiccate and/or starve from not being able to continuously filter the water in and out of their body. I wonder if this condition could be treated successfully using methods similar to how one "burps" a clam or a nautilus (i.e. I'm curious if slowly rotating it 360 degrees underwater multiple times would help relieve the problem/release the air from inside the sponge). I suppose with a sponge you would likely need to rotate it 360 degrees in a number of different directions (i.e. top to bottom, side to side, diagonals, etc.) and/or possibly expose it to some flow while "burping" it to help dislodge any bubbles in the spicules, but - in my mind/in theory at least - it seems like it would help.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

So “food in the flow” ? Are you feeding it anything? Phyto/zooplankton? A healthy amount of microorganisms is important for sponges to survive and thrive. Also lower lighting is ideal as brighter light can cause algae on the sponge smothering or suffocating the sponge. The photo look a bit bright. Good luck.

My post in the first thread linked in my quote above covers a lot of info on feeding, flow, and lighting, but the needs for each sponge vary depending on the species.

Some are photosynthetic, for example, and do better under high light.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

My post in the first thread linked in my quote above covers a lot of info on feeding, flow, and lighting, but the needs for each sponge vary depending on the species.

Some are photosynthetic, for example, and do better under high light.

I had a Purple plating photosynthetic sponge a couple of decades ago. It did great under my Kessils at the time. Wish I still had it. Not knowing the type of sponge puts everyone at a disadvantage.

 

[tbaum101]

First...Thank you to everyone for the guidance. I'm keeping a close eye on it. I dose Phyto twice daily durring feedings anyway so hopefully that will be enough for the newcomer. I've got it in a Dec lit spot but not full blast. Figured I'd hedge my bet either way. I have a monty growing about 8 inches above it to the side so the light is less intense in the sponge. I don't want to move it again as I'm afraid all the handling is less than ideal for it. I've read all the links and hopefully the little bit of knowledge will help. Again.. Thanks everyone.

 

[tbaum101]

Just to update on the sponge....The spots have not worsened. Color everywhere else is good. I mixed bacteria and phyto with some AB+ and dosed it directly each day as well as dosing phyto to the tank twice daily. Fingers crossed.