Pineapple Sponges?

[StartingATank]

Yeah I just read this, but I still shouldn't have any as I run 3 DI resins that never get exhausted before replacement.

That could be true, but I believe I also run that, and I still have pineapple sponges in my tank. I believe every new tank has silicates in their water before they get eaten up.

 

[Aspect]

That could be true, but I believe I also run that, and I still have pineapple sponges in my tank. I believe every new tank has silicates in their water before they get eaten up.

Tank is 3 years old, what constitutes "new tank"

 

[Cthulukelele]

Tank is 3 years old, what constitutes "new tank"

Has your tank had sponges grow previously? Typically pineapple sponges are the first sponges to grow and they signify a tank that is stable enough for more gentle creatures like sponges. They're the hardiest sponges, but they're still sponges. A better comment would be newly stable not newly set up.

 

[StartingATank]

Tank is 3 years old, what constitutes "new tank"

That is true. I believe a new tank is 1 year old. Also, silicates might still be present until eaten up, and if you have never noticed dinos or pineapple sponges for a prolonged period of time, silicates might be present. I should have stated newly stabilized

 

[Aspect]

Has your tank had sponges grow previously? Typically pineapple sponges are the first sponges to grow and they signify a tank that is stable enough for more gentle creatures like sponges. They're the hardiest sponges, but they're still sponges. A better comment would be newly stable not newly set up.

I'm not sure I just setup the refugiums and lights recently though they are only like 3 months old. I've never noticed anything like this in display

 

[BriDroid]

Harmless filter feeders, they show up in new tank and then go away by themselves.

Yep. I had a ton of them about 7ish months in. At 12 months not one to be found. They eat what they want and disappear when it’s not there anymore.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I'm not sure I just setup the refugiums and lights recently though they are only like 3 months old. I've never noticed anything like this in display

Ironically this is because of what the people were telling you earlier. Pineapple sponges do better in lower flow darker environments like sumps

 

[Aspect]

Some feather dusters

Ironically this is because of what the people were telling you earlier. Pineapple sponges do better in lower flow darker environments like sumps

I'm not arguing the logistics of the creature or how it showed up, was only looking for a solution to prevent overgrowth besides manual cleaning.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Some feather dusters

I'm not arguing the logistics of the creature or how it showed up, was only looking for a solution to prevent overgrowth besides manual cleaning.

Sure I get it. Realistically though, they're terrible to eat. Most angels don't even eat them and sponge is a huge portion of their wild diet.

Your best bet would probably be some sort of cowrie, but I'd expect that to starve in your sump without supplemental feeding

But if you're going to remove them 19/20 reefers just do it manually.

 

[Aspect]

Sure I get it. Realistically though, they're terrible to eat. Most angels don't even eat them and sponge is a huge portion of their wild diet.

Your best bet would probably be some sort of cowrie, but I'd expect that to starve in your sump without supplemental feeding

Makes sense, thanks for your help

 

[MattR]

I acquired an established tank a little while ago, and they popped out of nowhere. They (and flat worms) went away on their own. I would wait it out unless you really want the fish/invert that just so happens to eat them. Good luck!

 

[Fish Fan]

Some feather dusters

I'm not arguing the logistics of the creature or how it showed up, was only looking for a solution to prevent overgrowth besides manual cleaning.

I think the reason you're not getting the direct answer you're hoping for is because no one has ever had pineapple sponges overgrow their system before

I wouldn't worry about them at all, I've never heard of them causing problems with pumps or anything else. Although I can't explain why you're seeing them just now in a 3 year old tank, they are very common in the dark areas of new tanks, and as mentioned will both self-regulate, and eventually disappear, in my experience.

For the time they are around, most consider them beneficial, although I'm not sure that's been shown conclusively, but that's a story for another thread

I don't know of any common aquarium animals that eat them, so the only reasonable solution is to try a sea turtle

And just to add, you can definitely have silicates in your RODI water, that's somewhat common. From what Randy Holmes-Farley has posted about this, silicates are one of the hardest ions for your DI media to remove, and one of the first ions released when the DI media is close to exhausted. Please see this post and the replies from RHF:

Silicon / Silicates in RODI water

Keep getting Silicon readings in my ICP tests for RODI water. Using a 4 Stage KleanWater Advanced RODI system with Booster Pump. Always use Color Changing DI Resign and change it out when 1/3 has changed color. TDS always reads 0. Does anyone have any ideas as to what is causing the silicates to...

www.reef2reef.com

I hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Andamaite]

They would pop up in the HOB power filter of my old tank in waves. They never jammed that, and those things are notorious for jamming on the slightest obstruction so I doubt they could jam a proper return pump.

Cleaning out your pipes every couple of years should cover edge cases of any crusties building up in there, too.

 

[KrisReef]

That's why I asked for something that can eat at them. I did order the hawksbill so we will see if it fits in sump. Heard they only get to 200 pounds so should be fine sump is 75 gallons

I support these kinds of natural solutions to biological challenges.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I'm late, but yeah, pineapple sponges typically boom then bust in population and go away (or at least regulate in population) on their own, so them taking over and causing issues would be unusual.

Honestly, predation is usually ineffective for sponge removal in our tanks either because the predator won't eat the specific sponges available or they won't eat it consistently enough to actually control the population (and if they do, they'll usually starve afterwards).

Additionally, Pineapple Sponges can also regenerate from single cells, so unless the predator eats literally every last piece of the sponges, they'll just come back until conditions are no longer favorable for them:

They can regenerate from cells, so if their cells are on you fish, snail shells, macroalgae, etc. (basically anything wet), then they can find their way into your tank and start growing into new sponges.

For a good example from the genus:

Regeneration in the sponge Sycon ciliatum partly mimics postlarval development

Highlighted Article: Sponge regeneration is as dynamic as embryogenesis and can be explored to study the genetic features underlying the evolution of multicellularity and regeneration.

journals.biologists.com

I do have a list of known sponge predators on here (at least some of which are readily available in the hobby), but I wouldn't suggest getting a critter just for it at this point.

Hawksbill turtle and many Angelfish.
Sponges are not photosynthetic, so maybe those are not sponges. Any pics?

There actually are quite a few photosynthetic or facultatively photosynthetic (like the Giant Barrel Sponge) sponges out there, they're just not commonly found in the hobby (exceptions for the plating sponges mentioned below):

The most common photosynthetic sponges in the hobby are the photosynthetic plating sponges (like you can find/buy on LiveAquaria's site), but there are quite a few other sponges that are photosynthetic too (such as Aplysina cauliformis, for example),

(P.S. sometimes the photosynthetic plating sponges get invasive).

 

[bjsreefer]

How many gallons? I had a big pineapple sponge explosion in my 90. Got a pink fromia starfish and a dwarf flame angel, and the population over a couple months went down to manageable. Still plenty of sponges for them both but it’s not on EVERYTHING now. I’m not sure which one or if both have helped but those were the two additions I made and the problem went away!

 

[Andamaite]

There actually are quite a few photosynthetic or facultatively photosynthetic (like the Giant Barrel Sponge) sponges out there, they're just not commonly found in the hobby (exceptions for the plating sponges mentioned below):

(P.S. sometimes the photosynthetic plating sponges get invasive).

You have fully piqued my interests on these. Something to add to the wish list that surely won't ever come back to bite me in the buttocks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Best pic I could get really refugiums are covered in algae

These are pinaepples and can be from new rock, new sand, from tap water if used and expired or leaking Di Resin cartridges.
These are short lived and will dissipate as silicates reduce. You can peel them off with the edge of a credit card into a net if they are too many
They are not harmful and cherish algae if they get any