Question About Tree Sponges

[Joe Tony]

Hey guys, so I decided to try my luck with an orange tree sponge. Everything I read about these guys suggests they don't do well in reef tanks. Mine is a 30-gallon but well-established, and it has a deep sand bed that releases microfauna which are great for my colonies of clams, feather dusters, and little sponges. It's been about a week and there hasn't been any white marks on the sponge, which means it didn't touch the air, which is good. But I'm wondering if a sponge as big as it is (we're talking a 7-inch tall sponge in a 30 gallon nano), maybe I should frag small bits from the orange sponge, disperse those in the tank, and see if they'll grow well alongside my other sponges, while returning the main piece to my local fish store. Otherwise part of me thinks this big sponge is just gonna starve to death. What are your thoughts?

 

[dennis romano]

I have several sponges in my NPS tank and the tree sponges have always been the most challenging. Mine would go for months doing well, then one day start to break down. The surviving pieces from half inch to three inch would wind up elsewhere in the tank and live. I believe that it is one way they reproduce in nature. A storm batters the reef and the sponge pieces spread out. I suggest to leave it and try to keep it alive before you start slicing it. If it does break down and spreads...fine. I stir up my sand bed every day or two and the sponges do well.

 

[Joe Tony]

I have several sponges in my NPS tank and the tree sponges have always been the most challenging. Mine would go for months doing well, then one day start to break down. The surviving pieces from half inch to three inch would wind up elsewhere in the tank and live. I believe that it is one way they reproduce in nature. A storm batters the reef and the sponge pieces spread out. I suggest to leave it and try to keep it alive before you start slicing it. If it does break down and spreads...fine. I stir up my sand bed every day or two and the sponges do well.

In your experience do tree sponges ever release harmful toxins into the water should they die? I've read conflicting reports about that.

 

[dennis romano]

In your experience do tree sponges ever release harmful toxins into the water should they die? I've read conflicting reports about that.

Never had an issue with inverts or fish being affected.

 

[Joe Tony]

Never had an issue with inverts or fish being affected.

Alright then. I'll just let it be. So if it ends up starving will it turn white, or will it just break apart and bits of it will attach to parts of the water column?

 

[dennis romano]

I have had both events happen. Sometimes a white spot will start on a branch. I had the tip of the branch fall off and anchor somewhere else. The one half inch piece landed on an old oyster shell. After a few months, it covered the whole shell and is fine today. Another tiny piece wound up behind a large rock and and still sits there. The rest of the tree decayed. I have found over the years that if there is color left, there is a chance that it will survive. About a decade ago, I had a blue vase sponge where most of it decayed except for a tiny piece. Today, it is a beautiful encrusting sponge.

 

[Joe Tony]

I have had both events happen. Sometimes a white spot will start on a branch. I had the tip of the branch fall off and anchor somewhere else. The one half inch piece landed on an old oyster shell. After a few months, it covered the whole shell and is fine today. Another tiny piece wound up behind a large rock and and still sits there. The rest of the tree decayed. I have found over the years that if there is color left, there is a chance that it will survive. About a decade ago, I had a blue vase sponge where most of it decayed except for a tiny piece. Today, it is a beautiful encrusting sponge.

It's kind of interesting how people view sponges in the hobby. People say that sponges are really hard to take care of, and that's true insofar as a big sponge needs A LOT of food, and you can't let them touch the air.

But if you look at them in their natural habitat, it seems like sponges are far more resilient compared to corals. Like, as coral reefs are being bleached (sadly) because of global warming, new sponge reefs are forming to take their place. And I read stuff about how sponges can withstand spikes in water chemistry, survive freezing temperatures, and live in the deep trenches. They seem to be a lot hardier than corals all things considered, and I wonder if down the line, reefkeepers will invent new methods of sponge care that seem to suggest the same for them.