Sea sponge in decline

[Nordy]

Hi,
Received 5 sponges about 3 weeks ago. 4 are doing well. They are all a deep red. The one in question is turning kinda white. This started about 3 days ago. This sponge has been moved a few times by me. Pretty sure I never exposed it to air by accident. Prior to its decline, I used a Turkey baster to blow off some settled detritus from time to time. Not sure if I contributed for it to take a turn. Right now my magnesium is a little high about 1420. All other parameters are within acceptable ranges and nothing else in my reef tank seems to be off.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Did the turkey baster make bubbles that came in contact woth the sponges? If so they could die.

Do you dose silicate ? (Food)

 

[Nordy]

Did the turkey baster make bubbles that came in contact woth the sponges? If so they could die.

Do you dose silicate ? (Food)

 

[Nordy]

I was kinda thinking the Turkey baster might be the culprit. I do dose silica, did a Salifert test 2 days ago and saw no color on the card to give a number of how much. Bet bubbles came in contact with that sponge. If it continues to decline, is it ok to leave it in my tank or should it be removed as it might increase something that is undesirable like nutrients?

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Might be the bubbles, but silicate is consumed fast in a reef tank.

Has for removing it, I have no idea I never owned one at the moment. I'm still looking tk get my hands on one near me.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

I would leave it, I heard of them detatching healthy parts and coming back elsewhere in the tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Large sponges like these can be very challenging.

 

[Weaverjay101]

Do you have a refugium or carbon dosing? From what I've read the refugium releases dissolved organic carbon into the water that the sponges will consume. They can also directly consume the carbon you dose.

 

[Nordy]

Do you have a refugium or carbon dosing? From what I've read the refugium releases dissolved organic carbon into the water that the sponges will consume. They can also directly consume the carbon you dose.

I use Red Sea NO3PO4x daily and Bacto Energy. Also have a bio pellet reactor pumping to my skimmer pump inlet. Refugium I’m a little frustrated with, Chaeto needs harvesting regularly, but has quite a bit of nuisance algae growing on top of it. My red Gracilaria is not so healthy anymore, gets a weird pinkish slime to it that grows in strands and detritus seems to cling to it. But my mangrove is kicking some butt and looks great!

 

[Weaverjay101]

Do you have an update on the sponges?

 

[Nordy]

I bought 5, Two are doing well, 3 are decomposing.

 

[Nordy]

I bought 5, Two are doing well, 3 are decomposing.

I kinda learned a lesson on sponges. We all love a well taken care of aquarium with clean glass for viewing, but these filter feeders need substance. Some of that grows some unsightly algae. I have a UV sterilizer, and tons of filtration methods, but it is counter in some respects to the well being of aquatic filter feeding organisms. I like gardening. I had a patch of land in my yard that had very dry, compact soil. We do our best to manicure, manage, clean and landscape our yards in an attractive way. For my dry patch, I left yard debris, grew different plants, some lived, some died, but what was important was succession. More unkempt leaf litter built up, and natural mulching that had decaying organic matter added tilth. 4 years later, I have some better soil, full of life, microbes, bacteria, birds, insects, all adding a web of life and diversity. Good flora and fauna like you’d see taking a walk in an old growth forest is mother natures masterpiece. We use chemicals and so many ways to alter our natural surroundings that strip life. But it looks appealing with green cut grass maintained with bags of fertilizer and our penchant for altering the tendencies of mother nature. Nitrates, phosphates, Calcium, Magnesium, Alkalinity, Trace elements, are harder to manage in our cubes of ocean life. This is the blue planet, we’re mostly ocean and the millions of years without having a bunch of humans with eyes for superficial beauty, or superfluous needs to sate our interests giving rise to conflict in all the years of evolutionary synergy that maintained balance and brought us such beauty that is not easily recreated with all our efforts for our creative endeavors.
I try and maintain a pristine reef, but some of what I do is opposing the balance of a diverse reef tank. Still learning and hope to be a master someday! Maybe a little too much Cabernet got me ranting, but it is Washington wine month!