A few days ago I started noticing these little buggers clinging to the back wall of my tank. In just a short while there’s now about 30 or 40 of these guys, and most of them are gathered on one side of the overflow box, and there are a few in the sump.
Prior to posting my query I thought I had better do my own research, and sure enough, I found a similar photo and short description right here in the R2R sticky threads on the Hitchhiker forum. Evidently, this is a Pineapple Sponge, and it’s said to be a “very common good hitchhiker.” Really?
Right now most of these are no bigger than a grain of rice. But I understand they can grow much larger. And although they’re not supposed to be harmful, they’re not an attractive addition to the tank. I want them gone! I’m sure I can scrape them off the glass and scoop or suck them up one way or another, but why are they here in the first place? And how do I keep them from coming back?
One source tells me a nutrient issue could cause a pineapple sponge population explosion. I am battling a nutrient issue right now after recent efforts to mitigate a Cyano and Dino outbreak. My nitrates and phosphates have been zero for at least a week, maybe longer. Well, I finally got the PO4 off rock bottom a day ago. They’re at 0.02 today, but nitrates are still undetectable. I’ve been told I’m over-filtering, running the skimmer 24/7. I thought that was normal. Or maybe I’m not feeding enough. There are only 8 small fish in the 112g tank now, so that’s a very light bio load.
If this was your tank, what would you do about these critters?
Prior to posting my query I thought I had better do my own research, and sure enough, I found a similar photo and short description right here in the R2R sticky threads on the Hitchhiker forum. Evidently, this is a Pineapple Sponge, and it’s said to be a “very common good hitchhiker.” Really?
Right now most of these are no bigger than a grain of rice. But I understand they can grow much larger. And although they’re not supposed to be harmful, they’re not an attractive addition to the tank. I want them gone! I’m sure I can scrape them off the glass and scoop or suck them up one way or another, but why are they here in the first place? And how do I keep them from coming back?
One source tells me a nutrient issue could cause a pineapple sponge population explosion. I am battling a nutrient issue right now after recent efforts to mitigate a Cyano and Dino outbreak. My nitrates and phosphates have been zero for at least a week, maybe longer. Well, I finally got the PO4 off rock bottom a day ago. They’re at 0.02 today, but nitrates are still undetectable. I’ve been told I’m over-filtering, running the skimmer 24/7. I thought that was normal. Or maybe I’m not feeding enough. There are only 8 small fish in the 112g tank now, so that’s a very light bio load.
If this was your tank, what would you do about these critters?