FAQs on Sponge Identification
9
Related Articles: Sponges in Marine
Aquariums
Related FAQs: Sponge ID
1, Sponge ID 2, Sponge ID 3, Sponge ID 4, Sponge
ID 5, Sponge ID 6, Sponge ID 7, Sponge ID
8, Sponge ID 10, Sponge ID 11, Sponge ID 12, Sponge ID 13, Sponge ID 14, Sponge ID 15, Sponge ID 16, Sponge ID 17, Sponge ID 18,
Sponge ID 19, Sponge
ID 20, Sponge ID 21, & Sponges 1, Sponges
2, Sponges 3, Sponge Selection, Sponge Compatibility, Sponge Systems, Sponge Feeding, Sponge Disease, Sponge Reproduction,
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Can't identify encrusting creature on my live
rock; looks like old chewing gum, but with mouths in it, living in
a crevice. ( I know that's weird) 6/23/08
Hello, <Hi Alisa, Mich here.> and thank you all for providing
such a comprehensive resource for aquarists. <On behalf of Bob
and crew, you're welcome!> I have researched for days trying
to identify this strange thing, and frankly my research may be
inhibited by my inability to really describe what I'm looking
at, as I've never seen anything like it before. My closest
approximation is that it is some sort of flat tunicate or
encrusting sponge, but I haven't found a picture of anything
very close. <Mmm, doesn't look like a tunicate to me. Looks
like a sponge.> Specs: I have a 45 gallon long reef tank with a
14 gallon sump. I have a wet/dry filter, <I'd remove the
biomaterial, it increases nitrates.> protein skimmer, an
internal overflow and two powerheads, and a 24 hour power compact
fluorescent lighting system with 2 AquaClear 502 powerheads. I have
about 40 lbs of live rock, all live sand and about 2.5 inches of
substrate, 16 hermit crabs (scarlet, red leg, blue leg, and left
handed), <Not a fan... Too opportunistic in my opinion.> 15
American star snails, <Mmm, I'm not familiar with this
common name.> two true percula, a Midas Blenny, and a Coral
Beauty, 1 four inch tall brown pulsing xenia, and 9 polyps of blue
spotted mushrooms. Levels: As of today my Nitrate is 0, Ammonia is
0, Nitrite is 0, Ph is 8.1, Phosphate is 0, Alkalinity 11 DKH,
Calcium 340, Salinity 1.024 <OK.> Question: There is a
strange encrusting creature on a piece of my live rock which
appears to be growing out of a crevice. It is light beige, and
about 2 inches long and ranges from 3/4 to 1/4 inch wide, and has
six 'mouths' of varying size from 3/4 inch wide to 1/8 inch
wide, that look just like clam mouths, and they open during the day
and close at night. It is not moving, or if it is moving, it is
doing so super slowly. I have included a photo, and an wondering a)
what is this thing? and b) is it safe, or should it be removed?
<Looks like a sponge to me. As long as it is not impinging on
anything I would leave in place.> Thanks for any help you can
offer! <Welcome,
Mich>
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Alisa Berman |
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Can I rescue my sponge? And what kind is
it? 7/29/08 Hi Bob and crew! <Kerstin> Well, as
usual, I have been searching your great website and the web, and
wouldn't you know it - I haven't been able to identify my
sponge. I did find a great website (www.poppe-images.com) with an
amazing number of pictures of different sponges; it complimented
your articles on them. I have learned lots in the process (as
usual), and so I am wondering if you could assist me with the
following: <Will try> 1. Do you have any idea which type of
sponge this is? <Mmm, looks most like a Monanchora unguifera to
me... is it from the TWA, the tropical West Atlantic?> I have
only seen orange pictures that have this kind of structure, and
didn't know if that would translate; my LFS had no record of
what kind it is. I did try to do research on the sponge before I
purchased it, and I observed it in the tank at my LFS for over a
month - where it seemed to have no problems. <Mmm... the
color... feeding type...> 2. Do you have any suggestions of
things I can do that will help it stay alive? <A very large
refugium... culture of food there and elsewhere... careful addition
of small foods> I have included a picture of where it is in my
92-gallon corner tank; the tank has an Outer Orbit 250W HQI/T5
light hanging ~8 inches above the tank frame, and the sponge is on
the right side of the light. <I see... also another sponge
toward the off right on the bottom> I added the sponge to my
tank six weeks ago, and until recently, it looked fine; only within
the last week has it started to develop some areas at the top where
it is going pale white/green. <Ahh, die-back> I am wondering
if it needs either more or less light, current, food, <Likely
this, and time to settle in, but... again, this is a
non-photosynthetic species... some concern with alkaloid
release...> or any combination of those? Or should I just
re-setup my quarantine tank and watch what it does there? I
don't know if it would be toxic to my tank if it dies, hence
that question. <Is...> The red sponge did come attached to a
small piece of rock, which was in fact encrusted with an orange
sponge and a small feather duster (which has since disappeared).
The encrusting orange seems to have attached it to the rock - but I
am sure I can move it if I need to. <I would leave this as
is> I had rearranged my powerheads slightly lower about 2 weeks
ago (when it was still doing well); I have returned them to their
previous position (higher along glass, but blowing in the same
direction) again as of yesterday; could the change in current be
what caused the sponge to start deteriorating? <Mmm, much more
likely just from collection, being moved issues> Other
information about my tank: - My fish are a Zebrasoma Xanthurum
(Purple tang), Pseudocheilinus Hexataenia (Sixline Wrasse),
Ecsenius Bicolor (Bicolor Blenny), Gramma Loreto (Royal
Gramma/Fairy Basslet), Siganus doliatus (Barred Spinefoot -
Rabbitfish); - Invertebrates are 2 Blood-red shrimp, 4
skunk-cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, and a serpent star, as
well as an unidentified crab (have seen his molted shell once, is
about 3/4-inch wide). - Corals include several different types of
brains, a Lobophyllia, 2 Acropora, a Stylophora, a Pavona, an
Acanthastrea, a small green Zoanthid rock, a Micromussa, a
Turbinaria, two Fungias, and 2 mushrooms (I tried, but these are on
the base of a 25-lb. rock, and until they become a nuisance, I am
not willing to dismantle my tank just to scrape them off the
rock...). Could any of these be proving a problem for the sponge?
<Mmm, more like the opposite... again, for emphasis, instead of
hinting around, I would watch your Anthozoans... move the sponge
out, change a bunch of water, utilize carbon... should they show
rapid negative behavior> - I also have several other sponges - a
yellow encrusting who is happy no matter where he is located, and
an orange encrusting sponge that has recently sprung up. <A good
sign re the overall fitness of your system that these sponges are
proliferating> - Most of my parameters are in the general norms,
with pH running at 8-8.2 (depends on time of day for the
measurement), temp. running 80 +/- .6 °F (MH tends to
heat up the tank, the fan keeps the temp from swinging too badly).
I have been battling low alkalinity, which I seem to finally (in
the last 2 months), have under control around 8.5 dKH (I seem to
have an alkalinity sink in my tank, <Yes... the
metabolism/growth of the biomineralizing life t/here> with it
dropping sometimes below 7 (not since I have had the sponge)
<Mmm, it may be supplying, and/or depressing the uptake
therein> while the Calcium would spike above 550 (also finally
stabilizing)). - I do weekly water changes of 5-10 gallons, and
have gotten rid of my Bryopsis algae (finally!) after weeks of
raising the alkalinity and just generally picking it off/sucking it
up with water changes. I had a small case of red slime about 3
weeks ago - it seems to be primarily gone, and even the small HOT
refugium (I used Steven's instructions to convert a AquaClear
110 with Chaeto and Fiji Mud) is rid of the red slime. <Good>
- My Tunze skimmer produces about 100ml of skimmate every 4-5 days,
and the tank has been set up since I upgraded it from a 29-gallon
back in November last year. My powerheads for circulation are a
Hydor Koralia 2, Hydor Koralia 3, and a MaxiJet 1200 with the Hydor
Flo Deflector on it. <Sounds/reads good as well> I greatly
appreciate any inputs you can provide... I learn lots every time I
research on your site, and feel my tank wouldn't be doing as
well without the excellent information and opinions you provide. I
am working on a sump/refugium, <Ahh! Do go forward with this
full steam> but at this point want to see what is at MACNA
before I build/purchase one; if that would help my sponge, I may
need to see what can be done to keep it alive until then. <Do
hope to meet you in Atlanta> Thanks tremendously in advance for
any information, Kerstin DeRolf:-) <Cheers, Bob Fenner> |
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White growth on live rock: Syconoid sponges and
likely Ascidian - 4/21/08 Hello crew. <Hi Bubba> I have
been looking for answers for a while now. <Heheee! Haven't
we all!> I have this white growth on my live rock. I have felt
it and it feels almost like a gel of some sort? <That's a
helpful clue, thanks!> I have tried to blow it off with a power
head and have tried to suction it off with no luck. I had this
stuff once in the past, same exact spot, and finally got it off
with a tooth brush. 2-3 months later and it is back. I have
included a picture for you to see. At the bottom of the pic there
is some of the stuff that comes out of the rock in little q-tip
heads. <Guess what one of their common names is? Yep, a Q-tip
sponge, also known as a harmless Syconoid sponge. See the
FAQ's/photos at the following link regarding these neat little
sponges: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf7.htm > There are
numerous pieces of that type. <Yes, these can be quite numerous
at times, especially in new systems or when there's a high
nutrient load.> The middle of the pic is the same stuff, but it
just seems to be one big growth. The pic is good so hopefully you
can tell what I have. Do you think it is some type of sponge?
<Mmmm, no. If it feels like a gel, that is - smooth or slimy,
it's more than likely a harmless Ascidian (tunicate/sea squirt)
of some sort. For more information on these, please see this link:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidians.> I have looked for sponge
pics but it seems they are mostly red or orange. <Oh, you've
been missing out on some real beauties! Sponges come in a wide
variety of beautiful colors and interesting shapes, as can be seen
at the following link: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm .
Enjoy!> Please help!! Bubba D. <Not to worry, Bubba. Sponges
and tunicates are all part of the diversity that makes for a
healthy system. Take care, -Lynn> |
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Help to Identify -- Sponge 4/19/08 Hi, <Hi
Crystal> This was on a live rock that I bought from a local
store. I have been told it is a sponge and also told it was and
encrusting Bryozoan. Please help me, I have searched the web and
not found anything that looks like it. <It's a neat little
sponge! Please see the following links for more information and
photos (also note the associated links at the top of each page):
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spongeidfaqs.htm > Thank you, Crystal
<You're very welcome. Take care, -Lynn> |
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Are these sponges? I hope? Yes! Syconoid Sponges
- 3/31/08 Hello crew! <Hi Ben!> I have been lurking
since I started this hobby and have sent one email that was
answered by James 'Salty Dog' and really helped me with
my algae problems. <Excellent!> I appreciate the database
of information you guys have built up. It certainly helps us
relative newbies out. <Hehee! It even helps this oldie out as
well!> (sorry for the re-mail, I forgot to attach the pic the
first time around!) <No worries. :-)> The reason I write
today is that I have a mysterious growth on my Neon Hammer and
would love a little help with an ID! <No problem! It's a
harmless filtering Syconoid sponge, commonly called a Q-tip or
Pineapple sponge. Please see this link for other examples/photos
and more information: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf7.htm >
I admit, I looked around on the site, but time hasn't
permitted me to do an exhaustive search, so I apologize for that.
<Alright, well I'll let you off the hook just this
once!> This is the only place it exists in the tank, on the
stems of this hammer. I have attached a picture. There are quite
a number of them. They are best described as what look like tiny
soft white pineapples. <Yep, hence the common name.> Could
they be sponges? <Yep> Or egg cases? <Nope> I did
notice a while ago that one of my brittle sea stars was hanging
out in there, but I haven't seen any snails in there. Is this
something that could be harmful? <Not likely.> The Hammer
is starting to sprout a couple tiny new polyps so I hope it
isn't. <Should be fine.> Also they popped up relatively
quickly. One week they weren't there, the next they were!
<That's fairly typical. These neat little sponges usually
appear in boom and bust cycles, showing up in great numbers, then
dropping off to a few or none.> Animals in tank: 2 Ocellaris,
1 algae blenny, 2 brittle sea stars, 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, 4
peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald crabs, and a bunch or Cerith, turbo
and Nassarius snails. Pulsing Xenia, Neon Hammer, and clove
polyp. Oh yeah, and some Chaeto. Tank readings: Ammonia,
Nitrites, Nitrates- 0, pH 8.2, Calcium 380, KH 8 (on the Ap test-
that's how they measure it) phosphates 0 and salinity 1.025.
It's a 40 gallon breeder. Any help on an ID would be
appreciated! Ben <You're welcome, Ben, enjoy those little
sponges while they last! Take care, -Lynn>
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plant id... actually a Poriferan -- 03/20/08 hello, I have
an unusual plant in my reef tank. It looks like coralline algae
in color. It grows slowly and has broad leafs/tissue. Its pretty
robust-- not brittle, quite slippery. I have been searching for
any similar plant/macroalgae morphology, but have not found
anything close. I would appreciate any input to help figure this
out. Thanks, rob <Very nice pic and organism... This is
actually a Sponge. See the Net, or here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm and the linked ID files above.
Bob Fenner>
Re: plant id, Poriferan 3/20/08 Thanks a lot for
the input. I did actually frag it and find it to be one of the
cooler parts of my reef system. <Is a beauty! And testament to
your good maintenance. Cheers! BobF>
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Isn't that pretty?
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