FAQs on Sponge Identification
7
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 8, Sponge
ID 9, 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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Sponges? Syconoid 01/02/08 Happy New Year to
all of the Crew: <Thank you! And to you and yours! Mich
here.> I hope all of you are warm. <Yes, thanks to Mr. Holmes
my portable space heater... I'm feeling hot hot
hot'¦> We have an inch of snow here in Surrey BC Canada
<I can raise that and then some! Big fluffy flakes currently
falling on top of the several inches of their friends that are
currently covering things here in the Pocono Mountains of
Pennsylvania. The weather outside is frightful'¦> I
have these "critters" in my 2 year old 50 gal.
<Critter can be good! All got a place in the
choir'¦> They might be sponges, <Yes, they are.>
but I could not find any pics of these on your site.
<They're here, they're there, they're everywhere:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spongeidfaq3.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf5.htm > Hopefully you could
identify these and tell me if they are friend or foe.
<You've got a friend'¦ harmless filter feeders,
Syconoid sponges.> At first I had one and found it interesting.
Just before he died, <Oops.> There were about 75 little ones
on the glass and a few scattered around the LR. <Can be a sign
of excess nutrients in the water, you may want to watch your
feedings.> They are now in my 10 gal where I just have live rock
and Caulerpa growing. <Careful with the Caulerpa. Don't let
it get on any of your LR. You won't be able to get it off
easily.> I fill this aquarium with the 2 week old 50 gal water.
So they transferred in with the water. <Or came with the LR.>
must be 100 of them there. They seem very prolific!!
<They're multiplying'¦> I am worried that they
will take over. <And I'm losing control? No, they usually
they reach a balance on their own, with populations waxing and
waning. They are usually self-limiting unless your nutrients are
totally out of control.> A siphon hose easily pulls them off
however. <Yes, but they are doing a service for you. I would let
them grow where is convenient. I have attached 3 pictures. #2 is
about half an inch long. Below that is a mass that might be a
sponge with 2 siphons. It is about half an inch in diameter and
half an inch high. This is along the back wall and I have not seen
it before. #3 ,the downward angled one is about 3/4 in. long. #4 is
a cluster of the smaller ones, 1/4 inch long, growing on the glass.
Should I keep them in check, or let them be? <Speaking words of
wisdom'¦ Let it be'¦> Thank you very much.
<Welcome very much.> Worried
Dietmar
<No worries Dietmar'¦ be happy'¦ Mich> |
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Yet Another ID... Yet Another Sponge...
11/17/2007 Good morning crew. <Good morning Chris.> Chris
here with another ID question. <Mich here with another ID
answer.> I've spent the past two days looking for this
critter on your site with no luck. <It's there.> I'm
not a computer wiz but I was thinking. What if you had pages with
nothing but submitted pictures that you could click on to be taken
to the appropriate page. I don't know if that is in the realm
of possibilities but it's just an idea. <And a good idea at
that! Will discuss with RMF.><<A good idea... but... the
real problem... It's just me who places all... seven days a
week... and I am currently just able to keep up with what I do...
RMF. IF we were more commercial, we COULD hire folks (we do this
for free) to greatly improve the sites>> Now on to my
question. This guy is some kind of hitchhiker. <Yup.> It
lives in my LR. <Yup.> Is not mobile but does have what seems
to be a feeding tube that stick out a little farther than it's
tentacles <???> and pulls it in when hit with light. <The
tentacles that pull in are unrelated... Perhaps something else
nearby, like the tiny feather dusters off to the left in the
pic.> I've attached a picture to help. <Is a sponge... a
Poriferan, identification to the species level usually requires
microscopic examination. Is nothing to worry about. This is a
harmless filter feeder, though an excessive amount could indicate a
nutrient problem. Some similar pictures here: Enjoy!
Mich> |
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Help With Identification of Something Growing on
Rock... A Sponge 11/9/07 Hi, <Hi Carlos, Mich here.>
Thanks for the great web site... <On behalf of Bob and the crew,
you're welcome!> it has been a great source over the last
year with my reef thank. <Glad to hear!> My tank is doing
quite well and appears healthy, but I have had this rock with
mushrooms on it for about 9 months. I have noticed over the last
few months a yellowish green substance filling some of the
crevices. It is semi-transparent almost gel like in appearance. I
tried to scrape it off a couple of weeks ago while cleaning the
tank but it is actually quite hard to the touch. I have enclosed a
photo and outlined it in blue. As you can see there is a tubeworm
that is being covered by this substance. Any ideas on what it might
be? <Yes, is a sponge. Impossible to identify much beyond this
without microscopic analysis.> My tank is about a year old.
36-gallon corner tank. 65 pounds of live rock 30 pounds of live
sand refugium with Chaeto and two small rocks with zillions of
Mysis shrimp and pods. <Yay!> 2 Montipora 1 Acropora 1 small
hammer coral 1 frogspawn pearl bubble coral xenia sp open brain
plate coral 3 Ricordea mushrooms tube worm...going on a year 2
small percula clowns 1 Royal Gramma 1 Randall goby with pistol
shrimp <Lots of potential for allelopathy in such a small
system! Hope you're doing frequent water changes!> pH
8.1-8.2, temp 79-80, ammonia, nitrite at 0, nitrate fluctuates
0-15, Calcium at 390-420, Alk at 4.0, sp grav approx 1.027 <A
bit high> <Welcome! Mich>
Carlos |
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Worm ID... maybe a Poriferan 10/29/07 Great site!
Have found answers to almost all of my questions. The one
question that I have today deals with a worm ID. I found
something similar at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/wormidfaq3.htm
but you said that the picture was not clear enough. I have taken
a few of my own and hope that you can help me figure out what
these little creatures are. Thanks, Staff Sergeant Chris Shannon
<I see where you allude to... the second reply from the
bottom... I think these are sponges however... Do they stay
attached permanently? I.e., are non-moving? I would just leave
them be... are useful filter feeders... Bob Fenner>
Re: Worm ID... poriferans -- 10/30/2007 They
are non-moving. Unless my psychotic Kole Tang bites one off and
spits it out somewhere else. Thanks for the help. <Ahh! Do
look on the Net with the term Syconoid sponges. Cheers, Bob
Fenner>
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Mystery Coral... No, Is a Sponge
10/21/07 Hello All, <Hi Jonboy! Mich here, not on
Walton's Mountain, but in the Pocono Mountains.> I've
used your website for the last couple of years and have found a
wealth of knowledge on it. <I'm very glad you have found it
helpful!> This is my first email since I usually can find
answers to my questions from your archives. <This is wonderful
to read.> My problem is that I can't identify the coral in
the picture attached to this email. <Heehee! That's because
it's not a coral!> The LFS told me it was an 'orange sea
fan.' <Nope, is not a Gorgonian either!> Though it is
orange it doesn't resemble any sea fan that I've been able
to locate. <Is not a seaman. Is a Poriferan, Looks like an
orange tree/paddle sponge, a Clathria spp. to me. You have been
sold an inappropriate creature for captivity as most Poriferans
are. This is not a good genus to keep in an aquarium. This sponge
can be toxic and may harm other animals... particularly if it dies,
which is a good likelihood as these animals are difficult to keep
in a home aquarium setting.> It stands about 5 inches and has
incrusted on the rock. It also has a very bumpy exterior that I
believe is a way for it to catch organic matter. <Yes, is a
filter feeder.> I've never seen this coral before and the
LFS told me that it would do great under my PC's. <No, it
won't. It prefers dimly lit conditions and may actually be
harmed by brighter lighting.> I hope the picture turns out well
enough for you to identify this for me. <The picture is
fine.> Thanks in advance, Jonboy
<Welcome! Goodnight Jonboy! Mich> |
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Sponge ID, Anemone getting healthier -- 10/12/07 Crew,
<Hello Andy, Brenda here! I have received both of your
e-mails, and will answer both here.> Hope all is well. I have
two questions and have attached three pictures related thereto.
<Okay.> First: I purchased a piece of Tonga Branch with 4
greenish mushrooms on it. At the bottom of the LR is what appears
to be some type of hairy sponge. When I tried to reposition this
piece of LR, I noticed that it has become attached to the piece
of LR on which it rests. On closer inspection, it appears that
this sponge (or whatever it is) has grown and bonded to the
underlying LR. Any thoughts on what this is? <It is hard to
tell with a picture and there are so many different sponges.>
Second: I have had a BTA for 5 or so months. When I got it, it
was tan. Since then, it has gotten progressively darker and is
now a purple/brown color. <Congratulations! Your anemone is
getting healthier.> I feed it 1 frozen cube of Mysis (thawed
and soaked in Selcon) 2 times per week, and it is a very eager
eater. <A full cube may be a bit much. I would also mix up the
diet a bit with some Silversides, Lance fish, raw shrimp, etc.
Portions should never be bigger than the anemones mouth.> My
Gold Stripe Maroon Clown is in love with it. <Yes, I bet! It
is a wonderful relationship to witness.> In any event, as
you'll see from the attached photos, its tentacles have lost
their bubble tips (which it only had for a month or so), which I
know is typical/normal/not indicative of problems. <No, it is
not a problem, and also not completely understood yet why some
have bubbled tips and some don't.> What has me curious is
why the tentacles sometimes look like curly-cues and whether it
is normal for the anemone to go concave on me (first picture).
Its mouth is very tight. It has not moved from that spot since I
added it to the display. <Is it expelling waste when it looks
like this?> As background, I have a 110 gallon display
(48" x 18" x 30") with about 80 lbs of live rock,
a 30 gallon LR/Chaeto/DSB refugium, a wet-dry filter, and a Coral
Life Super Skimmer. Lighting is six 54W T5 HO (four 10,000k and
two 460nm actinics). <Do you have individual reflectors?>
The BTA is positioned almost on the bottom of my tank. Parameters
are: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate all 0; pH is 8.2;
Salinity is 1.024-1.025. <I recommend increasing salinity to
1.026 for anemones.> Temperature is 78 -80 degrees. I do 10%
weekly water changes with aged RO/DI water (Instant Ocean). Other
tank inhabitants are Sailfin Tang (I know . . .), Gold Stripe
Maroon, Brown Combtooth Blenny, Royal Gramma, Filament Flasher
Wrasse, Yellow Wrasse, Clown Goby, about 15 mushrooms (various
types), 2 unidentified tree corals, 1 Lemnalia, hermits, snails,
and two Sally Light Foot crabs. I appreciate your time/thoughts.
Andy Crew, Sorry to cause confusion and delay, but in re-reading
my e-mail below I realized that I asked about my BTA's oral
disc being "concave" from time to time, when I meant to
say convex. Sometimes, it turns outward/upward to fully expose
its oral disc. <It may be trying to reach for light. From the
pictures it looks healthy.> Just so I'm clear, it never
turns itself "inside out"--just appears to reach for
the stars. <It is reaching for light.> Because it has never
moved and has great color, I can only assume that it's not in
need of more light, but I am just a reader of law and no
specialist of inverts. <It may be that the anemone has
positioned itself in such away that it is partially shaded, and
needs to extend in order to reach the light. It does not mean
that you need to add more lighting. The anemone appears healthy.
If you have individual reflectors on your T-5s, I would leave
things alone.> Thanks! <You're welcome! Brenda>
Re: Sponge ID, Anemone getting healthier -- 10/12/07
Brenda, <Hello Andy> Thanks for the response.
<You're Welcome!> I don't think I have individual
reflectors. I know that some T5 bulbs actually have internal
reflectors, but I don't think my bulbs (SlimPaq T-5 HO) have
this characteristic. <Without the individual reflectors, T-5
bulbs are comparable to PC lighting.> What I do know is that
my fixtures are Current Nova Extremes (I have one 4 bulb fixture
and one 2 bulb fixture). The product information states that the
fixture has "A German parabolic reflector increases light
output up to 99%". <With the use of individual
reflectors, lighting can be increased up to 300%. I am really
surprised that the anemone remains so low in your tank, yet
appears healthy after 5 months. I suspect that your clownfish
constantly feeding it, and the use of Selcon, is making up for
the lack of lighting. The 'reaching' out that you see, is
the anemone trying to get as much light as possible. Keep a close
eye on the anemone. Keep all intakes protected in case the
anemone decides to take a walk looking for more lighting. If its
health decreases, it may be time to upgrade lighting, or find the
anemone a new home. At this point, I am not seeing any immediate
concerns. Brenda>
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