Sponge Dominant Mixed Reef

[Weaverjay101]

Figured I should start a build thread to track my successes and failures with this build. My goal is to create a mixed reef containing corals, macroalgae, and sponges. My goal is to have the tank dominated by sponges. Tank volume is 75 gallons not including sump. Lighting is from two Radion Xr15's. Flow is from one Vortech MP40 as well as some no name powerhead. Fish are lyretail wrasse, hippo tang, bristletooth tang, and 4 neon gobies. Large amount of bristle worms in the rockwork. Large amount of copepods. Will be creating a refugium for my macroalgae. Waiting on caulerpa mexicana to arrive in the mail. Currently dosing about a gallon of phyto a day to feed the sponges and corals. Fish are heavily fed new life spectrum multiple times a day.

 

[Weaverjay101]

Should mention that one of the sponges was exposed to air during the acclimation process. The frilly red tree sponge. Cut into multiple pieces to try to save it. Only one portion is showing signs of death. The other two frags are looking good. Attached to rubble rock with rubber bands until they grow into the rocks.

 

[Devaji]

love this idea. big sponge guy here, dont have any now but did in the past.
best of luck!
pick up a purple planting sponge to add you your collection.

 

[Weaverjay101]

If you're referring to the photosynthetic plating sponge I recently purchased one. Forgot to take a picture of it on my frag rack. Any advice on sponges?

 

[Weaverjay101]

Excuse the cloudy tank I just dosed a gallon of phyto

 

[Weaverjay101]

Current phytoplankton setup is a 30 gallon aquarium. Full spectrum light 14 hours a day small sicce powerhead to keep phyto suspended. Heater to speed up growth. 1.5 ml of F2 per gallon of water added. Harvest about a gallon a day of phyto to dose to my tank. And tips on getting denser cultures would be greatly appreciated

 

[Weaverjay101]

These are the first sponges that appeared in my tank. Small entrusting sponge that only grows in shaded areas. Could really use help identifying it. I've searched the internet and can't find the species.

 

[dennis romano]

Well, you are off to a rough start. Tree sponges are difficult to keep, even for experienced aquarists. They grow upright, not tied to a rock. Wherever the sponge is touching the rock will die because you are preventing that area from getting circulation. Next problem. Sponges have a very delicate skeleton that can be described as crystalline. Rubber bands are breaking that structure. Also, the rubber bands are preventing interior circulation. When exposed to air, the air gets trapped inside the sponge. Water cannot circulate inside the sponge and that area dies. Sponges cannot handle bright light. Algae forms on them, smothering them. Get rid of the rubber bands. Place what is left into crevices in the rockwork out of the bright light. Give them a gentle to moderate, indirect current. The yellow ball sponge stands a chance of surviving, the tree, I'm not too confident of survival. Good luck.

 

[Weaverjay101]

Well, you are off to a rough start. Tree sponges are difficult to keep, even for experienced aquarists. They grow upright, not tied to a rock. Wherever the sponge is touching the rock will die because you are preventing that area from getting circulation. Next problem. Sponges have a very delicate skeleton that can be described as crystalline. Rubber bands are breaking that structure. Also, the rubber bands are preventing interior circulation. When exposed to air, the air gets trapped inside the sponge. Water cannot circulate inside the sponge and that area dies. Sponges cannot handle bright light. Algae forms on them, smothering them. Get rid of the rubber bands. Place what is left into crevices in the rockwork out of the bright light. Give them a gentle to moderate, indirect current. The yellow ball sponge stands a chance of surviving, the tree, I'm not too confident of survival. Good luck.

Well crap. I'll remove the rubber bands

 

[Weaverjay101]

Rubber bands are removed. Hopefully the sponges survive

 

[Subsea]

These are the first sponges that appeared in my tank. Small entrusting sponge that only grows in shaded areas. Could really use help identifying it. I've searched the internet and can't find the species.

Cryptic sponges recycle nutrient rich detritus into the microbial loop.

While most sponges eat some phytoplankton, the microbes that feed on phytoplankton are an important source of nutrition for most sponges.

Diversity of micro fauna & fauna are your priority for sponge health. Consider some diver collected live rock & live sand.

Gulf Live Rock.com

gulfliverock.com

Gulf Live Rock.com

gulfliverock.com

 

[Weaverjay101]

Cryptic sponges recycle nutrient rich detritus into the microbial loop.

While most sponges eat some phytoplankton, the microbes that feed on phytoplankton are an important source of nutrition for most sponges.

Diversity of micro fauna & fauna are your priority for sponge health. Consider some diver collected live rock & live sand.

Gulf Live Rock.com

gulfliverock.com

Gulf Live Rock.com

gulfliverock.com

Been looking into ordering from him ever since you posted that in my other thread. My only question is that in his pictures it looks like he collects the rock into buckets. Doesn't exposure to air kill the sponges on the rock?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along! This is a really interesting tank idea

 

[Sir Bubb]

Been looking into ordering from him ever since you posted that in my other thread. My only question is that in his pictures it looks like he collects the rock into buckets. Doesn't exposure to air kill the sponges on the rock?

First off, I have to say that im loving this tank concept, and am looking forward to seeing how you progress with it.

I’ve ordered from Gulf Live Rock several times and have always been impressed with the amount of benthic organisms that are attached. Lots of sponges (mostly brightly colored encrusting varieties, but I’ve also received some rock with decent sized tree and ball sponges). Sponges aren’t typically something that most people want on their LR, so maybe shoot them an email and see if they can pick out a particularly heavily encrusted piece or two. I’m not sure if they take special requests, but it never hurts to ask.

Definitely opt for the overnight delivery option (to your airport or door) I always go this route, and I’d say that at least 90% of the attached sponges survive.

Best of luck!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Should mention that one of the sponges was exposed to air during the acclimation process.

When exposed to air, the air gets trapped inside the sponge. Water cannot circulate inside the sponge and that area dies. Sponges cannot handle bright light. Algae forms on them, smothering them.

Doesn't exposure to air kill the sponges on the rock?

With regards to the air exposure:

I've heard this too, but I strongly question the validity of it because numerous sponge species are found in the intertidal zone and are exposed to air with every low tide (see the link below). That said, it's possible that it may be able to cause problems for some species (see the quote below), but your method of releasing the air bubbles is what I would've done/suggested anyway as a precaution.

Again, I personally doubt this is actually an issue. This subject reminds me of the confirmedly false myth that starfish die when exposed to air; in reality they only die from prolonged air exposure, similar to how we humans die from prolonged water exposure (submersion). For starfish, a quick trip through the air won't kill it, and I'd imagine the same holds true for most (if not all) sponges.

So, I'd assume that as long as your tank can provide the proper environment and care for the sponge, it'll recover from any problems.

Splendid Sponges (Intertidal)

An interactive guide to the intertidal sponges of New Zealand.

niwa.co.nz

Agreed - it seems to be a very nicely colored sponge.

With regards to sponges dying when exposed to air, my understanding is that they essentially get air trapped inside their structure and slowly desiccate and/or starve from not being able to continuously filter the water in and out of their body. I wonder if this condition could be treated successfully using methods similar to how one "burps" a clam or a nautilus (i.e. I'm curious if slowly rotating it 360 degrees underwater multiple times would help relieve the problem/release the air from inside the sponge). I suppose with a sponge you would likely need to rotate it 360 degrees in a number of different directions (i.e. top to bottom, side to side, diagonals, etc.) and/or possibly expose it to some flow while "burping" it to help dislodge any bubbles in the spicules, but - in my mind/in theory at least - it seems like it would help.

With regards to algae and lighting (it's written specifically for corals, but it applies to sponges):

Algae growing on corals (photosynthetic and NPS) can smother the corals and may indicate bad health (corals and other organisms like sponges chemically defend themselves to keep things from growing on them because they can be smothered - if algae is growing on the coral, there's a good chance the coral's unhealthy, and its immune system is weakened to the point where it can't fend the algae off).

For just general info on sponge keeping - as mentioned, phyto is great (especially if something like Isochrysis and diatoms) but not enough; bacteria and other microbes (as well as tiny, tiny food particles) are going to be as or more important:

For keeping sponges, I'd suggest reading through the following threads (and any links to other threads in my posts in them):

Sponge Tank

Does anyone have experience keeping a sponge only aquarium? If so where can I purchase sponges. I've only found a few online.

www.reef2reef.com

How hard/easy to grow sponge?

I want to be able to grow sponge for my angelfish. Could I do it in a tank I grow macro algae. It's very nutrient rich water, it's my molly breeding tank. Macro algae grows well in the tank with no doesing. The mollies keep it prestienly clean of unwanted algae and only nip here and there on the...

www.reef2reef.com

Is This Ball Sponge a Goner?

Hi all! First of all, I know the typical spiel - sponges are nearly impossible to keep and feed. Despite this, at the end of December I decided to try one. I feed phyto daily and blast it with frozen food juices and kick up microfauna in the sand for it but not sure it’s enough. I had it...

www.reef2reef.com

all entrusting sponge that only grows in shaded areas. Could really use help identifying it. I've searched the internet and can't find the species.

Encrusting sponges generally do better than other sponges in our tanks; some spread to the point of being labelled invasive.

You'll be hard pressed to ID the sponge, but if you want to try for an ID, I'd suggest getting some brighter pics of the sponge under white light. Microscope pics of the tissue and spicules could be helpful as well.

Personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving an ID beyond just saying they’re sponges, as these ones just don’t have enough obviously unique characteristics that I can see to ID from.

Anyway, here’s a good Sponge ID resource for anyone who’s interested- as mentioned, though, sometimes DNA is the best indicator for telling sponges apart:
https://www.fao.org/3/i7773e/i7773e.pdf And, here’s a decent example of why sponge ID by non-microscopic sight is not always reliable:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...rating-variations-in-shape-and_fig6_248716402

For some sites that sell sponges:

Sponges Archives

Popular filter feeders that will look great in your reef tank.

www.kpaquatics.com

Sponge

Sponge

www.bluezooaquatics.com

Live Sponge for Sale. Buy Sea Sponge

Live sponges for sale. Rare specimens available, largest inventory of live sea sponges for sale on line. Buy live sponges and get free shipping and save.

www.aquaculturenurseryfarms.com

Sponges Archives - Arizona Aquatic Gardens

azgardens.com

Gulf Of Maine, Inc. | Sea Life & Seaweed

Gulf of Maine sea life and seaweed shipped to you overnight. Over 200 species catalogued, photographed, and described. Sea life available live, frozen, preserved for educational purposes

gulfofme.com

(The sponges from the last one are probably coldwater species.)

 

[dennis romano]

With regards to the air exposure:


With regards to algae and lighting (it's written specifically for corals, but it applies to sponges):



For just general info on sponge keeping - as mentioned, phyto is great (especially if something like Isochrysis and diatoms) but not enough; bacteria and other microbes (as well as tiny, tiny food particles) are going to be as or more important:



Encrusting sponges generally do better than other sponges in our tanks; some spread to the point of being labelled invasive.

You'll be hard pressed to ID the sponge, but if you want to try for an ID, I'd suggest getting some brighter pics of the sponge under white light. Microscope pics of the tissue and spicules could be helpful as well.


For some sites that sell sponges:

I'd like to pass on an anecdote about one of my sponges. It is a yellow encrusting type that had been in my tank for about six months. Everything was going well with it, retaining color and had anchored to a rock. One morning, I was shocked to see it floating at the surface of the tank. I tried to gently press the gas out of it, knowing that I could be ruining its inner structure. Large bubbles came out from where it had anchored to the rock. Now. it is no longer buoyant. The next day, it's floating at the surface again. Instead of removing it, I decided to leave it in the tank. After a few days, it had decayed, resembling a grey cotton ball and settled on a rock. A few days later, it started to encrust on the rock! A couple of days later, it started to turn light yellow! As of this morning, it had encrusted about two inches and is a very pale yellow.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Copying from your other thread:

Bear in mind that most sponges are quite difficult (IMO).

I'd dose silicate, and I'd also make sure there was enough fine particle food.

 

[Weaverjay101]

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.12758 Been reading up on sponges during my lunch break. From what this article says the majority of what sponges consume is DOM produced by corals and macroalgae. With sponges using the macroalgae DOM much more than coral DOM. Looks like I need to add macroalgae to the tank.

 

[Weaverjay101]

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279061640_2013_deGoeij_Science_Sponge_loop Interesting read. Do corals consume the detritus produced by sponges?

 

[Weaverjay101]

Photo dump. Upgraded the light mount to accommodate future lighting additions. The red tree sponge had stopped dying back. Hopefully it will recover. Both my red entrusting and yellow ball sponges seem very happy. Osculua are very open on these two which I'm taking as a good sign.