How to eliminate noxious pest sponge completely?

[JasonVH]

Is there a way to eradicate sponges in general completely from a tank? Natural or chemical- similar to how clove/xenia are able to be killed off with certain medication, etc.

The reason being there's a noxious spreading pest sponge making a re-appearance in my tank. It has the potential to explode in growth and every coral reacts negatively when it gets near with some polyps bailing out once directly touched. It's truly horrible.

It is the same as in this post:

Best way to get rid of sponge gone wild...

Ok guys...Name that sponge and WHAT WILL EAT IT. I've scraped it off a number of live rocks including rinsing with RO water and it continues to come back within days/weeks. It's not attractive and would love to have it gone!

www.reef2reef.com

It first showed up in my setup about a year or two ago. Hoped it was eliminated by removing a rock it was observed on. Noticed two small clumps two days ago. Treated those with F-Aiptasia yesterday. This morning found another clump in a different spot. Going to spot treat that after posting.

To be honest, hoping there's a chemical treatment that can be broadcast in the whole tank. It needs to be GONE.

 

[Formulator]

Actually, fenbendazole, the same treatment you alluded to for hydroids like clove polyps should also be effective at eradicating sponges. Theoretically it should actually be even more effective at killing sponges so you might be able to use a lower dose to reduce off target effects.

I would definitely read up on the use of fenbendazole in a reef tank though. Typically you will lose your snails and some other inverts, and may not even be able to keep them again for several months. It also seems to affect zoas and other soft corals, though with the right dosing procedure some folks have reported minimal casualties. Personally, I’m too afraid to try it and I have blue clove polyps on every square inch of my tank not occupied by other coral…

 

[danreef55]

There are natural avenues, but all have a downside. Angels and butterflies eat sponge, but they eat coral as well. I would try emerald crabs they will eat sponge at times. Nudibranchs eat sponge but only certain varieties of sponge. What size is the tank and which corals?

 

[AKReefing]

I consider sponges as part of a healthy biome. Do you have pics?

 

[Formulator]

I consider sponges as part of a healthy biome. Do you have pics?

I agree, but there are certain species that are aggressive and can kill coral. It sounds like the OP may be dealing with one of those…

 

[AKReefing]

Pics please?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

It has the potential to explode in growth and every coral reacts negatively when it gets near with some polyps bailing out once directly touched.

Yeah, that sounds like a potentially chemically harmful sponge:

Most sponges are completely harmless/beneficial, but some can be invasive and/or harmful to corals (thankfully, these are rare).

To tell if a sponge is chemically harmful: if a healthy, established coral starts closing up or looking to be in bad shape on the side closest to the sponge as the sponge grows closer to it, and nothing else has happened (lighting changes, parameter swings, pests, etc.) that could explain it, then the sponge is probably chemically harmful.

Chemically harmful sponges are very rare.

For invasive sponges: unless it shows signs of being chemically harmful or starts actively growing over and smothering a coral's flesh/polyps, it's harmless. These can grow over the skeletons of corals, around the base/stalks of corals, even up into the water column above corals (where they're over the coral but not growing on the flesh or polyps themselves), etc. without harming the coral at all - as long as the coral flesh and polyps can get food, light, and flow, the sponge is harmless.

Invasive sponges are moderately rare.

Invasive and chemically harmful sponges are incredibly rare.

I mention this in my somewhat messy post (linked below), but some sponges can regrow from single cells, so you really have be sure they're dead and gone or that your tank has become a hostile environment to them to ensure they won't come back.

As is also mentioned in my post, predation isn't usually a good option/solution for sponge removal at this point (it's not guaranteed, it's not typically 100% removal, and each predator comes with their own downsides).

Anyway, for the removal:

For removal in case it is a sponge, my post linked below has some ideas you can try - you may also be able to try smothering it using DIY reef snow or similar, but there's no guarantee there:

Is this a pest?

Dear friends, Tonight i recognised that one of the polyp was closed and saw something weird on it? What do you think it is? Should i worry? Thanks, Ozgur

www.reef2reef.com

If you decide to try the Fenbendazole or something similar, then please post back here and let us know how it goes - while harmful sponges are rare, a more effective treatment to eliminate them would be appreciated by the unlucky few who have them show up.

 

[jhodges690]

There are natural avenues, but all have a downside. Angels and butterflies eat sponge, but they eat coral as well. I would try emerald crabs they will eat sponge at times. Nudibranchs eat sponge but only certain varieties of sponge. What size is the tank and which corals?

Need help with my sponges. They are killing my gsp

 

[danreef55]

Sponges are highly sensitive to air exposure. Consult with others like @vetteguy53081 and @ISpeakForTheSeas for additional input.

If possible, take a small rock with both the Green Star Polyps (GSP) and the sponge, and remove it from the tank. Cover the rock with damp paper towels and leave it out of the tank for about 5 minutes before returning it to the water. Monitor for sponge die-off. The GSP is extremely hardy and should remain unaffected by this brief exposure.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Need help with my sponges. They are killing my gsp

Inject with vinegar which will cause sponge to shrink as well as pressing firmly with thump and peel off

 

[danreef55]

Sponges are highly sensitive to air exposure. Consult with others like @vetteguy53081 and @ISpeakForTheSeas for additional input.

If possible, take a small rock with both the Green Star Polyps (GSP) and the sponge, and remove it from the tank. Cover the rock with damp paper towels and leave it out of the tank for about 5 minutes before returning it to the water. Monitor for sponge die-off. The GSP is extremely hardy and should remain unaffected by this brief exposure.

A bit of background The sponge is extremely sensitive to air exposure. Even if wrapped in a damp towel, air can still get trapped in the sponge’s canals, leading to potential suffocation and death. Sponges can begin to die within minutes of exposure to air, even if kept damp, because the internal canal system still gets clogged with air bubbles.

P.S. manually remove as much sponge as you can while it is out of the water

 

[jhodges690]

Sponges are highly sensitive to air exposure. Consult with others like @vetteguy53081 and @ISpeakForTheSeas for additional input.

If possible, take a small rock with both the Green Star Polyps (GSP) and the sponge, and remove it from the tank. Cover the rock with damp paper towels and leave it out of the tank for about 5 minutes before returning it to the water. Monitor for sponge die-off. The GSP is extremely hardy and should remain unaffected by this brief exposure.

Ok ill try it