Calling all Sponge Experts!!

[am07f]

Hello everyone,

I'm seeking the help of anyone who has successfully grown sponges in their home aquariums. If there is a thread that already exists discussing sponge care and requirements that would also be very helpful.

Currently, Im working at the University of Amsterdam to perfect the DyMiCo systems they have set up containing multiple sponge specimens from the mediterranean and the caribbean. The systems should be self sustaining harboring a micro environment for multiple marine species to flourish. The DyMiCo systems doses vinegar into a "reactor" that controls the oxidation/reduction potential, boosting microbial metabolism within the reactor. It then pushes water through it, allowing for pure biological filtration, acting as deep sea sediments. There is also very little pump action and no protein skimming, so plankton should also sustain populations within the aquarium.

It has been established for over a year, yet some sponges appear to ooze away and die. I am going to begin running through and trouble shooting all of the parameters and equipment. In the mean time i would like to hear from you, the experts, on all of your tricks and tips to keeping sponges happy and healthy. What kind of food you give them, how much light, how much flow, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[miamiangler]

all I know Is that sponges cant hit the air or they die , must be kept In water all the time . feed the same as all filter feeders .

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

bump for lunch crew!

 

[H2O]

My tank got a lot of sponges growing all over mostly yellow / white/purple/black/blue those color sponges grow fast I never had any luck with the red ones they all like low light

 

[Davesgt]

I have had sponges on live rock in just about every color in my frag system and they love when I run the lights really low like under 100 par low. I also feed the tank coral frenzy and a clam diet from brightwell mix that seems to target some sort of feeding from them fairly well.

 

[am07f]

Awesome guys! Thanks for the Bump!

So its interesting, what we know about sponge microbiome is that some are HMA (High microbial abundance) and LMA (Low microbial abundance). Higher microbial numbers in a sponge show characteristics like lower pumping rates, need to filter less food particles because of the food obtained from their symbionts, like corals. We also know that they feed on very small pico- sized particles, 0.5 - 2 micrometers, including viruses, bacteria, cyanobacteria and DOM (dissolved organic matter). So, most supplement food like phytoplankton or clam frenzy is much too large, most phytoplankton range in sizes from 2-15 micrometers, 2 being the largest possible for some sponges. It is also true that many sponges are cryptic and like very low light conditions, depending on their symbionts, but again each sponge species is different.

I guess im looking for anyone who has successfully kept alive and grown or even cultured sponges in their home aquarium. Many opportunistic small sponge species grow in home aquariums, under the rock or in the pipes, but im refering to more larger ornamental species. Does anyone know an aquarist with healthy growing sponges? Im interested to see if its even been accomplished. :smile:

Thanks!!

 

[janverwegen]

sponge fan

Hello,

I'am from the Netherlands and my English isn't perfect. Forgive me for that. I'am a reefkeeper now for 3 years and sponges are my favorite. So I like to share my experience with you. I now have 9 sponges in all different sizes and colors in my tank besides the opportunistic ones. Some are there for more dan 2 years and others I put in recently. Fact is, they all do well. Most of them have a place more in the shadow but others are also standing in the light.
The mean reason I think sponges do fine in my tank is that I don't use a skimmer. My filtration is mostly biological. It is a combination of an ATS, a refugium and a DSB. The technic I use are pumps and lights (led) and nothing more. Besides that I use filtersponges for cleaning my water from floating dirt. I noticed that sponges are sensitive for dirt in the water that can set on there tissue. Possibly it suffocates the sponges. The same happens when algea grow on them. A place in the shadow is therefore preferabel. Also is a good waterflow important for keeping them clean and for the supply of food.
What my sponges eat is difficult to say of course. I have a 320 gallon tank that is devided into two compartments. First a 200 Gallon mixed reef with 13 medium sized fishes such as tangs and anthiassen and soft corals, lps, sps, nps (dendro's and gorgonians), and of course sponges. And second a 120 gallon special aquarium with seahorses, pipefish, some small fishes and several sorts of seaweed and seagrasses. I can keep all alive and healthy with 2 or 3 feedings every day with spirulina flakes, several sorts of frozen food and living food in the form of phyto, artemia nauplii and mysis. Besides that I also use a special dryfood for sponges, tunicates and gorgonians. It is difficult to say what food the sponges eat. Besides the food I provide there are also many small organism living in my tank. With my biological way of reefkeeping I problably can keep (phyto)plankton and bacteria longer alive in the waterkolom.
Once a week I also dose live bacteria. I notice that they keep the water clear and perhaps the sponges also eat them?
To complete my story: I use balling light for Kh(=8), Ca(=430) and Mg(=1320). Nitrate is 2 and Phosfate is 0,04. My ATS keeps them automatically on these levels. I once lowered the PO4 with a remover and instantly several corals started to do worse. So I now let my biological system do the job and let it create a natural balance.
Besides enjoying my tank I also see it as an experiment to figure out what I can keep in it and what not. I don't see myself as a sponge expert, I just try to use a more biological way and I noticed that I can keep many different and sometimes difficult corals, fishes etc. alive and healthy. My present tank is only 4 months old and is not mature yet. Everything is doing wel besides my acropora's: they have become a bit brownish. In my last tank, which was 2 years old (the same system but then smaller), I could also keep sps corals with good colors.
I hope this information is helpful to you and I wish you succes with your sponge-project.
Below an impression of my tank(s) and a few of my sponges.

 

[am07f]

WOW! Awesome results, thanks so much for sharing with us! That's the key, good ol' natural biological filtration. Its interesting though, sponges can usually only pump and consume very small particles, picoplankton the size of bacteria or even viruses. So ive always been very skeptical of filter feeding dry foods as a source for sponges, gorgonian and corals yes, but I would think the particles are too large for sponge feeding. The dosing of bacteria may be very helpful, but I have yet to hear of a reliable live bacteria culture you can buy commercially. Any one else have similar results??

Hello,

I'am from the Netherlands and my English isn't perfect. Forgive me for that. I'am a reefkeeper now for 3 years and sponges are my favorite. So I like to share my experience with you. I now have 9 sponges in all different sizes and colors in my tank besides the opportunistic ones. Some are there for more dan 2 years and others I put in recently. Fact is, they all do well. Most of them have a place more in the shadow but others are also standing in the light.
The mean reason I think sponges do fine in my tank is that I don't use a skimmer. My filtration is mostly biological. It is a combination of an ATS, a refugium and a DSB. The technic I use are pumps and lights (led) and nothing more. Besides that I use filtersponges for cleaning my water from floating dirt. I noticed that sponges are sensitive for dirt in the water that can set on there tissue. Possibly it suffocates the sponges. The same happens when algea grow on them. A place in the shadow is therefore preferabel. Also is a good waterflow important for keeping them clean and for the supply of food.
What my sponges eat is difficult to say of course. I have a 320 gallon tank that is devided into two compartments. First a 200 Gallon mixed reef with 13 medium sized fishes such as tangs and anthiassen and soft corals, lps, sps, nps (dendro's and gorgonians), and of course sponges. And second a 120 gallon special aquarium with seahorses, pipefish, some small fishes and several sorts of seaweed and seagrasses. I can keep all alive and healthy with 2 or 3 feedings every day with spirulina flakes, several sorts of frozen food and living food in the form of phyto, artemia nauplii and mysis. Besides that I also use a special dryfood for sponges, tunicates and gorgonians. It is difficult to say what food the sponges eat. Besides the food I provide there are also many small organism living in my tank. With my biological way of reefkeeping I problably can keep (phyto)plankton and bacteria longer alive in the waterkolom.
Once a week I also dose live bacteria. I notice that they keep the water clear and perhaps the sponges also eat them?
To complete my story: I use balling light for Kh(=8), Ca(=430) and Mg(=1320). Nitrate is 2 and Phosfate is 0,04. My ATS keeps them automatically on these levels. I once lowered the PO4 with a remover and instantly several corals started to do worse. So I now let my biological system do the job and let it create a natural balance.
Besides enjoying my tank I also see it as an experiment to figure out what I can keep in it and what not. I don't see myself as a sponge expert, I just try to use a more biological way and I noticed that I can keep many different and sometimes difficult corals, fishes etc. alive and healthy. My present tank is only 4 months old and is not mature yet. Everything is doing wel besides my acropora's: they have become a bit brownish. In my last tank, which was 2 years old (the same system but then smaller), I could also keep sps corals with good colors.
I hope this information is helpful to you and I wish you succes with your sponge-project.
Below an impression of my tank(s) and a few of my sponges.

 

[Pagey]

I had great success with sponges in my first reef tank. I really believe that as I became a 'better' reefer, my success with sponges declined. That first tank ran only a skimmer and DSB. It was lightly stocked with both fish and corals. 900L system and had a very well fed collection of Blue Tang, Scott's Wrasse, Zebra Dartfish, Bangaii and a Chelmon Marginalis. I was not having much success with corals so I started dosing vinegar. It seemed at that time my sponges and tunicates for that matter did really bloom. They did well for quite a long time until I got tired of dosing vinegar manually and switched to a Bio Pellet reactor. I fed the effluent directly into my skimmer and the sponges certainly did not like that. What you say about feeding on bacteria would make sense to me and my observations.
I actually used to feed home grown Nanochloropsis and Rotifers for the corals and I assumed it would also be good for the sponges but these food items would be too large?
I am tagging along to this thread. My next system will have a coral focus but it would be really nice to have success with a sponge or two! Love the look of them on live rock.

 

[nano reef]

I am new at reef keeping , so new I havnt added a coral yet! I have seen many colorful sponges both at my lfs and online, so cheap, very pretty and I thought a good way to add size and bright colors. I cant find much info online regarding them since they arent in any class of corals, like softies, sps, lps. I have read several articles saying they were very bad and that they produce toxins. This was from one person though and he said they will also take in all the nutrients you are trying to provide to other corals. All kinds of bad things. So I am very confused and was wanting to hear from people with sponges as well.

 

[nano reef]

I have had sponges on live rock in just about every color in my frag system and they love when I run the lights really low like under 100 par low. I also feed the tank coral frenzy and a clam diet from brightwell mix that seems to target some sort of feeding from them fairly well.

I know this is an old thread but are sponges hard to keep? I read a post that said they will kill ur other corals. Is that true?

 

[BarSnackz]

I know this is an old thread but are sponges hard to keep? I read a post that said they will kill ur other corals. Is that true?

I have never had one kill one of my corals - they are a vital part to reef tank filtering.

 

[Cory]

I think if you use activated carbon or use a uv sterilizer it will remove/destroy any accumulated sponge toxins if they are even a problem. I too am looking for more info on sponges. Currently dosing sodium silicate and vinegar for my sponges and it seems to work.

 

[Tranquility Bay]

sponge fan

Hello,

I'am from the Netherlands and my English isn't perfect. Forgive me for that. I'am a reefkeeper now for 3 years and sponges are my favorite. So I like to share my experience with you. I now have 9 sponges in all different sizes and colors in my tank besides the opportunistic ones. Some are there for more dan 2 years and others I put in recently. Fact is, they all do well. Most of them have a place more in the shadow but others are also standing in the light.
The mean reason I think sponges do fine in my tank is that I don't use a skimmer. My filtration is mostly biological. It is a combination of an ATS, a refugium and a DSB. The technic I use are pumps and lights (led) and nothing more. Besides that I use filtersponges for cleaning my water from floating dirt. I noticed that sponges are sensitive for dirt in the water that can set on there tissue. Possibly it suffocates the sponges. The same happens when algea grow on them. A place in the shadow is therefore preferabel. Also is a good waterflow important for keeping them clean and for the supply of food.
What my sponges eat is difficult to say of course. I have a 320 gallon tank that is devided into two compartments. First a 200 Gallon mixed reef with 13 medium sized fishes such as tangs and anthiassen and soft corals, lps, sps, nps (dendro's and gorgonians), and of course sponges. And second a 120 gallon special aquarium with seahorses, pipefish, some small fishes and several sorts of seaweed and seagrasses. I can keep all alive and healthy with 2 or 3 feedings every day with spirulina flakes, several sorts of frozen food and living food in the form of phyto, artemia nauplii and mysis. Besides that I also use a special dryfood for sponges, tunicates and gorgonians. It is difficult to say what food the sponges eat. Besides the food I provide there are also many small organism living in my tank. With my biological way of reefkeeping I problably can keep (phyto)plankton and bacteria longer alive in the waterkolom.
Once a week I also dose live bacteria. I notice that they keep the water clear and perhaps the sponges also eat them?
To complete my story: I use balling light for Kh(=8), Ca(=430) and Mg(=1320). Nitrate is 2 and Phosfate is 0,04. My ATS keeps them automatically on these levels. I once lowered the PO4 with a remover and instantly several corals started to do worse. So I now let my biological system do the job and let it create a natural balance.
Besides enjoying my tank I also see it as an experiment to figure out what I can keep in it and what not. I don't see myself as a sponge expert, I just try to use a more biological way and I noticed that I can keep many different and sometimes difficult corals, fishes etc. alive and healthy. My present tank is only 4 months old and is not mature yet. Everything is doing wel besides my acropora's: they have become a bit brownish. In my last tank, which was 2 years old (the same system but then smaller), I could also keep sps corals with good colors.
I hope this information is helpful to you and I wish you succes with your sponge-project.
Below an impression of my tank(s) and a few of my sponges.

The photos you share here are precisely what I want my new tanks to look like one day soon! Very impressive indeed! Thanks much for sharing!
I am not a fan of Protein skimmers. In fact I call them Protein SCAMMERS because everyone has been SCAMMED into thinking they are REQUIRED & that's just not true. I think we'll find one day that they actually are harmful!
Like you, I focus on Bio- *LOGICAL* filtration! I build DI systems using very large pods & trash bins & the like, fill them with sponge foam & Polyfil & they do amazingly well!