Cryptic Refugiums

[CrunchyBananas]

I've been looking more into cryptic refugiums as an important part of a tanks biology that has been a bit forgotten in recent years.
I've started considering sponges as an important part of the reef ecosystem since learning from some well-respected coral vendors that having them is an invaluable part of their corals health and over all system success.

My tanks have always had the typical sponge growths in shaded areas and such, but I've been considering adding a closed bucket to my sump with rock and drilling some holes for flow through to encourage more sponge growth.

I have a smaller sump with an active, typical refugium, so the only space I have is well lit, hence the bucket.

Has anyone attempted this? Any results?

Also, anyone with a cryptic refugium, has their been anyway you've encouraged sponge growth or seeded it? I do still have true live rock from when I started in the hobby in 2006, but I feel with the ups/downs of past tanks as well as tank moves I may have lost some bio diversity that came from the ocean, namely sponges.

Even just anyone weighing in on cryptic refugiums would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[RedoubtReef]

Great idea. Looking forward to someone who's done this chiming in.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I love sponges, they love to feast on the DOC that macro algaes release. I think a good way to encourage growth is to do nothing lol , no cleaning the sump , let detrius accumulate . Make sure phosphate and nitrate are available

 

[CrunchyBananas]

I love sponges, they love to feast on the DOC that macro algaes release. I think a good way to encourage growth is to do nothing lol , no cleaning the sump , let detrius accumulate . Make sure phosphate and nitrate are available

Sweet! I was thinking of placing a rock at the bottom and letting flow enter the bottom of the bucket and exit the top to grab detritus and just let it go. Maybe I’ll find a local hobbyist with some of the white stringy sponges I’m looking for so I’m certain that type makes it’s way into my system.

 

[ED3]

I had a cryptic area in the sump of my old 90 gallon. I never let any detrius settle because I was and am paranoid of causing a crash. I don't have any pictures but I had its set for low to medium flow to make sure things were always stirred up and seeded it with liverock that had visible sponges on it. This particular tank had some cool sponges in the display due to me using ocean live rock but I have to say, that tank took no effort to keep clear.

 

[Dan_P]

I've been looking more into cryptic refugiums as an important part of a tanks biology that has been a bit forgotten in recent years.
I've started considering sponges as an important part of the reef ecosystem since learning from some well-respected coral vendors that having them is an invaluable part of their corals health and over all system success.

My tanks have always had the typical sponge growths in shaded areas and such, but I've been considering adding a closed bucket to my sump with rock and drilling some holes for flow through to encourage more sponge growth.

I have a smaller sump with an active, typical refugium, so the only space I have is well lit, hence the bucket.

Has anyone attempted this? Any results?

Also, anyone with a cryptic refugium, has their been anyway you've encouraged sponge growth or seeded it? I do still have true live rock from when I started in the hobby in 2006, but I feel with the ups/downs of past tanks as well as tank moves I may have lost some bio diversity that came from the ocean, namely sponges.

Even just anyone weighing in on cryptic refugiums would be appreciated, thanks!

Is it clear whether the mere presence of sponges is benficial to coral health or that sponges are the “canary in the coal mine”, i.e., if your water supports vigorous sponge growth, it will be good for coral?

 

[ED3]

Is it clear whether the mere presence of sponges is benficial to coral health or that sponges are the “canary in the coal mine”, i.e., if your water supports vigorous sponge growth, it will be good for coral?

Not sure the exact reason to be honest but sponges are very delicate filter feeders. I've always been under the impression that if they're there and thriving, you're doing something right.

 

[Dan_P]

Not sure the exact reason to be honest but sponges are very delicate filter feeders. I've always been under the impression that if they're there and thriving, you're doing something right.

Thanks, I was leaning towards that rationale.

 

[Garf]

I had a 150 gallon cryptic attached to a 180 gallon display, grew some transparent Aiptasia, but not a lot else.

 

[Timfish]

From what I've seen cryptic sponges are ubiquitous in marine systems. They are essential recyclers and feed off the labile DOC released into the system by all the organisms, coral and algae and process DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton. Unfortunately sponges process DOC from algae differently than from corals and feedback loops that benefit algae to the detriment of corals is a risk. Here's some links:

BActeria and Sponges

Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)

Element cycling on tropical coral reefs.
This is Jasper de Geoij's ground breaking research on reef sponges. (The introduction is in Dutch but the content is in English.)

https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/files/14555035/13completethesis.pdf

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Marine sponges are ubiquitous colonizers of shallow, clear-water environments in the oceans (1, 2). Sponges have emerged as significant mediators of biogeochemical fluxes in coastal zones by virtue of respiring organic matter and facilitating both the consumption and release of nutrients (3, 4)...

www.pnas.org

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Coral reefs are highly productive ecosystems that raise a conundrum called “Darwin’s paradox”: How can high production flourish in low-nutrient conditions? We show here that in three abundant Caribbean sponges, the granules that have been commonly observed in sponge tissue for decades are...

www.pnas.org

Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop.
Sponges treat DOC from algae differently than DOC from corals

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besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are economically important ecosystems that have suffered unprecedented losses of corals in the recent past. Why have Caribbean reefs in particu

academic.oup.com

Surviving in a Marine Desert The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen are quickly processed by sponges and released back into the reef food web in hours as carbon and nitrogen rich detritus.

(PDF) 2013 deGoeij Science Sponge loop

PDF | On Jun 23, 2015, Jasper M de Goeij and others published 2013 deGoeij Science Sponge loop | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)

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The Role of Marine Sponges in Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles of COral Reefs and Nearshore Environments.

The role of marine sponges in carbon and nitrogen cycles of coral reef and nearshore environments - ProQuest

Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

search.proquest.com

 

[CrunchyBananas]

Is it clear whether the mere presence of sponges is benficial to coral health or that sponges are the “canary in the coal mine”, i.e., if your water supports vigorous sponge growth, it will be good for coral?

Ive read from Steve Tyree and heard other pro coral growers claim the white sponges produce bacteria upon which corals feed.

 

[Tankkeepers]

I don't know about bactria production with sponges but there is a direct link between sponges shedding the old cells and sps coral eating those and growing stronger and faster with a higher resistance to disease

I personally have been running a dedicated cryptic zone for 9 years in every tank and you don't have to let denitrus settle for sponges to grow they will grow just fine in a semi high flow environment the important part is they prefer areas with sun that us not strong enoff to grow anything but can be lit aka benthic zone while cryptic is light free both house sponges but they differ slightly on the micro organisms that thrive there so both is benificial

 

[Tankkeepers]

Current zone benthic this one grows in the middle section of a biocube 32 with a jbj nano glow above growing algie so it received some light and flow is over 600 gph threw this section and has no problems growing

Sponges are not delicate at all they just don't like air

 

[Tankkeepers]

Cryptic is built on a shelf in the fist chamber above the lower return so the nothing settles down lower and the water is forced threw the rocks in the chamber

 

[CrunchyBananas]

Current zone benthic this one grows in the middle section of a biocube 32 with a jbj nano glow above growing algie so it received some light and flow is over 600 gph threw this section and has no problems growing

Sponges are not delicate at all they just don't like air

thanks for the input! I’ve actually removed what little chaeto I had and am just running a dark sump and I’ve definitely got more sponges growing and better sps polyp extension. Likely Could be coincidence, but no negative effects or struggles with nutrients yet.

 

[Dburr1014]

I have a tub with a 5 gallon tank for a refuge growing cheato. Half of the tub is rock with a powerhead. I got lots of sponges growing in there. White, yellow.
If you rumble around the rock the sponge close up and you can pick up the rock with no worries of killing the sponges. They sense the "jolt" and close up. Then they are safe to pick up out of the water.

 

[carri10]

From what I've seen cryptic sponges are ubiquitous in marine systems. They are essential recyclers and feed off the labile DOC released into the system by all the organisms, coral and algae and process DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton. Unfortunately sponges process DOC from algae differently than from corals and feedback loops that benefit algae to the detriment of corals is a risk. Here's some links:

BActeria and Sponges

Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)

Element cycling on tropical coral reefs.
This is Jasper de Geoij's ground breaking research on reef sponges. (The introduction is in Dutch but the content is in English.)

https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/files/14555035/13completethesis.pdf

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Marine sponges are ubiquitous colonizers of shallow, clear-water environments in the oceans (1, 2). Sponges have emerged as significant mediators of biogeochemical fluxes in coastal zones by virtue of respiring organic matter and facilitating both the consumption and release of nutrients (3, 4)...

www.pnas.org

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Coral reefs are highly productive ecosystems that raise a conundrum called “Darwin’s paradox”: How can high production flourish in low-nutrient conditions? We show here that in three abundant Caribbean sponges, the granules that have been commonly observed in sponge tissue for decades are...

www.pnas.org

Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop.
Sponges treat DOC from algae differently than DOC from corals

Error - Cookies Turned Off

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are economically important ecosystems that have suffered unprecedented losses of corals in the recent past. Why have Caribbean reefs in particu

academic.oup.com

Surviving in a Marine Desert The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen are quickly processed by sponges and released back into the reef food web in hours as carbon and nitrogen rich detritus.

(PDF) 2013 deGoeij Science Sponge loop

PDF | On Jun 23, 2015, Jasper M de Goeij and others published 2013 deGoeij Science Sponge loop | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)

Checking your browser - reCAPTCHA

The Role of Marine Sponges in Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles of COral Reefs and Nearshore Environments.

The role of marine sponges in carbon and nitrogen cycles of coral reef and nearshore environments - ProQuest

Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

search.proquest.com

A lot of great information there. To be honest, it shows just how complex our reef systems are. The second video, at about halfway through it gives some clear evidence that carbon dosing would be a bad idea. However, experience shows it is not. Equilibrium is the key, but what equilibrium and at what point, that is the question!
Fascinating, complex and difficult.

Oh, and herbivores for the win.