Is this an invasive sponge?

Nelve · Jan 11, 2021

My tank is around 8 months old and it's still getting some random algae spots and the usual new tank syndrome. Around a month ago I noticed this white vine looking tube in my sump and it has exploded. My sump has it all over and the rocks in my DT are starting to get covered in it. I'm guessing it is some sort of sponge, but I have a few hammers that seem like they being stung by it. I also have an acan that popped a few of it's heads off and I noticed the sponge was growing under the heads. If this is invasive.. How would I go about treating it? My DT has around 120 lbs of rock and it's on all of them.

Subsea · Jan 11, 2021

Turn off blue lights. To help with identification get white lights on it. Also describe it. Is it flat, tubular, spongy, slimy, rough, smooth etc, etc, etc

vetteguy53081 · Jan 11, 2021

Its poriferan sponge and can become invasive. Do not trim as toxins can be released. Expose it to air and it will die off OR you can via syringe inject air or vinegar into sponge to stop its' growth

Nelve · Jan 13, 2021

I attached two better pictures with my whites up high on my lights. The sponge is definitely invasive now, It is spreading extremely fast. It's fully covering rocks and 5 of my corals are dying from it. I have clove polyps that are fully covered in it and won't open. Sadly most of my corals have spread from the frag plugs to the rocks and I can't pull them out.

@vetteguy53081 How much vinegar is a tolerable amount without hurting anything in the tank?

Could this be an issue of over feeding causing the sponge to explode in population? I feed one tiny frozen cube of home made fish food daily. It has Mysis, Shrimp, Salmon, Scallops, Mussels, Coral Frenzy Pellet food, Coral Frenzy Powder, and Spirulina Powder, all ground up into small pieces.

Parameters as of today.
8.0 KH
430 Ca
1280 Mg
25 Nitrate
0.07 P04

vetteguy53081 · Jan 13, 2021

Nelve said:
I attached two better pictures with my whites up high on my lights. The sponge is definitely invasive now, It is spreading extremely fast. It's fully covering rocks and 5 of my corals are dying from it. I have clove polyps that are fully covered in it and won't open. Sadly most of my corals have spread from the frag plugs to the rocks and I can't pull them out.

@vetteguy53081 How much vinegar is a tolerable amount without hurting anything in the tank?

Could this be an issue of over feeding causing the sponge to explode in population? I feed one tiny frozen cube of home made fish food daily. It has Mysis, Shrimp, Salmon, Scallops, Mussels, Coral Frenzy Pellet food, Coral Frenzy Powder, and Spirulina Powder, all ground up into small pieces.

Parameters as of today.
8.0 KH
430 Ca
1280 Mg
25 Nitrate
0.07 P04

Yep- poriferan sponge and will continue to grow like a vine. You can try to peel it off strand by strand before having to take other measures

XLReefer525 · Feb 11, 2021

Have you had any luck getting rid of this sponge or learning more about it? I had this same thing come on a zoa plug from another reefer. I put it in my nano tank and before I knew it, it was on every rock in the tank - and none of those rocks touch each other. It choked out the zoas and grows incredibly fast. I tried exposing that frag to air, and even dipped it in straight peroxide for 5 minutes, and this stuff laughed at it. I can't find any reliable information on exactly what this is, how it spreads and thrives, and how to get rid of it.

jtdesigner · Mar 1, 2023

Subsea said:
Turn off blue lights. To help with identification get white lights on it. Also describe it. Is it flat, tubular, spongy, slimy, rough, smooth etc, etc, etc

It's white, tubular with branches coming off of it. I put a glove on and tore it off my gsp. I didn't get it all, though I did my best to net up the pieces that floated away. Is there any creature that will eat this stuff?

jtdesigner · Mar 1, 2023

jtdesigner · Mar 3, 2023

XLReefer525 said:
Have you had any luck getting rid of this sponge or learning more about it? I had this same thing come on a zoa plug from another reefer. I put it in my nano tank and before I knew it, it was on every rock in the tank - and none of those rocks touch each other. It choked out the zoas and grows incredibly fast. I tried exposing that frag to air, and even dipped it in straight peroxide for 5 minutes, and this stuff laughed at it. I can't find any reliable information on exactly what this is, how it spreads and thrives, and how to get rid of it.

I spoke to the owner at my LFS and he agreed it was a sponge and said the only thing was to keep picking it off. The annoying thing is I probably got it from him, as he's the only place I shop....

Cthulukelele · Mar 3, 2023

A pencil urchin would chow down on it, but they aren't reef safe and may nibble some corals too (though they'll preferentially eat sponge usually)

Cthulukelele · Mar 3, 2023

Angels also eat sponges as one of their primary food sources

D3DPrintedThingz · Mar 3, 2023

these sponges are absolutely horrible. I went from one zoa frag to an infestation in less than a month. I haven't figured out how to get rid of it, but I have been taking my rocks out and scrubbing them in a bucket of saltwater and putting them back in.

I would rather deal with green hair, bryopsis, diatom, turf, really anything else other than this sponge. It does not die easily. I hope you have found some resolution as i have not yet

srobertb · Mar 3, 2023

Cthulukelele said:
A pencil urchin would chow down on it, but they aren't reef safe and may nibble some corals too (though they'll preferentially eat sponge usually)

Pencil urchins are reef safe. They will eat coralline algae but I’m not sure anyone considers them not reef safe.

Cthulukelele · Mar 3, 2023

srobertb said:
Pencil urchins are reef safe. They will eat coralline algae but I’m not sure anyone considers them not reef safe.

I have friends in the hobby as well as my lfs that have had pencil urchins eat coral once they reach their adult size. I've always wanted a pencil urchin so it's a topic I've researched online thoroughly as well. The general consensus is safe while small but will chew through particularly encrusting corals once adults

Subsea · Mar 3, 2023

Because sponges are sensitive to air, I have found hydrogen peroxide is sponge kryptonite. Also, hippo tang grazes on red tree sponge.

jtdesigner · Mar 18, 2023

XLReefer525 said:
Have you had any luck getting rid of this sponge or learning more about it? I had this same thing come on a zoa plug from another reefer. I put it in my nano tank and before I knew it, it was on every rock in the tank - and none of those rocks touch each other. It choked out the zoas and grows incredibly fast. I tried exposing that frag to air, and even dipped it in straight peroxide for 5 minutes, and this stuff laughed at it. I can't find any reliable information on exactly what this is, how it spreads and thrives, and how to get rid of it.

I ended up getting rid of the rocks, because it was inside them, so, while I might have scrubbed off what was visible, I didn't trust that the airing or the vinegar would get down in the rock and kill it.