Its a Halicona Sp. I believe
Some handy links.
http://www.aquariumcreationsonline.net/sponge.html
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/6/inverts2
https://www.google.com/search?q=Hal...iw=1920&bih=950&dpr=1#q=Haliclona+sp+sponge&*
Some handy links.
http://www.aquariumcreationsonline.net/sponge.html
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/6/inverts2
https://www.google.com/search?q=Hal...iw=1920&bih=950&dpr=1#q=Haliclona+sp+sponge&*
wkscott
Well-Known Member
I'll be the one to say it: Always research before buying. Sponges are tough to keep alive even in the largest and most established reef tanks. For example, if you took this sponge out of the bag and exposed it to air while putting it into your tank, you may have already killed it. However I do wish you the best with it. It certainly is a beautiful specimen
wkscott
Well-Known Member
Yep, sponges will remove lots of dissolved organics. Make sure it has good flow around it.
IronChefItaly
Community Member
One of my local fish stores get these in from time to time. The success rates are pretty dismal but after a lot of research I decided to take the risk - and its doing fantastic in my system! It has been growing at a steady pace and is absolutely one of my favorite pieces. I'll go ahead and list a few points which I believe are worth considering.
Placement...
- Some sponges are photosynthetic, so I've always placed my sponges in locations where they receive some light but not enough to get taken over by algae
- Flow is important, and also direction. Ideally the sponge will be placed such that the majority of its larger openings are facing downwind to the direction of flow. This way the flow will aid the water movement through the body of the sponge and exit through the larger openings (oscula).
- Flow should also be adequate to keep the sponge clear of detritus, this is very important. Also ensure that no sand or detritus enter and clog the oscula. I usually use a turkey baster to clear my sponges off once a day or whenever I get around to it.
- Place your sponge on a rock base opposed to sand, it will attach with little standoff pegs to retain a small gap from the rock surface.
Feeding...
- It is a common belief that most captive sponges die of starvation. For these reasons, given you don't have nutrient issues you should strongly consider adding phytoplankton
- I personally use Kent Marine's Phytoplex. It is very important to note that sponges primarily feed on phytoplankton smaller than 2 um and that most products contain particles much larger than this. Its also worth mentioning that after implementing phytoplex I observed an increase in other hitchhiking sponge populations such as pineapple sponges etc.
- Diamond watchman goby. This is optional again but my guy is constantly disturbing the sandbed and in doing so the though is he is displacing micro fauna into the water column for sponges to filter out. I've heard this from other hobbyists but can't give any credible references that mention this.
How do you tell if your sponge is doing well?...
- From my experience, if the sponge is doing poorly the texture of its surface will change from being full and smooth to coarse with visible cavities. In time, dead sponge tissue will lose color and turn grey.
- When it is doing well, as mentioned above the surface will be smooth and "full". Also I've observed that when sponges are actively feeding they'll extend a small transparent ring from each of their oscula that are shaped very similarly to a clams exhalant siphon - this is a sign of good health.
- In one case, I had a red tree sponge that was doing poorly. I noticed dozens of little amphipods crawling on it so I decided to give it a coral dip then placed it in a new location. I can't speak to whether the dip or location made the difference but it has now fully recovered and is doing very well!
I hope these points help and as always I encourage you to do your own research to confirm my claims and further your own understanding. Good luck!
Placement...
- Some sponges are photosynthetic, so I've always placed my sponges in locations where they receive some light but not enough to get taken over by algae
- Flow is important, and also direction. Ideally the sponge will be placed such that the majority of its larger openings are facing downwind to the direction of flow. This way the flow will aid the water movement through the body of the sponge and exit through the larger openings (oscula).
- Flow should also be adequate to keep the sponge clear of detritus, this is very important. Also ensure that no sand or detritus enter and clog the oscula. I usually use a turkey baster to clear my sponges off once a day or whenever I get around to it.
- Place your sponge on a rock base opposed to sand, it will attach with little standoff pegs to retain a small gap from the rock surface.
Feeding...
- It is a common belief that most captive sponges die of starvation. For these reasons, given you don't have nutrient issues you should strongly consider adding phytoplankton
- I personally use Kent Marine's Phytoplex. It is very important to note that sponges primarily feed on phytoplankton smaller than 2 um and that most products contain particles much larger than this. Its also worth mentioning that after implementing phytoplex I observed an increase in other hitchhiking sponge populations such as pineapple sponges etc.
- Diamond watchman goby. This is optional again but my guy is constantly disturbing the sandbed and in doing so the though is he is displacing micro fauna into the water column for sponges to filter out. I've heard this from other hobbyists but can't give any credible references that mention this.
How do you tell if your sponge is doing well?...
- From my experience, if the sponge is doing poorly the texture of its surface will change from being full and smooth to coarse with visible cavities. In time, dead sponge tissue will lose color and turn grey.
- When it is doing well, as mentioned above the surface will be smooth and "full". Also I've observed that when sponges are actively feeding they'll extend a small transparent ring from each of their oscula that are shaped very similarly to a clams exhalant siphon - this is a sign of good health.
- In one case, I had a red tree sponge that was doing poorly. I noticed dozens of little amphipods crawling on it so I decided to give it a coral dip then placed it in a new location. I can't speak to whether the dip or location made the difference but it has now fully recovered and is doing very well!
I hope these points help and as always I encourage you to do your own research to confirm my claims and further your own understanding. Good luck!
Frop
Valuable Member
Flashy Fins
Active Member
I have a sponge that looks just the same. It's the only sponge I've kept (aside from hitchhiking forms), but I have noticed over the years it does not conform to all the scary warnings applied to warm-colored sponges. I have kept it in medium light at times and higher light at times; it does not seem to mind either. A friend I gave a piece to says it did not do as well when he put it in low light, but rebounded when he moved it into more light, so it may have some photosynthetic properties. I have mine in a low to medium flow area at the moment, but I've kept it in very low flow (when I used insufficient powerheads) and high flow (when it was right next to a wavemaker) - there may have been growth rate differences between the flow rates (I never paid attention), but none of the different flow rates caused it any noticeable harm (color loss, shrinking, etc.). Mine has done fine with no special attention. I used to keep it in a high nutrient tank, and now I keep it in a medium nutrient tank; again, no noticeable harm either way. I can't say how it would do in a low nutrient system, because I've never run one.
I wouldn't recommend purposely exposing it to air for any length of time, but mine has been exposed to air more than once for a few seconds (accidentally removed too much water from the tank in a water change once and had little choice but to expose it when moving tanks a couple of times), and it never showed any stress from that. There are loads of sponges in the wild that look just alike despite being different species, so I try not to assume things based on photographs, but... there is a very similar looking sponge in tide pool areas of many reefs, which are exposed regularly to the air. I would never make the assumption this is exactly the same species, but I no longer panic if the sponge is out of water for a second. I do my best to keep it in water, of course.
Here are a couple of pictures of mine. The first is from 2014 and the others from tonight. Once, I accidentally tore it in half while re-scaping my rocks. I gave the frag to my friend. That was a couple of years ago, and although I gave him the smaller piece of the two, his is now larger than mine and has the shape of the one you purchased. I know when I bought the sponge, the store had several large rocks entirely encrusted with it. I went for the tiny $10 frag, figuring it wasn't likely to live, given how much info is out there about sponges being impossible. I'm pleased to say, it just isn't true with this one. There are a few others in my local club who have kept it with luck, as well.
Don't be discouraged. Yours is really beautiful!
I wouldn't recommend purposely exposing it to air for any length of time, but mine has been exposed to air more than once for a few seconds (accidentally removed too much water from the tank in a water change once and had little choice but to expose it when moving tanks a couple of times), and it never showed any stress from that. There are loads of sponges in the wild that look just alike despite being different species, so I try not to assume things based on photographs, but... there is a very similar looking sponge in tide pool areas of many reefs, which are exposed regularly to the air. I would never make the assumption this is exactly the same species, but I no longer panic if the sponge is out of water for a second. I do my best to keep it in water, of course.
Here are a couple of pictures of mine. The first is from 2014 and the others from tonight. Once, I accidentally tore it in half while re-scaping my rocks. I gave the frag to my friend. That was a couple of years ago, and although I gave him the smaller piece of the two, his is now larger than mine and has the shape of the one you purchased. I know when I bought the sponge, the store had several large rocks entirely encrusted with it. I went for the tiny $10 frag, figuring it wasn't likely to live, given how much info is out there about sponges being impossible. I'm pleased to say, it just isn't true with this one. There are a few others in my local club who have kept it with luck, as well.
Don't be discouraged. Yours is really beautiful!
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Flashy Fins
Active Member
Hmm, this makes me wonder if I should move mine. Right now, I have it on the opposite end of the tank from my wavemaker/powerhead, so it could be getting a lot more flow if I moved it. It sounds like yours has a smoother texture - do you have any photos? I see cavities on mine, although I also regularly see the healthy transparent rings on the oscula that you mention. I've had mine since 2014, and it's grown a fair amount (would be larger, but it was fragged in half once). Looking back through old photos, I see mine has always had the same texture. I should take a look at the piece I gave to my friend when I see him next, because his frag started smaller than mine and is now much larger than mine. I'm interested in knowing if his looks smoother and what kind of flow it's getting.
Your post is full of good info, so thank you! I suspect the loudest naysayers have never kept this animal.
Flashy Fins
Active Member
I took this picture a few weeks ago when showing off my barnacle blenny; the focus is obviously on the fish, but I notice the transparent oscula ring mentioned in the posts above is a little more visible in the middle of the sponge here:
I have seen these rings stick out further at times, but I don't seem to have any better photos. I always thought the clear rings were neat, but never put it together that it was a feeding response. Seems obvious now that someone else has said it.
I have seen these rings stick out further at times, but I don't seem to have any better photos. I always thought the clear rings were neat, but never put it together that it was a feeding response. Seems obvious now that someone else has said it.
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OP
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Theo15
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Thank you , I bought it to help with my nutrient levels in the tank , it's a pretty nice sized piece , that was some good info thank you ,I dont want to harm my spongeI have a sponge that looks just the same. It's the only sponge I've kept (aside from hitchhiking forms), but I have noticed over the years it does not conform to all the scary warnings applied to warm-colored sponges. I have kept it in medium light at times and higher light at times; it does not seem to mind either. A friend I gave a piece to says it did not do as well when he put it in low light, but rebounded when he moved it into more light, so it may have some photosynthetic properties. I have mine in a low to medium flow area at the moment, but I've kept it in very low flow (when I used insufficient powerheads) and high flow (when it was right next to a wavemaker) - there may have been growth rate differences between the flow rates (I never paid attention), but none of the different flow rates caused it any noticeable harm (color loss, shrinking, etc.). Mine has done fine with no special attention. I used to keep it in a high nutrient tank, and now I keep it in a medium nutrient tank; again, no noticeable harm either way. I can't say how it would do in a low nutrient system, because I've never run one.
I wouldn't recommend purposely exposing it to air for any length of time, but mine has been exposed to air more than once for a few seconds (accidentally removed too much water from the tank in a water change once and had little choice but to expose it when moving tanks a couple of times), and it never showed any stress from that. There are loads of sponges in the wild that look just alike despite being different species, so I try not to assume things based on photographs, but... there is a very similar looking sponge in tide pool areas of many reefs, which are exposed regularly to the air. I would never make the assumption this is exactly the same species, but I no longer panic if the sponge is out of water for a second. I do my best to keep it in water, of course.
Here are a couple of pictures of mine. The first is from 2014 and the others from tonight. Once, I accidentally tore it in half while re-scaping my rocks. I gave the frag to my friend. That was a couple of years ago, and although I gave him the smaller piece of the two, his is now larger than mine and has the shape of the one you purchased. I know when I bought the sponge, the store had several large rocks entirely encrusted with it. I went for the tiny $10 frag, figuring it wasn't likely to live, given how much info is out there about sponges being impossible. I'm pleased to say, it just isn't true with this one. There are a few others in my local club who have kept it with luck, as well.
Don't be discouraged. Yours is really beautiful!
Wow. Welcome to R2R. Awsome.
Have you looked into the benifits of carbon dosing for sponges? Our resident reef chemist is also a fan of spongs ans esposed the use of organic carbons to increase bacterial populations as most sponges feed on bacteria as well.
Another Friend here is PaulB who is claiming great success by feeding nutritional yeasts on occasion rather than daily phytos.
ThunderGoose
Well-Known Member
Great thread. I got into reefing for the diversity on non-fish options (I have kept freshwater tanks for longer than I like to admit). I've seens some cool looking sponges on line but heard they're difficult. After reading this I'll plan on trying a blue one, in about 6-12 more months!
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Theo15
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Need Some help guys, now my sponge seems to be growing but it has these brown patches ,what are they ? Sorry my clown won't move, but it looks like a brown fuzz but then goes away ,is this how sponges grow??
It could be a spot of algae. weird. Maybe a bit of dieoff.
