Sponge toxic?

[ChaseB143]

Do spider sponges release toxins when they die? Recently my corals have been starting to fade. Mostly my sps, I lost an acro, and another is on its way out. This might just be a coincidence, but it seems like things started to go downhill ever since my spider sponge died. All of my parameters are good, nitrates could be a little higher though. If it does release toxins, is there a way to remove them other than water changes?

 

[Billdogg]

It can't say for sure, but it is certainly possible. I'd run some carbon and skim wet to remove as much of any possible toxin as you can.

 

[ichthyogeek]

I'd also do a large water change as well. Alternatively, it could be that the spider sponge was filtering out excess nutrients like phosphate and nitrate, and the increase is causing issues....