Sponges bloom because of low PAR?

[Dylan Grech]

As the title states... My lighting is on the weak side, waiting for T5 to be back in stock.

Overall the corals grow but yeah lighting is weak 6x10w led flood lights on a 7' tank could this be the cause of so many sponges?

Nitrate 5ppm
PO4 0.05ppm

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Sponges don't normally persist in intense lighting, you may also have good water quality and plenty of microscopic food bits for them to consume

Edit: fixed some wording.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Is it a new tank? Sponges also like silicates, dissolved organics, and bacteria.

And yea. A lot of cryptic sponges like the dark.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Is it a new tank? Sponges also like silicates, dissolved organics, and bacteria.

And yea. A lot of cryptic sponges like the dark.

Did some quick reading and you're right, it's not necessarily an issue of whether or not they need the light but rather a lack of light keeps algae from building up on their exterior and blocking their feeding membranes. It's also easy for light to penetrate their cell membrane which can cause issues on it's own. The more you know!

 

[Dylan Grech]

Sponges don't normally persist in intense lighting, you may also have good water quality and plenty of microscopic food bits for them to consume

Edit: fixed some wording.

This could be very much my case. I dose plenty of trace elements and water quality is pretty decent.

Elements: Iodine, Strotium, Micro E, Flourine, Iron

Food: Phytoplankton, Coral liquid feed, Pallets, Mysis, Nori & live caulerpa

Filtration: NoPox, T500 skimmer, Refrugium (Caulerpa), Rowaphos Reactor, Filter wool, Bio balls

Flow: 10,000ltr/hr return, 2x 9,800ltr/hr flow pumps

Tank is approx 7 months old

Sponges don't grow in refrugium where light in on 24/7 and it has plenty of algea. DT has no algea at all, very little coraline growth.

 

[Dylan Grech]

I

Did some quick reading and you're right, it's not necessarily an issue of whether or not they need the light but rather a lack of light keeps algae from building up on their exterior and blocking their feeding membranes. It's also easy for light to penetrate their cell membrane which can cause issues on it's own. The more you know!

They are the super ugly sponges;
Few pineapples, loadsss of carpet sponges & a bit of a black encrusting sponge that has super pointy spikes bloody thing peirced me so bad :@

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I


They are the super ugly sponges;
Few pineapples, loadsss of carpet sponges & a bit of a black encrusting sponge that has super pointy spikes bloody thing peirced me so bad :mad:

Black with spines?? Did you have any sort of reaction to it? I've never heard of such and I'm pretty sure my Marine Biology major girlfriend would have told me of such haha

Can you get a picture of all of them? Could be a good reference for other folks who think they have sponges.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I


They are the super ugly sponges;
Few pineapples, loadsss of carpet sponges & a bit of a black encrusting sponge that has super pointy spikes bloody thing peirced me so bad :mad:

I am thinking those are vermitid snails that you were getting pricked by. I agree about the sponges growing in low light due to algae competition.

Dennis

 

[Dylan Grech]

Black with spines?? Did you have any sort of reaction to it? I've never heard of such and I'm pretty sure my Marine Biology major girlfriend would have told me of such haha

Can you get a picture of all of them? Could be a good reference for other folks who think they have sponges.

I didn't get any reaction but here are some pics of all the different types I could see

 

[Dylan Grech]

Confirmed. Pretty much all sponges disappeared after installing T5 lighting.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Confirmed. Pretty much all sponges disappeared after installing T5 lighting.

They also may have used up the silicates and faded away like Diatims do and pineapple sponges do in a young tank.