The Best Australian Sponge Ever!!!

[Hypertek99]

Trying to get some info on this. Anyone have any idea??? It's so pretty but why does it have polyps??? It's the first one from Australia. The seller i'm buying from named it White Lightning Sponge. They said it's the first on in the states. They say it's a certain morph that's why it has the white polyps. It's so cool. Looks to me like it's a sponge sharing a symbolic relationship with zoo's??? Tell me what you guys think

 

[anomie]

I know that sea-life used to sell a red sponge with goldish encrusting/sybiotic (sp?) zoanthids. I'm not real sure about the care, but WWM has some info about these types of zoanthids.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm

Good luck! and very pretty!

 

[MarvinsReef]

moving this thread..

very nice sponge...

 

[JGoslee]

Thats a pretty cool looking sponge.

 

[greystreet41]

what distinguishes it as a sponge? Looks like a mix between a sun polyp/dendro/zoa/aiptasia to me. Very cool though.

 

[Azurel]

The zoanthids are on the sponge.....They are symbiont's....Your conclusions are correct......

 

[BigBadZoaDaddy]

white zoas? how are the 2 symbiotic? what does the zoa get from the sponge, and what does the sponge get from the zoa?

And of course they are super sweet nice conection you have!!

 

[Azurel]

I would have to re-read my Bornemans book, but there is one type of zoa that only grows on sponge....I'll look it up and post later....

 

[Sea MunnKey]

How come I only see X's on the pictures posted?? I have a similar Sponge with really White encrusting polyps extended..

Paul

 

[surfn]

based on the branch like structure of the 2nd pic.......it looks to me more like a gorgonian than a sponge......

but, i guess i can see what you guys are talking about. i've never seen white zoas, yet alone a white zoa matt connecting the polyps together.

very odd........i call first dibs on a frag if this becomes a hot coral!

 

[FateX8]

i agree with surfn, when i first saw the second pic i thought it was a gorgonian too because of the branching look and the polyps extending, but then theres that connective tissue between each polyp that makes me think otherwise
what do they look like when theyre closed?
never the less they look awesome

 

[Azurel]

I think they are a type of parazoanthus.....That grows a commensal relationship with sponges....

 

[reefboy]

I think they are a type of parazoanthus.....That grows a commensal relationship with sponges....

Yep keep sponge happy or they wont make it but sweet specimens hope i get some on my order

 

[MrPicasso]

I saw this on jendub. Awesome piece

 

[jimicasper]

wow is all I can say awesome!!!