Whats in Sponge power

[Superlightman]

I have a bottle of this. I recently did some large water changes so its very clean and I started drops of this two days ago. Its the only thing I'm using currently (plus calcium reactor) so if it makes a difference I should see it. Polyps were pretty flamboyant yesterday. Clams look happy.

Do what were the results?

 

[Cory]

Im sure it isn't helping sponges grow but helping the things that sponges eat grow. Like phytoplankton and diatoms. Manganese and iron are the main limiting nutrients for phytoplankton. And a carbon source for bacteria. Im sure a sponge could live just fine and even grow with little silica in the water. But take away its daily caloric intake of phytoplankton or bacteria and it dies and cant pump anymore water.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Heard from someone who carried a test that it is rich in Manganese and iodine. Whatever is in there it is in a concentrated acetic acid. Randy, can you connect the dots why these two elements and why are the in as? Also any data on these elements being in limiting concentrations?

Do we like the product though? I thought about it? I went with SpongeExcel from Brightwell instead which I know has silicates in it. Although I suppose adding both in small amount may be a wait and see. @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Pretty sure Chaetoceros Phytoplankton, because it is a Diatom has Silica in it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, dosing silicate is desirable in any tank that does not have problematic levels of diatoms (I did it).

Sponge Power may be a fine product to use, but I'm not a fan of using secret concoctions.

 

[Muffin87]

Maybe this (containing Fe and Mn) ought to be double-checked.

I used my hanna low range Fe checker and found no substantial (>20ppb) Fe at 1x, 3x,10x, 20x, or 200x the recommended dose of sponge power added to tank water. But if I add Iron supplements from Red Sea or Brightwell to tank water, the Fe checker gives the expected response (within 10%).


Caveats. My spongePower is from 2020. No noticeable precipitation, still smelled like acetic acid. Maybe they changed ingredients. Maybe the Fe was not stable over that time period.

How many ppbs do you keep iron at to ensure that the reading you are getting from the Hanna Low range Iron checjker is beyond an actual 0 ppb (considering the accuracy range) and isn't affected by the slightest human error in the testing procedure?

Thanks a lot!

 

[taricha]

I thought about it? I went with SpongeExcel from Brightwell instead which I know has silicates in it. Although I suppose adding both in small amount may be a wait and see

Just be aware that the products are not substitutes for each other. Brightwell spongexcel is an Si dose, and KZ SpongePower has ??? in acetic acid.
Spongepower may or may not help grow sponges ( I felt it maybe did), but it won't address their Si consumption, because it doesn't have that in it.

How many ppbs do you keep iron at to ensure that the reading you are getting from the Hanna Low range Iron checjker is beyond an actual 0 ppb (considering the accuracy range) and isn't affected by the slightest human error in the testing procedure?

Thanks a lot!

if you mean in the context of this thread for generating a non-zero Fe measurement that I could feel good about for checking the SpongePower content then see this post quoted below.... I did 100x spongepower added to near zero Fe tankwater and a near 0.10ppm Fe tank water. It did not change the measured amount of Fe from either the zero or non-zero value.

Just a follow-up, spongepower (my bottle from 2020) doesn't add detectable Fe or interfere with the Fe test, even at 100X recommended dose.

I used the hanna low range Fe checker to measure tank water, and added a dose of Red sea Trace C "Iron+" that should result in 100 ppb Fe. This data is in Blue below and shows the expected result. Undetectable in tank water, and near ~100ppb after addition of the red sea Fe product.
Then I did the same thing but with 1 drop / Liter of SpongePower (100x dose), shown in Red.
It neither added Fe nor interfered with the detected Fe from the Red Sea Iron+ product.

my bottle is from 2020 like I said. Since they list no ingredients, I suppose that makes it easy to change them any time you want

If you just meant in general, how much Fe I'd need to see in my tank water to feel like the hanna checker was measuring something real? Then my answer would be over 20ppb. And saltwater won't hold that for long at all, so it's of very limited use unless I were dosing high Fe like Red Sea or some others suggest.

 

[Muffin87]

If you just meant in general, how much Fe I'd need to see in my tank water to feel like the hanna checker was measuring something real? Then my answer would be over 20ppb. And saltwater won't hold that for long at all, so it's of very limited use

Thanks. That's what I wanted to know.
So, over 20 ppb for a reading of some actual Iron. How many ppb of Iron do you shoot for in your own tank, assuming you're dosing iron?

Thanks again, very useful info.

 

[Koty]

Tottaly agree with Randy. However, spngpower וs the only sponge-associated additive available whete I live. Knowing the important role of sponges in coral reef ecosystems, I tried it and it clearly works

 

[taricha]

How many ppb of Iron do you shoot for in your own tank, assuming you're dosing iron?

None except when I witness macroalgae stop growing with NO3 and PO4 still at normal modest levels for my system.

 

[Superlightman]

I'm sure there is manganese inside in this or coral vitality as everytime I dose it the manganese in my tank goes to the roof so much that I had to stop it. I suspect also coral 1 and Xtra to have it inside.