What's wrong with my sponge?!?!?!?!

[mennazeher04]

Here is some pics of my orange sponge that came with my live rock. I have been watching my tank everyday and i started to notice this gray looking film that started to grow on the arms of the sponge. I thought it was like detitrus and blew it off with my feeder. Well now its back and it looks like I can see right through the sponge. Is my sponge dying? What can I do to help it so it won't die?

 

[dcantucson]

I think your sponge is probably dying, sorry.
Sponges are difficult, I think. They require perfect water conditions. I have tried three different ones and have had no luck. Also DON'T expose them to any air what so ever.
I hope it makes it. Good luck.

 

[yvr]

It may be a bacterial infection. If you are desperate to save the sponge, you can try cutting off the discoloured/dying fingers. As sponges do not have specialized cells, cutting off the fingers in question shouldn't hurt and the fingers should grow back in theory.

 

[winyfrog]

You should move it to a shaded area, they don't like direct light. You can also cut off the dead parts then cross your fingers. Sponges are just very difficult to keep, as d mentioned if they get exposed to air they are pretty much doomed.

They are one of those things that we as hobbiest can only guess at exactly what they need to eat, they will usually just fade away.

 

[Smitty]

+1 everyone...mines died too.

 

[yote]

+2 everybody
Had to toss mine to.

 

[mennazeher04]

Yea see when I got my live rock that sponge was on the LR and i was like wow thats awesome then i read about sponges not being able to hit the air and all that stuff. So i put the LR in just to see if it would even survive because it wasnt looking good at all specialy going through the cycle and it was all discolored and stuff and it looked like it had a film on it. About two months later it looked like it shed the film and was a beautiful bright orange, and now this stuff is happening so it survived hitting the air and about 8 months later.......lol. I appreciate everyones advice thanks.

 

[Bifferwine]

Well, at least you're not out a whole bunch of money if it doesn't make it :(

 

[dcantucson]

Maybe someone has had success with sponges in the home aquarium, but I haven't heard of any. Not at least long term. Which makes me wonder why they harvest something that has no chance of living in our care.

 

[Melosu58]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+527+577&pcatid=577

If you see on the link they are rated as difficult. My guess would be that it got exposed to air somewhere down the road.

 

[Bifferwine]

Which makes me wonder why they harvest something that has no chance of living in our care.

Because people will buy them.

 

[dcantucson]

:evil!?!?: I would never..... :evil!?!?:

 

[winyfrog]

Because people will buy them.

Thats exactly right!! :frustrat: If stores wouldn't buy them to sell then the divers would stop collecting them.

Although its only a matter of time that someone figures out how to keep them, just like coral 10 years ago you was lucky to keep almost any type for more then 6months.....

 

[dcantucson]

Sometimes I feel lucky to keep one for over 6 months nowdays, winy! :)

 

[Rcpilot]

I was doing fish only tanks 20yrs ago. Keeping corals was nuthin' but a pipe dream in a home aquarium.

When I got back into this a little over 2yrs ago, I was completely shocked at the variety of corals people were keeping in their homes.

 

[dcantucson]

Rc. You're beginning to show your age! :lol:

 

[Rcpilot]

I'm 37 - no big deal.