Aussie Sponges!!!!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11409207#post11409207 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tmz
:) Hey Gary, That's the one I have in my tank. Again if we get together some day I'll snip apiece for you.
Click to expand...

Methinks Tom just provided Gary w/ a Christmas miracle!
 
Hey Angie, I have not had the sponges long enough to boast long term sucess at this point. I have had them about a month and they are doing great. The person i bought them from had them in captivity for atleast a month before he let them go. One thing i have found is they need to be shaded or brown algae starts to grow on them. Click the link for a close up of the polyps open. Hopefully they hold in and do well long term.



http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee6/jdam123/PC110689.jpg
 
Heres some info for anyone else considering trying these sponges...

A few weeks ago I spoke to a west australian collector who is pretty knowledgeable IMO about many inverts & corals. The sponges are collected from an intertidal zone and are found in very turbid waters in tropical bays. Temperatures are extreme: 17C in winter through to 34C in summer.

It is possible to keep them alive for several months but he has never met anyone who has kept them alive for say a year. Given his success with keeping some other difficult non photosynthetic organisms for extended periods (2-3 yrs) I respect his opinion.

He was willing to collect some for me if I could establish a 'cryptic zone' type tank as he feels success is more likely to come in this environment. The tank would need to be established for some time before the sponge could be introduced.

Since we're now exporting this sponge, this information may be useful to someone who is patient enough to establish such a tank, wait a year or two, buy the sponge and see what happens.

cheers
angie
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11674992#post11674992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kent E
Maybe you need the swings for it to be successful.
Click to expand...
maybe... but I don't think that's it.
The key is more likely recreating an intertidal zone like the very turbid waters in tropical bays.
The temp swings are probably accompanied by multitudes of plankton. I don't believe the temp swings are as important as the other environmental factors here.
 
I've tried a few non photosynthetic corals to no avail. I adjusted flow and food in every possible way including very high flow and unbelievable amounts of food. I could keep them fairly long, but 9 months to a year was it, they began wasting away. Getting the angel was a nail in the coffin.
 
Im just trying to revisit this thread and see if anyone has been able to keep one of these sponges for longer than a couple of months.... am thinking about buying one but not if it will be dead in 6 months
 
Thanks gary.... why wont someone come forward and say that they couldnt keep one alive for long?
 
I know this thread is over 3 years old, but has anyone with one of these sponges passed the 1yr mark with it? I have one and would love to know from the more experienced people on RC. The supplier out of miami that supplied the LFS her had it listed as a spider gorgonian, so i was treating it as a gorgonian. I hope it survives.
 
if you are referring to the same "Aussie sponge" the op was describing

if you are referring to the same "Aussie sponge" the op was describing

it's not just a sponge.

It's a relationship between a sponge and another animal growing on the sponge.

Per RandyO's post:
"Parazoanthus and Epizoanthus:
Members of these genera are epizootic, meaning they live on other animals. Parazoanthus and Epizoanthus are almost exclusively found associated with sponges and hydroids, though they may also grow on gorgonian skeletons and even freely. They do not harbor zooxanthellae and thus must be fed zooplankton regularly in order to thrive. They occur where there are strong currents that carry plankton, so the water motion in the aquarium housing them should be swift and laminar. The association with sponges is believed to protect the sponges from predators. These zoanthid polyps are toxic and may also sting sponge eaters such as large angelfish."

I believe this is a symbiotic relationship.

Two things are for sure:

1) sponges are not the easiest of creatures to maintain in a closed system
2) non photosynthetic Epizootic parasites aren't either

I don't know of anyone keeping these "Aussie sponges" long term.

HOWEVER... (Tom) I still have that yellow sponge in my system and it's doing quite well although it has yet to grow into the finger like projections seen in my pix in this thread.
 
AussieSponge

AussieSponge

I've seen them in the store i go to in VT. Nice but, VERY expensive. Overpriced i believe. Which kinda pis*es me off.

If i can find one at a reasonable price, i may try to keep one. That and a Blueberry Gorgonian which i can mount underneath the LR in the DT. I have ALOT of sponge growth in my cryptic tank. Most of which i never bought. Some that i did i keep on one end under a Nano Glo led fixture. I also feed the system 3 species of Phyto i culture so i think i can manage the new additions.
 
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they SHOULD be expensive

they SHOULD be expensive

so the casual purchaser doesn't buy them unknowingly.

Really- these things are better off not being offered for sale to the general public. They require special care well beyond what the average reefkeeper provides. And sponges are toxic. Dying sponges in an aquarium... YUCK.
 
I don't agree

I don't agree

Gary Majchrzak said:
so the casual purchaser doesn't buy them unknowingly.

Really- these things are better off not being offered for sale to the general public. They require special care well beyond what the average reefkeeper provides. And sponges are toxic. Dying sponges in an aquarium... YUCK.
Click to expand...

It SHOULD be the responsible shop keeper that prevents the "average" reefkeeper from buying what he/she can't handle. I've seen all to often this happen. They try to sell you anything as long as they make a buck....and that REALLY ****es me off.
 
it's not worth getting ****ed off for any reason because of aquarium related stuff! Get a grip.

The fact remains that rare or very difficult to maintain reef animals (and especially those from AUS) SHOULD be expensive... or perhaps not even offered for sale. There's just no reason for these sponges to be sitting at a LFS awaiting a sale before demise. It's stupid.
Buyer beware.

Now.... maybe the LFS in Vermont ordered them for somebody. We don't know the whole story.

Selling reef critters that don't survive in captivity is bad for everybody concerned.
This is one of the reasons Chaetodonts that are corallivores are illegal to sell in Europe.


Those that are TRULY interested in maintaining the sponge/parasite combo in this thread have a specialized set up for their attempt and they are willing to pay the price of the animals.
 
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